Upper School Curriculum

Grades: 12 (Grade 11 with departmental approval)
Spring

This seminar explores sports journalism as a literary, cultural, and historical phenomenon, investigating how writers have shaped public perception of athletes, games, and social issues. Students will study the golden age of sports writing, analyzing masterful prose from figures such as Red Smith, Grantland Rice, and A.J. Liebling, and examining how their perspectives and biases informed their storytelling. The course then examines coverage of socially and politically significant athletes, including Jackie Robinson, Muhammad Ali, and Billie Jean King, to explore the intersections of race, gender, activism, and media influence. Finally, students analyze modern sports media and digital journalism, exploring how social media, multimedia platforms, and contemporary reporting have transformed narrative authority, ethics, and public discourse. Students will develop critical reading skills, media literacy, and applied writing skills through analytical essays, reflection papers, and a culminating portfolio of original sports journalism that demonstrates both craft and cultural insight.