As millions of people around the world watch the draw for the 2010 World Cup this Friday, Dec. 4, Duke Professor Laurent Dubois will answer questions about the intersection of soccer and politics in live "Office Hours" webcast, noon EST, on the university's Ustream channel.
Dubois recently completed a book, "Soccer Empire: The World Cup and the Future of France," to be published in March 2010, that tells the story of the French team and the political and sporting controversies that have surrounded it in recent years.
Dubois, a professor of romance studies and history, will answer questions from viewers during the webcast. To submit a question in advance or during the session, send an email to live@duke.edu, post a comment on the Duke University Live Ustream page on Facebook or tweet with the tag #dukelive.
The 2010 World Cup will take place in South Africa from June 11 to July 11. At noon this Friday in Cape Town, the International Federation of Association Football will announce the schedule of matches among the 32 World Cup qualifying teams -- a process known as "the draw." The draw dictates the matchups for the World Cup playoffs in a format similar to the NCAA basketball tournament "bracket."
Read Dubois' blog "Soccer Politics" or visit the website for his course "World Cup and World Politics." He discusses the course in this video.
Office hours at a university are the times when professors leave their doors open for people to wander in and converse, whether it be about current events, the meaning of life or developments in their fields. Duke's Office Hours series aims to bring the expansiveness and sparkle of these conversations to anyone with an Internet connection and an interest in the ideas bubbling up at Duke. To date, topics have ranged from race and medicine to the New Testament, the legacy of Michael Jackson and the state of Muslim Americans since 9/11. You are invited to join the conversation.