GBL 1950 Fútbol: Passion, Politics, and Culture in Spain and the US - Preparation Course for GBL 2950
This course helps prepare students academically, inter-culturally, linguistically and logistically for their short-term global experience. The seminar is offered on campus in the semester prior to the 4 sh global engagement experience. Completion of the pre-departure preparatory seminar is required for participation in GBL 2950 - Fútbol: Passion, Politics, and Culture in Spain.
Course Types
Civilization
- Students will be able to challenge the misconceptions and stereotypes surrounding fútbol/soccer in the United States and Spain and that are commonly present in the popular cultures of both countries.
- Students will be able to identify and understand the connection that exists between politics and fútbol/soccer teams in Spain, a link that is not usually present in the United States, but that has a great amount of influence in the formation of cultural identity in the Iberian Peninsula.
- Students will have a deeper understanding of the role that their interest/fandom in fútbol/soccer plays in the making the sport a global cultural phenomenon with tangible, and sometimes unintended, social and political ramifications.
- Students will understand that the culture of Spain is not monolithic by becoming familiar with basic phrases in three languages spoken in the country: Spanish (Castilian), Basque, and Catalan.
- Students will reflect upon the fanaticism displayed by fútbol/soccer followers in Spain and compare it with the behavior of sports fans in the US.