The University of British Columbia Okanagan, is now offering
Cristiano Ronaldo’s fans a chance to take a course on the Real Madrid forward.
It will be a fourth-year sociology module on the footballer,
who has a massive fan base and influence on global society.
“Sociology is nothing if not the delving into the processes
of structuring identities and experiences and exposing the social forces that
push these processes,” Luis LM Aguiar, associate professor of sociology in UBC
Okanagan’s Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, said.
“In this case, I’m interested in how Ronaldo has been used
to construct several discourses about who he is, what makes him distinct as a
footballer, what is his relationship to Portugal, Madeira (his hometown) and
indeed Portuguese identity.”
The course will last for a semester and students will learn
about the stereotypical image of Ronaldo and the Portuguese diaspora.
“Ronaldo is said to embody features and characteristics of
speed, strength, competetiveness, dogged work ethic, discipline, and
adaptability,” added Aguiar on news.ok.ubc.ca.
“These features are also in a sense ‘very Portuguese’ since
the Portuguese outside the homeland are nothing if not constructed as hard
workers, disciplined and determined. Even as a global athlete transcending
geographical boundaries, Ronaldo cannot escape the stereotypical constructions
of ‘the Portuguese’.
“My two greatest passions are football and critical
sociology. A course on Cristiano Ronaldo gives me the opportunity to combine
the two.
“While I’m an admirer of Ronaldo, I’m also a sociologist
interested in understanding the social and economic forces driving the various
constructions of this athlete and what this says about our contemporary values
and culture.” Irving K. Barber said.
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