Dr. Peter L. de Rosa
Fall 2007
Text: Rader, Baseball: A History of America's Game
Internet assignments
Sep 6 Course Introduction. Rader pp. 1-4. Baseball History Course Outline and Resource Guide
Sep 11 Origins. 5-19
The Origins of Baseball
The Massachusetts Game
Sep 13 Professionalism. 20-55. Handout on early Boston teams
Sep 18 Rivalries. 55-69. Boston Baseball Dynasties
Sep 20 19th Century Baseball. 69-78. Conference scheduling
Sep 25 Deadball. 79-109. The Boston Pilgrims Never Existed
Sep 27 World War I. 109-114. Conferences. Fenway Park
Oct 2 Golden Age. 124-143. Conferences. Baseball Broadcasting from Another Day
Oct 4 Scandals. 115-123, 155-163. Conferences. Baseball's Negro Leagues
Oct 9 Difficult Years. 143-154. Conferences. All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Oct 11 Integration. 163-174. 1st Written Assignment due
Oct 16 A National Game. 174-196. Baseball Markets
Oct 18 Expansion. 196-214. Outlines due
Oct 23 Modernization. 213-231
Moneyball: One Year Later
Bill James Primer
The Sabermetric Manifesto
Oct 25 Globalization. 231-252
Oct 30 Baseball and Popular Culture. 252-255. Casey at the Bat
Nov 1 Boston Baseball since 1945. Presentation
Boston Red Sox
Handout on Red Sox History
Hub Fans Bid Kid Adieu
Game 6
Nov 6 Presentations
Nov 8 Presentations. 2nd Written Assignment due
Nov 13 Presentations
Nov 15 Presentations
Nov 20 Presentations
Nov 27 Presentations
Nov 29 Presentations
Dec 4 Presentations. Deadline for me to look over extra credit papers
Dec 6 Presentations
Dec 11 Course Summary. Presentations. Extra credit paper due
History Department: Tillinghast 233. (508) 531-1388
Office Hours: TTh 11-11:30 in Tillinghast 223, and by appointment
Office Telephone: (508) 531-1260. Ext. 6533
Email: agrderosa@yahoo.com
Web page/e-journal: Academic Gaming Review
Grading: Presentation and Defense: 30%. Critic: 10%. Outline: 20%. Discussion: 20%. Written Assignments: 10% each. Late penalty for written work: 15 points per class session.
Presentation: You will research and present a paper on a baseball history topic. One of your classmates will critique the paper after you present it. You will then defend the paper.
Instructions for Presenting:
-Email or give your outline to your critic 2 days before your talk
-Presentation should take at least 20 minutes. Longer is fine too.
-You will be graded on organization, sources, points made, and your defense.
-Take as much time as you need to reply to your critic and the others.
Instructions for Critiquing:
-Make sure you have looked at the outline thoroughly before you critique.
-Make intelligent comments on the talk's good points and any areas where it can be improved.
-Ask questions if they occur to you.
Outline: After conferring with me, you will submit an outline of your presentation along with an annotated bibliography of your sources (at least 10 sources, no more than 4 internet ones). Annotations should be a couple of paragraphs. Give your critic a copy at least 2 days before your talk. The outline must be submitted in written form (no emailed versions) to me or in my mailbox in Tillinghast 233.
Instructions for the written assignments, based on the readings, will be given later.
Discussions will be based on the Presentations, Rader, the lectures, and the web sources.
Extra Credit: Up to 10 points added to your final grade if you prepare your presentation in written form for submission to the Society for American Baseball Research Paper Collection. Give me a written version of your of presentation by the last day of class. Type it single-spaced, with bibliographical information. Proofread it thoroughly and show it to me a week before its due. It must meet certain standards before you can get credit for it, so this meeting is quite important. Include your name and contact information on it, as well as a copyright statement such as:
Copyright, 2007, by your name. All Rights Reserved. Permission is granted to The Society for American Baseball Research to distribute this paper.
Distribution by SABR is a form of publication. You would cite your paper on an application or resume like this: "title." The Society for American Baseball Research, Providence, date. Photocopy.
Attendance: I am required to maintain a current class roster. Announcements made in class are binding on absentees. Chronic lateness, disruptive behavior, or academic dishonesty will result in lowered grades or failing the course.