Body Politics: Pro Wrestling in Social, Cultural, and Political Perspective

Students will study the practice of pro wrestling from different theoretical perspectives, including the cultural-comparative, phenomenological, social constructionist, artistic, labor-economic, and political. Students will conduct a mini-ethnography at a local wrestling match, develop creative projects motivated by pro wrestling, and write a final paper analyzing a case of their choice (e.g. ritual elements in wrestlers' entrance themes, Kia Stevens's engagement with stereotyping in the ring and on-screen, or simulated embodiment in wrestling video games) from one or more of the theoretical perspectives addressed in the course.