Course Description
During the Surfing and Sustainability program we travel up the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, visiting a range of communities affected by coastal development associated with growing surf tourism. In this course, students learn and apply ethnographic research methods to the study of surfing as a globalizing cultural phenomenon.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
For those taking the course as a Graduate or Honors option, in
addition to being responsible for the same assignments as
undergraduates, graduate students taking this course will be
required to produce a 15-page research paper on a topic of their
choice, chosen in consultation with the instructor.
Athena Title
The Anthropology of Surfing
Non-Traditional Format
This course is part of the UGA Costa Rica Surfing and Sustainability: Political Ecology in Costa Rica Study Abroad program. During the program we travel up the Pacific coast of Costa Rica, visiting numerous towns and communities, conducting ethnographic interviews with numerous people and being exposed to a diversity of perspectives. These field-based activities are supplemented by extensive reading and daily class discussions.
Corequisite
ANTH(GEOG) 4275/6275
Semester Course Offered
Offered summer semester every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Course Objectives: Surfing is simultaneously a sport, a lifestyle, and an iconic part of American and global popular culture. It is also an ideal lens for analyzing a range of contemporary cultural processes associated with globalization. This course will introduce students to surfing as a globalizing cultural phenomenon. They will begin by learning about the history of surfing, particularly as it has become increasingly internationalized in recent decades. We will also focus on a range of specific topics: surf culture and the idea of lifestyle, the production of recreational spaces, branding and the commodification of surfing, surf tourism, surfing and gender, localism and travel, surf knowledge, contest culture, and more. This course will emphasize an ethnographic approach to the study of surfing. During our time in Costa Rica we will be traveling to multiple locations where surfing is a dominant activity, and we will be interacting on a daily basis with surfers from Costa Rica, the U.S. and elsewhere. Through both guided observations and daily encounters, we will document our experiences through a series of written and visual assignments. Learning Outcomes: Students will focus their efforts on learning the art and science of ethnographic observation through a range of guided and individual activities focused on surfing in Costa Rica. In doing so, the process is as important as the product. That is to say, the heart and soul of ethnographic observation is active seeing and listening, and much of our time in Costa Rica will be devoted to learning that process. We will approach ethnographic observation as a collaborative project, sharing and reflecting on our observations on a daily basis. Through journaling, the keeping of ethnographic field notes, and other written and visual assignments, students will track their progress from initial observation, to written description, to analysis.
Topical Outline
1. Introduction to the Anthropology of Surfing 2. Doing Collaborative Ethnographic Research 3. The History of Surfing 4. Surf Culture and the Idea of Lifestyle 5. Sustainable Surf Tourism 6. Branding and the Commodification of Surfing 7. Making Surf Breaks: The Production of Recreational Space 8. The Contradictions of Surf Culture: Localism and Travel 9. Surf Knowledge 10. Soul Surfing and Contest Culture 11. Women in the Line-up: Surfing and Gender 12. Next Steps in the Collaborative Ethnographic Analysis of Surfing 13. Discussion of Findings in Ethnography of Surfing