Anthropology of Sport

Code:

317

Acronym:

AD

Instance: 2018/2019 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Sports Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
LCD	195	First Degree in Sports Sciences (2011/2012)	3	-	3	30	81

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

The Sport’s Anthropology Curriculum Unit is designed to enable students to understand that sports is, above all, a cultural phenomena housing a cultural subject which grounds itself upon man, and therefore bringing to light an Anthropology’s course .
Students should have not only the knowledge of the anthropological groundings that authenticate sports but also should place them over time – temporal line – as through each individual lifetime – personal line.

Learning outcomes and competences

From the given themes, students must be led to a critical thinking. After the enlightenment of the curricular unit issues, there is space to an open dialogue. These themes bring to awareness Man as the main spindle of the anthropological thinking in sports. The great purpose is to develop students’ skills and ability, with a view to making them more independent learners. Making them gain discourse independence, which will reflect itself in the discussion of the themes as well as in the interpretation of texts and the searching for new challenges. It is important to make students realize that this present time is a time that asks for personal responsibility as well as for the eternal quest for transcendence. Every student must rely on discipline in order to pursuit knowledge. Due to the lack of thinking that takes place, this curricular unit brings to light the Human Person, having as a specific background the anthropological founding of sports.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

not applicable

Program

1. Searching for an anthropological founding of sports
a. Human Person as the core issue of Anthropology of Sports
b. Searching for a definition of Man
i. From ancient classics to modernity
ii. Difference between Man and animal
iii. Searching for transcendence as an element of difference
c. Understanding of the Culture concept
i. From E.Tylor to A. Kröeber
ii. Culture as a creative act
d. Searching for a definition of Sports
i. Sports and motor elements
ii. Sports and human elements
iii . Sports as a structure of meaning
iv. Proposal for a definition of Sports
e. Man and transcendence – sports and transcendence
2. Anatomical groundings of human revolution process
a. Origin of Man
b. Liberation of the hand
c. Acquisition of conscience
d. From standing position to “ running”
3. Roots of the human being. Human development and Sedentarism. Procedures to frame a cultural assumption
a. Obesity as a global problem
b. Presentation of an explanatory constellation
i. Techniques
ii. Human evolution
iii. Holocene
iv. The taming of plants
v. The taming of animals
c. Sedentarism and obesity as a result of 10.000 years of development
4. Body in Anthropology of Sports
a. Body and culture
b. Body along personal lifetime
c. Body and death: the search for immortality
5. Sports in the mythical - religious universe
a. Diving into the popular imaginary
b. Sports as a ritual and symbolic phenomena
c. Symbolics of sports
i. ball
ii. Spacio – temporal structure of sports
d. Sports’ actors and their symbolic role
6. Sports and modernity
a. Sports on society’s context
b. Modernity concept
c. From tradition to post – modernity
d. Sports on modernity perspective
e. Sports and hegemonic culture
f. Game and sports: approaches

Mandatory literature

Rui Garcia; Antropologia do Esporte, Shape Editora - Rio de Janeiro, 2007. ISBN: 85-85253-60-6
Rui Garcia; No labirinto do Desporto, Imprensa Nacional - Casa da Moeda. ISBN: a publicar

Complementary Bibliography

Clyde Kluckhohn; Antropologia. Um espelho para o homem, Editota Itatiaia, 2005
A. Kröeber; A natureza da cultura, Edições 70, 1993
Richard Dawkins; A grande história da evolução, Companhia das Letras, 2009

Teaching methods and learning activities

Explanatory method, with audio – visual resources, followed by debate.
Usually, classes end with a question which will be the starting point for the next class.
Students will be given all the learning mandatory elements and other bibliographical suggestions.

Evaluation Type

Evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	0,00
Elaboração de projeto	0,00
Elaboração de relatório/dissertação/tese	0,00
Estudo autónomo	51,00
Frequência das aulas	30,00
Realização de Estágio	0,00
Trabalho de campo	0,00
Trabalho de investigação	0,00
Trabalho escrito	0,00
Trabalho laboratorial	0,00
Total:	81,00

Eligibility for exams

Students may choose between a final exam or perform 2 mid - term assessment throughout the semester. The second option needs 75% class attendance. Students without that exam won’t be assessed, unless those who have special statutes. Nevertheless, in these conditions, final exam will be allowed.

Calculation formula of final grade

Final exam: 9, 5 values equal or above to succeed the Curricular Unit.
Mid-term assessment: Final average equal or above 9, 5 values and none mark bellow 7, 5 values.

Examinations or Special Assignments

not applicable

Internship work/project

not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Final exam according the Pedagogical Board deliberation.

Classification improvement

Performance of a final exam on next term(s) according to the Porto University Assessment Rules.