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Topics in Comparative Media: American Pro Wrestling >> Content Detail



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The required texts for this course are the following:

Amazon logo Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. New York, NY: Crown, 2002. ISBN: 9780609606902.

Amazon logo Foley, Mick. Foley is Good and the Real World is Faker than Wrestling. New York: Reagan Books, 2001. ISBN: 9780061032417.

Amazon logo Sammond, Nicholas, ed. Steel Chair to the Head. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2005. ISBN: 9780822334385.

Amazon logo Molinaro, John. The Top 100 Pro Wrestlers of All Time. Toronto, Canada: Winding Stair Press, 2002. ISBN: 9781553663058.

Amazon logo Anderson, Ole. Inside Out: How Corporate America Destroyed Professional Wrestling. Hendersonville, TN: Crowbar Press, 2003. ISBN: 9780974554501.


SES #TOPICSREADINGS
1Introduction to course
2Pre-television wrestling

Amazon logo Morton, Gerald W., and George M. O'Brien. "Demise and Rebirth: The Cyclic History of Wrestling." In Wrestling to Rasslin': Ancient Sport to American Spectacle. Bowling Green, Ohio: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1985, pp. 3-45. ISBN: 9780879723231.

Molinaro, John. "George Hackenschmidt" p. 114, "Frank Gotch" pp. 62-63, and "Ed 'Strangler' Lewis" pp. 66-67.

Kerrick, George E. "Miscellany: The Jargon of Professional Wrestling." American Speech 55, no. 2 (Summer 1980): 142-145.

31950s television

Griffin, Marcus. Fall Guys: The Barnums of Bounce. Chicago, IL: Reilly and Lee, 1937, pp. 39-58.

Molinaro, John. "Jim Londos" pp. 64-65, "Gorgeous George" pp. 74-75, and "Antonino Rocca" p. 153.

Boeck, Brian J. "Book Reviews: Hooker." Journal of American Culture 21, no. 4 (Winter 1998): 89.

Amazon logo Meltzer, Dave. Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004. "Lou Thesz" pp. 220-239 and "Andre the Giant" pp. 66-81. ISBN: 9781582618173.

Amazon logo ———. "Buddy Rogers." In Tributes: Remembering Some of the World's Greatest Wrestlers. Toronto, Canada: Winding Star Press, 2001, pp. 114-119. ISBN: 9781553660859.

Thesz, Lou, and Kit Bauman. Hooker: An Authentic Wrestler's Adventures Inside the Bizarre World of Professional Wrestling. 2nd ed. Norfolk, VA: Lou Thesz, 1995, pp. 87-99 and 112-124.

Amazon logo Jares, Joe. "Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George?" In Whatever Happened to Gorgeous George? Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, 1974, pp. 11-23. ISBN: 9780139518300.

4Women in wrestling

Beverly, Forest Steven. "A History of Professional Wrestling as Television Programming." Master's Thesis. Auburn, AL: Auburn University, 1989, pp. 24-30, 33-37, 54-56, and 66-86.

Amazon logo Dell, Chad. "Wrestling with the Mainstream Press." In The Revenge of Hatpin Mary: Women, Professional Wrestling and Fan Culture in the 1950s. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2006, pp. 31-46. ISBN: 9780820472706.

5Introduction to the territories: The NWA

Molinaro, John. "Terry Funk" pp. 86-87, "Dory Funk Jr" p. 96, "Dusty Rhodes" pp. 106-107, "Jack Brisco" pp. 122-123, and "Harley Race" pp. 124-125.

Anderson, Ole. "The Psychology of Booking." pp. 171-180.

———. "Be-eee There!" pp. 210-214.

Amazon logo Matysik, Larry. "Sam and Me, Part II." In Wrestling at the Chase. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2005, pp. 53-69. ISBN: 9781550226843.

Amazon logo ———. "Ring the Bell For Jack Brisco vs. Dory Funk, Jr." In Wrestling at the Chase. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2005, pp. 92-94. ISBN: 9781550226843.

Martin, William C. "Friday Night at the Coliseum." Atlantic Monthly 229 (March 1972): 83-87.

6The AWA, part I

Barthes, Roland. "The World of Wrestling." In Steel Chair to the Head. Translated by Annette Lavers. pp. 23-32.

Molinaro, John. "Verne Gagne" pp. 82-83, and "Nick Bockwinkel" pp. 104-105.

Amazon logo Stone, Gregory P., and Ramon A. Oldenburg. "Wrestling." In Motivations in Play, Games and Sports. Edited by Ralph Slovenko and James A. Knight. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas, 1967, pp. 503-532. ISBN: 9780398017774.

