Competition Culture: Rivalry and National Values in American Popular Culture (Shilpa Davé) 
Class #11986 | COLA 1500 Section 006 | Tuesday | 11:00AM-12: 15PM


The word competition is rooted in the notion of rivalry and the striving for a particular goal, prize, or reward. How does the idea of competition manifest itself in our daily lives and our national culture? This course will engage with the ideas of how Americans are represented and engaged with “winning” and “losing” and the expectations and challenges that accompany a competitive mindset as a national value. Sports and competition have long been an integral part of American popular culture, intersecting with issues of race, class, citizenship and gender as well as national identity, global competition, and border crossings. We will examine how competitive values and tactics carry over from the sports arena to reality television shows, college admissions, Facebook friends, and national and global policies. Our first reading will be Suzanne Collin’s The Hunger Games.