PULLMAN, Wash. – Cynics might say that being a scholar means knowing more and more about less and less. Amy Cole proves them wrong. The Washington State University doctoral student is intent on learning more and more about more and more.
Cole came to WSU with a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of California-Davis. At WSU, she earned a master’s in the College of Education’s Sport Management Program. Now she’s working on a Ph.D. in interdisciplinary studies focused on sport management, criminal justice and sociology.
Her multiple interests explain her first scholarly publication: an article on the history of crime and punishment in Oakland, Calif. It appears in “The Social History of Crime and Punishment in America” (SAGE Publications), edited by Wilbur R. Miller.
WSU criminal justice graduate students told Cole about the opportunity to write for the five-volume encyclopedia. She chose to write about Oakland because it’s near her hometown of San Jose.
Linking Oakland’s past and present
Oakland routinely ranks among the most dangerous U.S. cities. For her report, Cole researched and distilled city history ranging from the 1880s Chinese opium trade to the high homicide rate caused by today’s gangs.
“It was interesting to learn about the evolution of racial tensions in Oakland,” Cole said. “I’m very familiar with the history of the Black Panther Party, but knew little about race in Oakland in the 19th century.
“I’m also interested in the effectiveness of drug courts,” she said, “so it was great to read more about those and how they operate in Oakland.”
It’s not the first time Cole has blended her interests in sports, history and criminal justice.
She and Associate Professor John Wong presented a conference paper at the North American Society for Sport History conference in Berkeley, Calif., in June. It was based on archival research she did investigating the role of recreation in a juvenile reform institute in Chehalis, Wash., during the Progressive Era around the turn of the 20th century.
Combining disciplines in teaching, research
As a graduate assistant, Cole teaches Sport Programs, an introduction to recreational sport programming, and Event and Facility Management, the capstone class in which majors put on an event. She also teaches a summer special topics course on sport and crime. But her main research interests are gender and recreation participation.
“My doctoral research is on the potential for recreational sport to empower women who are victims of domestic violence or sexual abuse,” she said. “I’m bringing together my experience not only as a researcher who studies and teaches about the benefits of recreation, but as a fitness instructor who gets to facilitate the development of these benefits every day.”
Cole thinks her broad interests will help her reach her career goal of teaching sport-related courses in a university sociology or gender studies department.
“I used to be concerned that scholars or potential employers would perceive my work as knowing too little about too much,” she said. “But now I believe that stepping outside of our disciplinary silos to bring together ideas and perspectives is the most effective way to produce solutions.”
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