7The AWA, part II

Amazon logo Freedman, Jim. "Will the Sheik Use His Blinding Fireball? The Ideology of Professional Wrestling." In The Celebration of Society: Perspectives on Contemporary Cultural Performance. Edited by Frank E. Manning. Bowling Green, OH: Bowling Green State University Popular Press, 1983, pp. 67-79. ISBN: 9780879722463.

Gutowski, John A. "The Art of Professional Wrestling: Folk Expression in Mass Culture." Keystone Folklore Quarterly 7, no. 2 (Summer 1972): 41-50.

Workman, Mark. E. "The Differential Perception of Popular Dramatic Events." Keystone Folklore Quarterly 23 (Summer 1979): 1-10.

8World class championship wrestling

Amazon logo Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor, Canada: Black Moss Press, 1988, pp. 7-80 and pictures. ISBN: 9780887531699.

Amazon logo Meltzer, Dave. "Fritz Von Erich." In Tributes: Remembering Some of the World's Greatest Wrestlers. Toronto, Canada: Winding Star Press, 2001, pp. 62-69. ISBN: 9781553660859.

9World wide wrestling federation

Amazon logo Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor, Canada: Black Moss Press, 1988, pp. 94-149. ISBN: 9780887531699.

Molinaro, John. "Bruno Sammartino" pp. 70-71.

10Detroit wrestling / Discussion of Drawing Heat

Amazon logo Freedman, Jim. Drawing Heat. Windsor, Canada: Black Moss Press, 1988, pp. 150-190. ISBN: 9780887531699.

Amazon logo Meltzer, Dave. "The Sheik." In Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004, pp. 82-93. ISBN: 9781582618173.

11Memphis wrestling / Andy Kaufman

Craven, Gerald, and Richard Moseley. "Actors on a Canvas Stage: The Dramatic Conventions of Professional Wrestling." Journal of Popular Culture 6, no. 2 (Fall 1972): 326-336.

Amazon logo Mazer, Sharon. "Watching Wrestling/Writing Performance." In Hop on Pop: The Politics and Pleasures of Popular Culture. Edited by Henry Jenkins, Tara McPherson, and Jane Shattuc. Durham, NC: Duke University Press, 2002, pp. 270-286. ISBN: 9780822327370.

Williams, Randall. "Tonight the Hulk vs. Ox Baker." Southern Exposure 7, no. 3 (1979): 30-35.

Amazon logo Meltzer, Dave. "Freddie Blassie." In Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004, pp. 14-27. ISBN: 9781582618173.

Molinaro, John. "Jerry Lawler" p. 161.

12WWE in the 1980s

Ford, Sam. "Role-Playing in the Stands: A Symbolic Interactionist Ethnography of Professional Wrestling Fans." (PDF)

Benaka, Lee. Interviews with Lou Thesz, Bruno Sammartino, Dave Meltzer.

Molinaro, John. "Hulk Hogan" pp. 26-32, "Randy Savage" pp. 144-145, and "Roddy Piper" pp. 162-163.

13WWE in the late 1980s through mid-1990s

Campbell, John W. "Professional Wrestling: Why the Bad Guy Wins." Journal of American Culture 19, no. 2 (Summer 1996): 127-132.

Grubisic, Brett Josef. "Testing Mettle: Goldust and the Spectacle of Masculinity in the World of Wrestling." Popular Culture Review 10, no. 1 (1999): 139-156.

Molinaro, John. "Bret Hart" pp. 90-91, "The Undertaker" p. 157, "Shawn Michaels" pp. 138-139, "Mick Foley" pp. 147-148, "Steve Austin" pp. 50-55, "Rock" pp. 72-73, "Kurt Angle" and "Chris Benoit" pp. 202-204, "Triple H" pp. 204-205, and "Chris Jericho" p. 205.

14NWA/WCW in the 1980s and early 1990s

Molinaro, John. "Ric Flair" pp. 1-7.

Anderson, Ole. "Skyrocketing Expenses." pp. 265-269.

———. "Corporate Duh-Merica." In Inside Out. pp. 279-293.

Amazon logo Matysik, Larry. "The War." In Wrestling at the Chase. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2005, pp. 175-193. ISBN: 9781550226843.

Trujillo, Nick, et al. "A Night with the Narcissist and The Nasty Boys: Interpreting the World Wrestling Federation." Qualitative Inquiry 6, no. 4 (December 2000): 526-545.

15The Monday Night War, part I

Anderson, Ole. "Spending Ted's Money." pp. 315-323.

Bischoff, Eric with Jeremy Roberts. "Running the Show." In Controversy Creates Cash. New York, NY: Pocket Books, 2006, pp. 81-113.

