SOC 315: GEAR & GLORY: SPORTS IN OUR LIVES

This course examines sports as a significant component of human culture and social life. Students will explore the interrelationships between sports and society through a sociological lens. Key topics include the social functions and meanings attached to sports, the organization and development of sports, issues of race, gender, class, and equity in sports participation and representation, the role of media and commercialization, sports and identity formation, sports deviance and violence, and the reciprocal impacts between sports and greater social structures and cultural ideologies. Through readings, discussions, and analytical projects, students will critically examine sports as a reflector and transmitter of societal values while also considering sports' potential as an instrument for social transformation.