Our first module "Humanities of Sport" started in Leicester on September 17th in Leicester, England at De Montfort University. The latest updates will be posted here!
Class video!
Here is our class video: FIFA Master 13th edition. It was some intense last weeks as I was coordinating the video while trying to wrap up our first module. Lucy Browne, a former DMU student, did an excellent job putting the video together. Please check out her other videos here: L. Browne - videos.
And for our class video, it’s been an amazing experience so far and as you can tell from the video, we are truly an interesting and diverse group of people from all over the world. Can’t wait for the Milan module to start and for another great adventure with my class!
6-11-2012
Scotland
It has been some intense last weeks. Having exams and papers due as well as preparing for our final project has definitely kept me busy. We also had a long weekend off, where some of us went to Scotland and had an amazing time at the Scottish highlands. Some pictures from the trip can be found below. We first went to Edinburgh and I really enjoyed my time there, mostly because I enjoy the outdoors and the scenery is amazing. Edinburgh has also an international scene, which was fun to explore. We ended up having both a South African evening (their national rugby team played Scotland) and a Latin night. Some of us also went for a “hike” up the summit, Arthur’s seats, and had a stunning view of the city. Can’t wait to come back one day and tour the rest of Scotland!
Edinburgh Castle
View from the summit
10-17-2012
London 2012 Olympics - Neil Snowball
Today, we had a guest lecture from Neil Snowball, the Head of Sports Administration at the London Organizing Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, where he presented the steps leading up to the London Olympic 2012 and the successful outcome of the event. The lecture began with a short opening video of the London Olympic and Paralympic games where Neil afterwards presented a very interesting overview of the games. Listening to someone that had been very closely involved with this type of major event was very inspiring and as a spectator it is sometimes difficult to realize the amount of hours that are being devoted to plan and execute larger events.
So, there I found myself understanding not only why I am part of this course, but also that I had made the right decision. Listening to Neil’s presentation made me realize where I see myself in the future and more importantly why sports really excites me! The feelings sport evokes; excitement, passion, dedication and being torn between tears and happiness are elements that make sport unique for me. Either if you are a professional athlete or a sport administrator running an event, it is the outcome of determination and hard work that makes it worth the effort, and it is this feeling that I am trying to replicate - to one day be able in my future career to evoke these feelings again!
10-10-2012
Guest lecture from David Goldblatt
“Sport is more than sport”. As David Goldblatt began the lecture with this powerful statement I was smiling and could not agree more with him. I am amused, entertained and completely fascinated about the way Goldblatt presented his lecture. Having attended a significant amount of lectures throughout my academic years, I must say that Goldblatt has been one of the most interesting and entertaining teachers.
He presented the history of the Olympic movements and later the development of football in different parts of the world while analyzing the complexity in the sporting world. I am not surprise that he had come back to teach the FIFA master class for two consecutive days this year, nor am I surprise that he is the writer of the bible-look-a-like, “The Ball is Round”, which describes the global history of football. Definitely a must buy for me this Christmas!
27-09-2012
First field visit - Wimbledon!
The first two weeks here in Leicester has already passed and I feel very fortune to be part of this amazing journey! It is so fulfilling and inspiring to see how such a diverse and international mix of people has come together to study something we all have a very strong passion for - sports! Funny enough, this is the first time ever in my academic years that I am actually looking forward and enjoying going to class everyday.
Picture from our first field visit – Wimbledon. It was really interesting and exciting to finally have the opportunity to visit Wimbledon in person. It has been a dream ever since I been a child to be at this arena and finally being able to walk around in this environment was just amazing (although I would have preferred to actually play the tournament :). Earlier this week we had a lectures about the history of tennis and how Wimbledon has evolved during the past years. Somehow it feels unreal that I actually get to go to class to discuss and analyze “tennis” - a sport that has been my life and passion for years. This makes me appreciate every second I get to be part of this adventure and it proves that in life you have to seek your own happiness and find a way to live your dream!
Our next stop will be a field visit to Rugby School on Thursday, before heading to Manchester the following Monday. Exciting times!