AIMS AND CONTENT

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

At the end of the course the student knows the historical progressions of sport by covering it in history from the classical age to the present day. The student is also able to:

• understand the main issues of the discipline and to follow the events and processes.
• interpret critically the data and issues relating to the subject of study and reflection on the main topics, forming independent judgments on them.
• communicate, with command of language, information, and issues related to the history of sport.
• manage the main basic tools and the ability to use them so that you can deal autonomously further studies in the subject field and in the professional life.

SDGs

This course contributes to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals of the UN 2030 Agenda.

3. Good Health and Well-being

5. Gender Equality

10. Reduced Inequalities

TEACHING METHODS

Lectures will be in presence.

The course consists of frontal lectures, for a total of 24 hours, delivered by the lecture. During the lectures, the topics indicated in the “Syllabus/Content” section will be covered, with a focus on some specific cases. During the lectures, slides will be shown, then uploaded to Aulaweb, which will allow attending and non-attending students to have an overview of what has been presented.

There are no ongoing tests or pre-exams or post-exams.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

The world of sports practice and its interaction with society starting from the classical age to the contemporary age. In particular, the history of sport will be addressed to:

1. Sport as a “total social fact”. The concept of game, physical education, sport.
2. Sport in classical age and in the Middle Age.
3. Sport in modern history.
4. The nineteenth-century scenario: birth of sports pedagogy and physical education at school; birth of modern sport.
5. Olympics until the First World War.
6. Birth of sports governance (IOC and CONI).
7. Sport and physical education in liberal Italy.
8. Sport in totalitarianism: Stalin’s USSR.
9. Sport in totalitarianism: fascist Italy.
10. Sport in totalitarianism: Nazi Germany.
11. Olympics and main sports events in the interwar period.
12. Sport and the Cold War.
13. Olympic boycotts.
14. The Paralympic Games.

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

The lecturer provides, in Aulaweb, the slides and the materials useful for home study.

Further optional books are:

• Maria Aiello, Il tempo dello sport, Torino, Edizioni Gruppo Abele, 2014;
• Saverio Luigi Battente, L’idea di sport nel mondo antico e contemporaneo, Roma, Aracne, 2019;
• Paul Dietschy, Stefano Pivato, Storia dello sport in Italia, Bologna, il Mulino, 2019;
• Claudio Mancuso (edited by), Percorsi di storia e antropologia dello sport, Bologna, il Mulino, 2021;
• Umberto Tulli, Breve storia dello Olimpiadi. Lo sport, la politica da de Coubertin a oggi, Roma, Carocci, 2012.

TEACHERS AND EXAM BOARD

LESSONS

LESSONS START

Campus of Savona, second term, March 2026.

Dates, hours and classrooms for lectures and exams on Easyacademy Unige: https://easyacademy.unige.it/portalestudenti/

Class schedule

The timetable for this course is available here: Portale EasyAcademy

EXAMS

EXAM DESCRIPTION

This course is part of the integrated course “History of Sport – Anthropology – Sport Journalism”.

The exam consists of a written test lasting one hour.

The written test focuses on the topics covered during the lectures and the materials provided and indicated in the “Syllabus/Content” section. The written test consists of three questions, one for History of Sport, one for Anthropology and one for Sports Journalism: to achieve a passing grade, all answers must be sufficient. The answer for History of Sport will be evaluated at 12/12, those for Anthropology and Sports Journalism at 9/9, so as to respect the different CFU of the courses. The final grade is given by the sum of the partial grades of the three answers.

In case of certification of specific learning disability, disability or other special educational needs, the University legislation and regulations on disability and SLD are applied (https://unige.it/disabilita-dsa/studenti-disabilit%C3%A0-normativa).

See also the “Further information” section of this syllabus.

ASSESSMENT METHODS

For the part of History of sport, the questionnaire aims to verify that the student:

• has understood the main issues of the discipline and knows how to follow the events and processes;
• know how to interpret the problems inherent in the subject of study;
• know the information and issues related to the history of sport.

FURTHER INFORMATION

In case of certification of specific learning disability, disability or other special educational needs, please contact both the Department contact person, Prof. Nicola Girtler (nicola.girtler@unige.it), and the lecturer at the beginning of the lectures to agree on teaching and exam methods which, in compliance of the teaching objectives, take into account individual learning methods and provide suitable compensatory/dispensatory tools recognized by the University SLD Student Service.