Whether you love baseball, history, or both, go beyond the stats and get to know the game and the great players firsthand with this relevant American history course.
How to get the most out of History of Baseball With John C. "Chuck" Chalberg, PhD:
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First, read the course materials below before the first class meeting.
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Then have a notebook ready and available for class notes each live session.
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Read assignments before class meetings
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Watch that week’s recording if you need to revisit information from our live session.
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Do the assignments, quizzes, and any extra work assigned for that week.
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Once the course is completed to the parent's and professor’s satisfaction, there is a Certificate of Completion at the end to be filled in for your records.
Total classes: 6
Duration: 55 minutes
Prerequisite: None
Suggested grade level: 9th to 12th grade
Suggested credit: 1/2 semester Sports History or American History
Instructor: John C. "Chuck" Chalberg, PhD
Instructor email: chuck.chalberg@gmail.com
Course details: This course will deal with the history of baseball in the United States from its origins in the early 19th century to the professional game of the late 20th century. We will examine the history of the game primarily through biography. Among those to be discussed are Albert Spaulding, Ty Cobb, Charles Comiskey, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, Branch Rickey, Jackie Robinson, Mickey Mantle. Sandy Koufax, and Pete Rose. Among the themes to be discussed are the evolution of the rules of the game, the reasons for the popularity of the game, the professionalization of the game, the "dead ball" era, the Black Sox scandal, the state of the game in the 1920s and 1930s, the integration of baseball, and the state of the game in the 1970s and 1980s. Study guides will be provided for each chapter.
Course outline:
Class One: Rader, chapters 3 and 4
Class Two: Rader, chapters 5, 6, and 7
Class Three: Rader, chapters 8 and 9
Class Four: Rader, chapters 10 and 11
Class Five: Rader, chapters, 12 and 13
Class Six, Rader, chapters 14 and 15
Course materials: Baseball: A History of America's Game by Benjamin Rader, ISBN-10: 0252083741 or ISBN-13: 978-0252083747
Homework: Students will read approximately 30-35 pages per session. There will be two quizzes, one after the third class and another after the sixth and final class. Each will be worth 25 points and be composed of a combination of multiple-choice and true-false. For those students who would like to have some additional writing practice, there will be one optional writing assignment to be negotiated and discussed with the instructor. It is recommended that students get a head start with the reading at some point during the week before the course begins. The opening and closing chapters have not been assigned. Reading them is entirely optional.
- Teacher: Chuck Chalberg