This page is for students of Smith College’s ESS 220 – Psychology of Sport – taught by Tim Bacon. You can contact Tim at tbacon@smith.edu or 413-585-2715.
Location & Time
The course this year will be taught on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1:00 to 2:20 in the Ainsworth Gym Classroom (main floor – there is only one:).
Prerequisite
The PSY 111 prerequisite is routinely waived if your interest in the course is high and you agree to do any necessary background reading – e-mail Tim for permission. A sport background while not essential, will facilitate understanding of the material. Those without a sport background should be prepared to do additional reading.
Syllabus
You can download the syllabus here: ESS 220 Syllabus Fall 2009.V2
Text & Materials
- The text is available at the Smith College Bookstore. The official test for Fall 2009 will be Applied Sport Psychology: Personal Growth to Peak Performance by Williams, J. (Ed) – 6th edition, 2010. Use of earlier editions is at your own risk (i.e., you are responsible for reading assigned from the 6th edition).
- Students are responsible for obtaining and viewing films (i.e., there will be no copy placed on reserve). A Netflix membership is recommended as you will be able to obtain most films in the course (or view them online) – the $8.99 monthly membership is recommended – plus there is a 2-week free trial (with proper scheduling – at your own risk – you may be able to get away with the $4.99 membership)
From the Smith College 2009-10 Catalogue:
ESS 220 Psychology of Sport: An introduction to the principles and applications of the four main areas of sport psychology: peak performance, psychological skills training, motivation and group processes. Students will have an opportunity to research and apply models of interest.
Resources for sport psychology related films:
Internet Movie Database (IMDb) Top 50 Films.
December 8, 2007 at 9:17 pm |
Hi, this is a comment.
To delete a comment, just log in, and view the posts’ comments, there you will have the option to edit or delete them.
January 28, 2008 at 7:17 pm |
I’m suggesting Murderball, a documentary about rugby league of players in wheelchairs, because it deals with (among other things) the issues surrounding disabled athletes. I’d also like to host it.
(if for any reason we can’t watch this film, I’d like to host Bend it like Beckham)
January 28, 2008 at 7:18 pm |
I suggest that we watch Wimbeldon, Hoosiers and Slapshot. I would like to host Slapshot because I feel that as a hockey player, and a goon, I would be able to discuss the benefits of perceived negative behavior towards team togetherness.
January 28, 2008 at 8:47 pm |
I am suggestion a 2007 film titled, “20 seconds of Joy”. This film documents the story of a female base jumper, emphasizing risk evaluation and decision making in one of the most extreme of the extreme sports.Unfortunately, this film will be hard to get. I secondly recommend the film Everest (IMAX, 1998).
January 29, 2008 at 1:02 am |
Although not as “original” as others… I suggest and would like to host Remember the Titans. Holding a few positions as a sports team captain in the past and as a current captain of Smith Track and Field, I think this film greatly exemplifies the roles of leadership from not just a coaches perspective but from a captain/peer/teammate perspective also.
Other movie suggestions: Glory Road and Center Stage
January 29, 2008 at 1:05 am |
Hey all! I would love to watch Rudy, because I think it is an awesome movie about overcoming one’s own hardships, and unlike others the main character is not some six foot tall perfectly built man. I also like Angles in the Outfield. I would like to host a movie about a performing, artistic sport, such as The Cutting Edge, Center Stage, Save the Last Dance, or Turning Point. I was a dancer, and I feel like dancing is psychologically different from a lot of team sports in certain aspects, though similar in many others.
January 29, 2008 at 1:06 am |
I suggest that we watch the film “Prefontaine” based on the Olympic hopeful Steve Prefontaine, who fights against physical disadvantages to qualify for the Olympics. “Without Limits” is also about Steve Prefontaine and would also be a decent movie to watch, but in my opinion “Prefontaine” is a better story.
I would also like to suggest the film “Cool Runnings” about the Jamaican bobsled team who faces difficulties, both personal and as a team, when traveling to the Olympics. I would prefer to host “Cool Runnings” because it deals with team dynamics and a variety of other themes that would be interesting to discuss in class.
January 29, 2008 at 2:52 am |
Here are a bunch of films I could think of that have to do with sports: Pride, Coach Cater, Air Bud (all 3), Varsity Blues, Angels in the Outfield, Rocky, A League of Their Own..
I’m interested in the theme “intrinsic vs. extrinsic motivation,” but I’m not sure what specific movie I want to host… (Tim has “Invincible” written down next to it & that’s fine with me – even tho I’ve never seen it).
April 15, 2008 at 12:25 am |
this website might be helpful for an overview of sport psych topics… found it a while ago.. thought I’d pass it on to everyone (just in case it was helpful for something at some point)
http://www.chssc.salford.ac.uk/healthSci/psych2000/psych2000/sportpsych.htm