CORE037 Sport in/behind the Mirror of Society

Faculty of Sports Studies
spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
doc. PaedDr. Emanuel Hurych, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Mgr. Jakub Palka (assistant)
Guaranteed by
doc. PaedDr. Emanuel Hurych, Ph.D.
Department of Physical Education and Social Sciences – Faculty of Sports Studies
Contact Person: doc. PaedDr. Emanuel Hurych, Ph.D.
Supplier department: Department of Physical Education and Social Sciences – Faculty of Sports Studies
Prerequisites
TYP_STUDIA(BM) && FORMA(P)
They can enrol students in MU bachelor's programmes in the full-time form of their studies, the subject is not tied to other subjects.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is offered to students of any study field.
The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 0/30, only registered with preference (fields directly associated with the programme): 0/30
Course objectives
The object of the course is to bring students to a stand-alone thinking about social events around us (and evaluating the circumstances and consequences of these events) through discussions and analyses devoted to events in the world of sport. The aim (in sub-attributes) is to build an analytical approach to  problems (mainly in philosophical discourse), to promote a creative approach and autonomy in  creative expression (in discussions and in the production of an essay), as well as an interdisciplinary understanding of events (including the ability to work with salacious puns and humour).
note The subject, with its title, reports on the  legacy of Lewis Carroll's work. This Oxford mathematics professor was able to write poetic stories for children, in which adults also find lessons. We, too, follow the "tangled story" of contemporary sport and stand often as "Alice in Wonderland" hidden "behind a mirror" in amazement at the paradox of the veracity of the cliché that sport is a mirror of society. Above the selected stories of athletes and other prominent figures, the subject gives an insight into the fundamental themes of the contemporary world (environmental issues, gender, racism, violence in society, pressure on performance, equal opportunities, etc.) in  sociological, but above all philosophical discourse. Within the university-wide base, this is a  subject that touches upon (at least through its impacts) all disciplines and goes across the curriculum.
Learning outcomes
The student will be able to:
- identify and summarise important features of performance and top-level sport;
- putting events taking place in the world in a wider social context;
- define the concepts of sportification and gamification and be able to explain their broader societal framework;
- write an essay in which he demonstrates an analytical approach to societal problems and applies a philosophical approach to  them in basic form, while simultaneously being able to develop his creative abilities.
Syllabus
  • On the content side, it is probably best illustrated by the titles and subtitles of some of the lectures:
  • -Tur de Franz or from Kafka to Armstrong. * A tale of  human desire, strong arms and how to get a trumpet to the moon without falling off the  wheel (key theme - "performance company and its alternatives").
  • -Why didn't Pistorius get an Oscar? * A tale of  human otherness and the dark recesses of the thirteenth chamber (a key theme - "status of minorities, disadvantage and favouritism").
  • -How many meters is Caster Semenya allowed to run? * A story about transgender in sport, or about running from gender through transgender back to somewhere gender (key theme - "gender").
  • -If you can't, join in and think about it. * A tale of  immeasurable diligence, resilience and  what teeth the donated medal sits on the themes of Emile Shine's Infinity Story (2 key themes and their synergies - "finding new ways and ethical aspects of the journey").
  • Other key themes are listed below: racism, violence in society, the environmental dimension of sport, social networks, gamification and sportification, liberalism versus paternalism.
  • Three other topics are optional. Their choices are decided by the students themselves with their voting during the third week of the semester. Optional topics are timed as lectures No. 10-12. This is a pilot launch of the subject. Meaningful changes to this curriculum are therefore possible if there is cause for them and if there is agreement on them.
Literature
    required literature
  • Filosofická kinantropologie : setkání filosofie, těla a pohybu. Edited by Ivo Jirásek. 1. vyd. Olomouc: Univerzita Palackého v Olomouci, 2005, 355 s. ISBN 8024411768. info
    recommended literature
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Could gamification present a significant topic for the philosophy of sport? Studia sportiva. Masarykova univerzita, 2021, vol. 15, No 1, p. 51-62. ISSN 1802-7679. Available from: https://dx.doi.org/10.5817/STS2021-1-5. URL info
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Duchovní rozměr pohybu v sekularizující se společnosti. Celkový rámec a vybrané pohledy poutníků a běžců (The Spiritual Dimension of Human Movement in the Secularizing Society. The Global Frame and the Selected Approaches of Pilgrims and Runners). 1st ed. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2019, 183 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-9158-0. info
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Sakralita pohybu v díle Jaroslava Foglara (Sacrality of movement in the work of Jaroslav Foglar). In Pavel Hošek. Duchovní rozměr fenoménu Foglar. 1st ed. Praha: Dingir, s. r. o., 2018, p. 89-142. ISBN 978-80-86779-48-5. info
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Reimagining topical challenges within the kinanthropological frame. Online. In Martin Zvonař, Zuzana Sajdlová. 11th International Conference on Kinanthropology - Sport and Quality of Life. 1st ed. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2017, p. 404-412. ISBN 978-80-210-8917-4. info
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Running as an Authentic Possibility of Being. In Heather L. Reid; Eric Moore. Reflecting on Modern Sport in Ancient Olympia. USA: International Association for the Philosophy of Sport at the International Olympic Academy, 2017, p. 67-79. ISBN 978-1-942495-21-5. info
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Filosofie sportu (Philosophy of Sport). Online. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2014, p. nestránkováno, 136 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-7431-6. URL info
    not specified
  • HURYCH, Emanuel. Spiritualita pohybových aktivit (Spirituality of Movement Activities). 1. vyd. Brno: Masarykova univerzita, 2013, 251 pp. ISBN 978-80-210-6207-8. info
Teaching methods
Lecture, group discussion, home reading, writing essays, active creating of the selected topics.
Assessment methods
- Performance of ongoing task based on home reading, - activity rating, - writing an essay on the selected topic, - final written test (20 questions, 60 % of correct answers needed), - final interview (individual or group).
Language of instruction
Czech
The course is also listed under the following terms spring 2023, spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (spring 2025, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/fsps/spring2025/CORE037