SPRT2461: Advanced Sociology of Sport

• Introduction to Sport, Culture and Society or Introduction to Sociology of Sport

• None

• None

• To develop in students a critical insight and awareness of key sociological concepts, theories and ideas, as they have been applied to an understanding of sport and exercise;
• To provide an understanding of the key theoretical perspectives within sociological inquiry and enhance students abilities to weigh up the relative strengths of alternative theoretical perspectives;
• To enable students to understand social issues and sociological problems within the context of sport and exercise.

• The module will be divided structurally into two sections.
• The first section (Term 1) will focus on individual theories, concepts and schools of thought that are used within the sociology of sport. Seminars will support and consolidate learning by helping students to develop their understanding and competence in using different theoretical positions in the sociology of sport to explain a range of social issues and sociological problems within the context of sport and exercise.
• The second section (Term 2) will place further emphasis on social issues and sociological problems within sport and exercise and consider the ways in which different theories may apply to an understanding of them. Students are challenged to engage in comparative critical analyses deploying a range of sociological resources and relating them to real-world states of affair in sport and exercise in their summative assessments.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• By the end of this module students will have developed:
• an understanding of the similarities and differences among theories; and an ability to use this knowledge to understand contemporary social issues and sociological problems in sport and exercise:
• a critical awareness of the part played by theory for the analysis and understanding of the complexity of social processes in sport and exercise.

Subject-specific Skills:

• the capacity to evaluate sociological arguments and evidence:
• the ability to use abstract sociological concepts with confidence and to be able to compare and contrast perspectives in relation to their application to social issues in sport and exercise;
• an ability to interpret sociological texts and to follow a theoretical argument;
• a critical appreciation of what is distinctive about the sociological approach to understanding sport and exercise;
• a critical understanding of social and civic responsibility.

Key Skills:

• By the end of this module students will have developed:
• critical thinking and the capacity to think abstractly and apply critical reasoning to issues through independent thought and informed judgement;
• the ability to evaluate opinions, make decisions and reflect critically on justifications for decisions.
• communication skills and the ability to engage in reasoned argument both verbally and in writing;
• the ability to source, analyse and organise information and ideas and to convey those ideas clearly and fluently in writing;
• the ability to interact effectively with others in order to work towards a common outcome;
• the capacity to work effectively independently and with others;
• the capacity to demonstrate effective verbal communication and presentation skills;
• a proficiency in Informational Technology Skills, especially video-conferencing platforms.

• Lectures (live or pre-recorded) will introduce students to sociological concepts, theories and ideas related to sport and exercise and an appreciation of their relative strengths;
• Lectures (live or pre-recorded) will provide opportunities for students to consider alternative sociological perspectives on a range of social issues related to sport and exercise;
• Seminars will support and consolidate learning by helping students to develop their understanding and competence in using different theoretical positions in the sociology of sport to explain a range of social issues and sociological problems within the context of sport and exercise. They will also enable students to develop ideas related to all summative work;
• Workshops will allow students to conduct an in-depth investigation of a specific sociological problem within the context of sport and exercise and complete group-based summative work;
• The Summative Assessment (both individual and group-based) will test students' ability to research a specific sociological theory and consider its applicability to sociological problem in sport and exercise;
• The Formative Assessment will allow students to develop an essay plan related to a sociological theory and its application to sport and exercise.

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