Sport and Society

• Credit value: 15 credits at Level 7
• Convenor: Richard Tacon
• Tutor: Payoshni Mitra
• Assessment: a 4000-word essay (100%)

This module critically examines the relationship between sport and society. It looks at key contemporary issues in sport, including commercialisation, globalisation, the ‘sports-media complex’, social class, gender, ‘race’, ethnicity and national identity. It draws on critical sociological and historical perspectives to understand the role of sport in wider society and aims to set the study of sport management in its social context by examining the implications of the various issues for the management of sports organisations.

By the end of this module, you will:

• have studied sport in a multidisciplinary way
• understand the significance of social structure, power and inequality when analysing sport in society
• appreciate and have critically analysed the rapid commercialisation and regulation of sport
• have engaged in comparative analysis to understand problems and propose solutions.

• Coakley, J. and Dunning, E. (2000). Handbook of Sports Studies. London: Sage.
• Coakley, J. and Pike, E. (2009). Sports in Society: Issues and Controversies. McGraw-Hill Higher Education; European edition.
• Giulianotti, R. (2005). Sport: A Critical Sociology. Oxford: Polity Press.
• Horne, J. et al. (2013). Understanding Sport: A Socio-Cultural Analysis. London: Routledge.
• Houlihan, B. (2015). Sport and Society: A Student Introduction, Third Edition. London: Sage.
• Jarvie, G. (2012). Sport, Culture and Society: An Introduction. London: Routledge.