SOCI 203 Sociology of Sport

Through this course, students will analyze contemporary sport using theoretical tools and research methods of sociology. Students will investigate the ways in which sport is shaped by social forces such as culture, economics, politics, stratification, globalization, and consumerism. Students will also study the effects of sport on the larger society by examining sport's societal functions, its influence on social interaction, and its relation to various social problems including deviance and inequality.

Credits

3

Prerequisite

ENGL 121

Hours Weekly

3 hours weekly

Course Objectives

1. 1. Describe the sociological perspective and apply it to sport.
2. 2. Analyze sport using the structural-functionalist, social conflict and symbolic interactionist theoretical
   perspectives.
3. 3. Differentiate qualitative and quantitative research methods used to analyze issues pertaining to sport.
4. 4. Evaluate the importance of sport as an agent of socialization in contemporary societies.
5. 5. Apply sociological theories of social stratification to analyze forms of inequality – race, class, and
   gender – that are present in sport.
6. 6. Apply sociological theories of deviance to explain the occurrence of social problems in sport.
7. 7. Prioritize social problems in sport through the use of a critical constructionist theoretical approach.
8. 8. Evaluate the extent to which the processes of globalization – cultural, political, and economic –shape
   sport as a social institution.
9. 9. Evaluate the extent to which media shape contemporary sport as a social institution.
10. 10. Analyze other aspects of the sociological analysis of sport that seem appropriate given current events as
    well as instructor and/or student interests or concerns.

Course Objectives

1. 1. Describe the sociological perspective and apply it to sport.
2. 2. Analyze sport using the structural-functionalist, social conflict and symbolic interactionist theoretical
   perspectives.
3. 3. Differentiate qualitative and quantitative research methods used to analyze issues pertaining to sport.
4. 4. Evaluate the importance of sport as an agent of socialization in contemporary societies.
5. 5. Apply sociological theories of social stratification to analyze forms of inequality – race, class, and
   gender – that are present in sport.
6. 6. Apply sociological theories of deviance to explain the occurrence of social problems in sport.
7. 7. Prioritize social problems in sport through the use of a critical constructionist theoretical approach.
8. 8. Evaluate the extent to which the processes of globalization – cultural, political, and economic –shape
   sport as a social institution.
9. 9. Evaluate the extent to which media shape contemporary sport as a social institution.
10. 10. Analyze other aspects of the sociological analysis of sport that seem appropriate given current events as
    well as instructor and/or student interests or concerns.