CPASS master’s student and instructor Marla Gladstone plans to analyze opposing factors and how they have influenced history and sport by bringing real-life experience into the classroom.
The idea behind PET 101: Games in American culture course is to evaluate and discover how sport has influenced history and how history has influenced sport. Instead of taking stories and examples straight from a textbook, Gladstone’s desired plan of action is to bring different guest speakers into the classroom, to give a more biographical, human perspective.
Gladstone has invited two CPASS Visiting Committee members to visit her classroom this fall, William “Chip” Zimmer and Kelly Ann Geddis. Zimmer will reflect on valuable corporate knowledge about how times have changed in sport marketing in the 70s and 80s to present day. Zimmer has a personal interest in baseball during the WWII era, which may enlighten students on issues during this time in history.
Geddis has a trailblazer background, as one of the first female athletic directors in her department at Morgantown High School. The students will learn firsthand how times have changed within the sport industry, specifically, how lingering stereotypes and gender biases can create issues for women as they move through their careers.
“Taking the practical knowledge and insights these different guests offer can help to provide discussions and interesting dialogues. This allows students to see a real-life application and how it may differ from what the text book said. It helps to engage critical thinking as to what may account for some of the differences,” Gladstone said.
Zimmer will speak to the class on October 29 and 31. Geddis intends to share with students on November 21.