{"id":57448,"date":"2012-04-13T08:17:03","date_gmt":"2012-04-13T12:17:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/?p=57448"},"modified":"2012-04-19T09:48:40","modified_gmt":"2012-04-19T13:48:40","slug":"a-swing-and-a-hit-students-flock-to-new-class-on-baseball-and-society","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/today.uconn.edu\/2012\/04\/a-swing-and-a-hit-students-flock-to-new-class-on-baseball-and-society\/","title":{"rendered":"A Swing and a Hit: Students Flock to New Class on Baseball and Society"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Steven<\/a>
Steven Wisensale, professor of human development and family studies, hands out papers to students in his class on baseball and society. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

When Amy Holland \u201912 (CLAS) signed up for a new course on the history of baseball, some family members were so suspicious that she had \u201csenioritis\u201d that she emailed the syllabus to them to prove its rigor.<\/p>\n

In just its first few months, the three-credit class taught by family studies professor Steven Wisensale<\/a> has drawn raves from students for its wide-ranging and challenging lessons on the sport\u2019s history, cultural implications, and influence in areas ranging from race relations to public finance.<\/p>\n

Wisensale\u2019s class, \u201cBaseball and Society: Politics, Economics, Race, and Gender,\u201d<\/a> is offered through the Department of Human Development and Family Studies in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, where he is a longtime professor, and also cross-listed with Women\u2019s Studies and African-American Studies.<\/p>\n

Holland and other students say Wisensale uses baseball as an avenue to explore many other facets of history: the business and labor aspects of sports; athletes\u2019 roles in wartime; the experiences of female, gay, and minority ball players; its role as a pastime that binds generations of families and communities; and other topics.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a lot of work, but it\u2019s \u2018worth it\u2019 work. It\u2019s \u2018I\u2019m really learning a lot from this\u2019 kind of work,\u201d says Holland, of New Milford, who\u2019s set to graduate in May with a bachelor\u2019s degree in human development and family studies and psychology.<\/p>\n

\u201cProfessor Wisensale\u2019s enthusiasm for the course makes us really want to do the work,\u201d says Holland, who isn\u2019t much of a sports fan, but whose Yankees-loving family members were sufficiently impressed by Wisensale\u2019s syllabus to dismiss their fears that Holland was in the throes of senioritis.<\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/a>
Professor Wisensale emphasizes a point to his class. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

An \u201ceasy A\u201d is the last thing that anyone who\u2019s taken one of Wisensale\u2019s courses would expect, though, and he made it clear from the start that anyone who expected to sit around and simply shoot the breeze about baseball would be in for a big surprise.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe demands of this course are pretty severe. I didn\u2019t want it to get a reputation as a magnet for anyone who just wanted to get three easy credits,\u201d says Wisensale, a two-time Fulbright Fellowship winner whose specialties are family policy and gerontology, but who has had a lifelong passion for baseball.<\/p>\n

Some other universities nationwide have offered courses in the history and literature of various sports or about specific aspects of baseball, including statistical analysis of players\u2019 achievements. But Wisensale\u2019s course is the first in recent years at UConn, and he hopes other departments might soon agree to cross-list it among offerings for their majors, too.<\/p>\n

Wisensale fielded 180 applications and accepted 52 students, an almost even blend of males and females. Some were lifelong baseball fans who wanted to add to their knowledge, while others were students in Wisensale\u2019s other classes and were drawn by their admiration of his teaching style.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen students asked to sign up, I\u2019d write back and say, \u2018Are you ready to read five books, view probably 20 videos, take quizzes and exams, and complete a portfolio of some pretty challenging assignments?\u2019 If they said, \u2018Yes, that\u2019s exactly what I want to do,\u2019 I\u2019d say to come to class \u2013 but I think even some of those students were shocked by how serious the workload is.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wisensale, who grew up in southeastern Pennsylvania, is a Baltimore Orioles fan \u2013 something that students say he slips into conversation, but without letting the academic tenor of the class slide into a lengthy gab fest about various teams. \u201cHe tells us, \u2018I will not weigh in on the Yankees vs. the Red Sox because you\u2019re all wrong,\u201d Holland says.<\/p>\n

\"Professor<\/a>
Professor Wisensale gives a lecture at the Classroom Building. (Peter Morenus\/UConn Photo)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

None of his current students are members of UConn\u2019s baseball team, whose practice schedule conflicts with the twice-weekly courses. A few are on UConn fall sports teams, while some are fans who wear their allegiance on their hats or shirts \u2013 or, like Holland, are interested but less knowledgeable.<\/p>\n

Alex Bryce, a sophomore from Storrs majoring in kinesiology, signed up for the class with a better-than-average knowledge of baseball, having played it throughout his life. He\u2019s currently on a UConn club baseball team and plays in the Greater Hartford Twilight Baseball League, all of which he was able to share in the personalized \u201cbaseball cards\u201d that students created for themselves as one of Wisensale\u2019s first assignments to help them get to know each other.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe made it very clear from the beginning that there was going to be a lot of information and it wasn\u2019t going to be a throwaway class, and he was right,\u201d Bryce says. \u201cHe\u2019s also done a good job ensuring you could come into the class without a significant background in baseball and he\u2019d still provide the tools to succeed.\u201d<\/p>\n

Wisensale will be on sabbatical next fall, but expects to offer the baseball course again next spring.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo start a new course is a lot of hard work,\u201d he says, \u201cbut it\u2019s a labor of love.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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