SOC 208 Sport and Society

This course explores the relations between sport and society. While we use sociology to help make sense of sport, we also use sport to develop the ability to think sociologically about society. Subjects include sport and: values, socialization, deviance, social problems, social inequalities including class, race, and gender, social institutions including the economy, politics, mass media, and religion, and social change.

Credits

4

Course Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. Apply analytical skills to social phenomena in order to understand human behavior. Students learn to analyze a popular social institution and cultural phenomenon, in so doing to recognize and understand the complexities of other social institutions and cultural practices
2. Apply knowledge and experience to foster personal growth and better appreciate the diverse social world in which we live. Students develop an insightful understanding of how social institutions effect who they and others are, in both positive and destructive patterns
3. Understand the role of individuals and institutions within the context of society. Students learn to analyze the complex relations between society and self, social institutions and culture
4. Assess different theories and concepts, and understand the distinctions between empirical and other methods of inquiry. Students learn competing theories of sport and of sociology, and sociological concepts and research methods used in the study of sport and other institutions
5. Utilize appropriate information literacy skills in written and oral communication. Students learn to read and understand conceptually, theoretically, and historically complex materials on the course subject, and to critically assess and respond to the readings and course lectures and discussions
6. Understand the diversity of human experience and thought, individually and collectively. Students understand the human (both individual and collective) experience of sport, in many of its manifestations, including historical, economic, social psychological, and social dimensions
7. Apply knowledge and skills to contemporary problems and issues. Students learn how to critique the role of sport in society, to identify social problems and issues emanating from sport, and to analyze and articulate possible solutions