Amazon logo Bischoff, Eric. Excerpt from "Prime Time." In Controversy Creates Cash. New York, NY: Simon & Schuster, 2006. pp. 145-166. ISBN: 9781416527299.

16The Monday Night War, part IIAmazon logo Reynolds, R. D., and Bryan Alvarez. "1998: Momentum is Money." In The Death of WCW. Toronto, Canada: ECW Press, 2004, pp. 117-165. ISBN: 9781550226614.
17Masculine melodrama and getting' screwed

Jenkins, Henry III. "Never Trust a Snake: WWF Wrestling as Masculine Melodrama." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 33-66.

Ford, Sam. "Excellence of Execution: Vince McMahon's Incorporation of Expose into Fiction." (PDF)

Plagens, Peter. "Pinning Reality to the Mat." Chronicle of Higher Education 24 September, 1999, B9.

18Good Ol' J. R., part IAssael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Chapters 1-5.
19Good Ol' J. R., part IIAssael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Chapters 6-9.
20McMahon, part I

Assael, Shaun, and Mike Mooneyham. Sex, Lies, and Headlocks. Chapters 10-17, and "Our Story Since Then."

Anderson, Ole. "Mis-Management." pp. 360-370.

———. "Nothing New Under the Sun." pp. 371-378.

McNeil, Bryce. Foot on the Rope: Corporate Apologia and the Discourse of Vince McMahon. Masters thesis, University of Maine, 2002, pp. 61-104.

21McMahon, part IIFoley, Mick. Introduction and chapters 1-8.
22WWE attitude eraFoley, Mick. Chapters 9-17.
23ECWFoley, Mick. Chapters 18-34.
24Mick Foley, part I

Foley, Mick. Epilogue.

Gantz, Walter. "WWF RAW Study." Indiana University and Inside Edition.

25Mick Foley, part IIFord, Sam. "Mick Foley: Pro Wrestling and the Contradictions of the Contemporary American Hero." (PDF)
26WWE as transmedia empireFord, Sam. "The McMahons: Creating a Synergistic Pro Wrestling Media Empire." (PDF)
27The death of Owen Hart

Amazon logo Meltzer, Dave. "Owen Hart." In Tributes II: Remembering More of the World's Greatest Professional Wrestlers. Champaign, IL: Sports Publishing, 2004, pp. 2-13. ISBN: 9781582618173.

Wright, Benjamin P. Wrestling with Reality: Hyperreality Examined in the World Wrestling Federation. Masters Thesis, Wake Forest University, 2001, pp. 48-73.

28Ethnographies of pro wrestlers' lives, part IMazer, Sharon. "Real Life." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 91-112.
29Ethnographies of pro wrestlers' lives, part IIDe Garis, Lawrence. "The Logic of Professional Wrestling." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 219-243.
30Contemporary pro wrestlingBattema, Douglas, and Philip Sewell. "Trading in Masculinity: Muscles, Money, and Market Discourse in the WWF." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 260-294.
31Wrestling and masculinity

Katz, Jackson, and Sut Jhally. "Manhood on the Mat." The Boston Globe 13 February, 2000: E1.

Jenkins, Henry, III. "Wrestling with Theory, Grappling with Politics" In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 295-316.

Jenkins, Henry, IV. "Growing Up and Growing More Risque." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 317-342.

32Wrestling as performance
33Contemporary WWE, part ILowney, Kathleen S. "Wrestling with Criticism: The World Wrestling Federation's Ironic Campaign Against the Parents Television Council." Symbolic Interaction 26, no. 3 (2003): 427-446.
34Contemporary WWE, part II

Serrato, Phillip. "Not Quite Heroes: Race, Masculinity, and Latino Professional Wrestlers." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 232-259.

Seiter, Ellen. "Wrestling with the Web: Latino Fans and Symbolic Violence." The Internet Playground. New York, NY: Peter Lang Publishing, 2005. pp. 63-82.

35Contemporary WWE, part IIIFord, Sam. "World Wrestling Entertainment in Japanese Culture in the 21st Century." (PDF)
36Female wrestling fandomSalmon, Catherine, and Susan Clerc. "Ladies Love Wrestling, Too: Female Wrestling Fans Online." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 167-191.
37The independents

Sammond, Nicholas. "Squaring the Family Circle: WWF Smackdown Assaults the Social Body." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 155-188.

Rahilly, Lucia. "Is RAW War? Professional Wrestling as Popular S/M Narrative." In Steel Chair to the Head. pp. 213-231.

38Wrapping up
39Wrapping up (cont.)

 








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