Athletics Dept. Looks to Expand Courses

Oberlin College is once again trying to destroy a stereotype; this time it is the "dumb jock" that is under attack. The department of Athletics and Physical Education is making changes in the curriculum to reflect changing student interest. They have added classes this year and, despite low enrollment in some, plan to add more next year. There are also plans for a minor in the future.

When Oberlin had a Physical Education major, it was one of the centers for Athletics in the United States. Now, unlike many colleges and universities, Oberlin does not have a physical education requirement. Some schools, such as the University of Massachusetts and Ohio University, even have large sports administration programs that are not geared towards a liberal arts education.

Muska noted that they have witnessed a rise in the number of students participating in the personal fitness courses over the past few years. In response to the rising interest, such courses as Life-Saving, Yoga and Personal Wellness have been added to the curriculum. After a prolonged absence, squash was also reintroduced.

"There really are some things going on in terms of the curriculum, in terms of making it more interesting and appealing to students," said Muska. He also talked of a different way of approaching athletics in the twenty-first century, replacing traditional weight-lifting and running-type courses with theory-based classes.

Men's head soccer coach Blake New has been teaching a class on sports in society for the past two years. It was joined this year by a course on the history of American sports and physical education, taught by Muska, and a course on women's issues in sports, taught by Women's Head Basketball Coach and Associate Athletic Director Ann Gilbert. Unfortunately, there was not enough interest for either of the two new classes to be taught. "The problem was that we didn't do anything to advertise," said Muska. "So all of a sudden we had these new courses, but nobody knew they were going to be offered." Both Muska and Gilbert are doing private readings with the students who had expressed interest in the classes.

New's class, however, has been very successful. The class has been expanded every year due to increasing student interest, and although the class draws a lot of athletes, about a third of the class is consistently comprised of non-athletes. "If I can get somebody to come out of the class with a greater awareness of how sports influence religion, gender differences, social status and race relations, and they can have broader knowledge of how they see the world and sports in general, then I feel like I've done a good job teaching the class," said New.

The department is planning to add more classes next year. Head Women's Soccer and Softball Coach Jane Wildman, who recently received her master's degree, will teach a class in sports psychology. Elizabeth Graham, the women's lacrosse and field hockey coach, will offer a class in physiology, and Muska will teach a seminar on the history of the Olympics.

The department is trying to utilize its specialties in order to create appealing courses. "I saw no reason why we couldn't teach a course on homophobia in athletics as part of an interdisciplinary, cross-cultural program that might be on campus," said Muska. The women's issues in sports class will be listed under Women's Studies next year, and there are similar possibilities for the sports psychology class and others in the future.

The Department is also looking to eventually add a minor. "Before you can propose the concept of a minor, you need classes in place, and you need to be showing interest from the students," said Muska.

The Athletics department is attempting to change the image of sports and athletics and with it the appeal to students. They are adding courses that they believe that students will want to take and that will challenge them to develop an interest and respect in a subject that they may have formerly overlooked.