Department of American Studies

Sport Studies Joins American Studies

Beginning in Fall 2010, the undergraduate program in sport studies, formerly housed in the Department of Health and Sport Studies, will become part of American Studies. We will offer two majors: a BA in American Studies and a BA in Sport Studies. The graduate program in sport studies will become a track for students pursuing an MA or PhD in American Studies.

In addition to adding these new programs, we will be welcoming several new colleagues to American Studies. Susan Birrell now holds a formal appointment with American Studies and Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies after being associated with both departments for almost 30 years. She teaches the foundation course on Inequality in Sport as well as more advanced course on the cultural meanings of sport. Her research interest is on narrative power in sport and her current project focuses on Mt Everest. Tina Parratt will join the department as an associate professor. A sport historian, Professor Parratt’s current research focuses on the politics of land use. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses on American sport and sport and nationalism. She currently serves as the President-Elect of the North American Society for Sport History. Dr. Jennifer Metz is a Lecturer who teaches Inequality in Sport as well as courses on contemporary sport and the sport/media relationship. Her current research focuses on motherhood in late-capitalist sport. Joe Cilek joins the department as undergraduate advisor for sport studies majors.

The Department of Health and Sport Studies educated University of Iowa students for over one hundred and ten years until its closure in summer 2010. Alums from the department have held leadership positions in numerous sport and health-related organizations, making significant contributions to their disciplines, professions, and communities. The department was a pioneer in many academic areas, and beginning in the late 1970s, it launched one of the first sport studies programs in the country. Graduates from the program hold academic positions at the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University, Penn State University, the University of Georgia, Miami University and numerous other schools throughout the US. The sport studies program at Iowa is one of the premier programs in North America.