ASSIGNMENT 2: POLITICS AND MODERN OLYMPICS

Overview:

In considering the role of politics in sports in the modern context, I would like you to research the following dates and then comment on them.

1916
1936
1940
1944
1972
1976
1980
1984

As you read, think about general trends in the ways that politics are intertwined with the games. In particular, think about international politics, i.e. the relationships between countries and how those play out in the Olympics, and issues of who can and can’t participate.

Here are some additional points:

Your comments should be 1-2 pages long (double-spaced in 12pt. Times New Roman font with 1 in margins) and should apply to all of these cases generally. Don’t just give me a list of dates and copy a paragraph on each of these dates from some website, because that is not the point of the assignment and will not get you a good grade. I want your own original thoughts on the role of politics in the games. I would also advise you to read the pertinent chapter in Miller’s Ancient Greek Athletics (Chap. 14: Politics and the Games) for inspiration before you start the assignment. Don’t forget to put your full name on the assignment!

Instructions:

1. Research the above modern Olympics to discover how politics played a role in the games. Instead of focusing on each games individually, pick major themes that you see repeated at multiple games.
2. Write 1-2 pages (no more, no less, double-spaced in 12pt. Times New Roman with 1 in. margins…) describing some of the ways that contemporary politics affected these games.
3. Hand in a hard copy of this paper on Monday, March 7th at the end of class.

Citations:

A works cited page is essential to this assignment since it requires outside research. You may use any format you choose as long as it is standard, but APA is preferred. For more information about this format, visit this website: http://libguides.uakron.edu/APAstyle.

Rubric:

Exceptional Satisfactory Developing Need work Points
Content (40) Follows directions of the assignment. Discusses points general to the politics of the modern Olympics. (40) Follows directions of the assignment. Discusses points specific to the politics of certain of the modern Olympics (30) Discusses points specific to certain of the modern Olympics (20) Discusses the modern Olympics generally. (10)
Analysis (40) Provides thoughtful, detailed analysis of content with specific examples. (40) Provides thoughtful, detailed analysis of content without specific examples. (30) Provides thoughtful, analysis of content without specific examples. (15) Provides minimal analysis of content. (0)
Format (20) Follows formatting requirements (20) Makes small errors in formatting due to negligence (10) Major errors in Formatting (0)
Additional Comments: Grade