Whew!!!! This semester has passed by so quickly its hard to believe it will be Christmas next week! I must say it is bittersweet because I really enjoyed my experiences in this class. My expectations for the class when I signed up for it was we were going to learn about the history of sports. I thought alright were going to have to remember a bunch of dates and learn about how sports originated. It was far more than that as I soon found out. Talking about the impact of athletes in their respective sports, classic matches, scandals, variations of sports, sport facilities, and ethical dilemmas. There was so much I did not realize about sports and their impact on society back then. Whether it was Ali, Billie Jean King, Jackie Robinson, or Jack Dempsey to name a few that had impacted the world of sport. Most classes just tell you about their achievements in a particular sport, but I enjoyed how we examined other aspects than just their accomplishments. Discussing why it was important, how it impacted different people and what it meant to the sport was a whole different aspect I soon began to realize as the semester went on.
I loved the fact we had group discussions and that people were not afraid to express their opinion. I think you are the first teacher to actually allow our discussions to basically halt a lecture for a significant time just so you could hear our take on things Dr. Spencer. Our group discussions was a nice alternative to lecture as well as videos to help us remember significant events. I also think the videos actually let us get a feel for how important an event really was.
I think my favorite part about taking this class was that I could finally talk sports with my grandpa and my father. I actually knew some of the people they would talk about during family events and being able to inform them of things they might have forgotten or did not know. There were so many times where I felt in the dark when they would talk about sports back then, but that is no longer a problem.
As far as the blogs go I enjoyed doing them, I just wish I would have took advantage of expressing my opinion even more by doing more posts. I think it is a great alternative for a final project because it allows you to gradually do it over the semester. Whenever a topic related to class was in the news, we could discuss it on our blog or we could elaborate further on class discussion. Getting feedback from other people as well as giving it was a great way to see other peoples point of view.
I would definitely recommend this class to future students and I would like to end by wishing everyone a MERRY CHRISTMAS! and a HAPPY NEW YEAR.
Hope everyone has a great break!
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Thanks for your in-depth observations about what you learned from the class, Marcus. I think the coolest thing is what you said about being able to talk about sports with your father and grandfather. It would be great if this class facilitated more of that. I know I find myself asking my mom and dad about what certain sports were like when they were young and it is always quite intriguing for me to hear what they say.
ReplyDeleteI hope you have a great break, and that you will keep in touch in the coming year!