The Politics of Play: Contemporary Issues in Sports, Games, and Leisure
UndergraduateLTU-SOC3SDS2025
Course information for 2025 intake View information for 2024 course intake
- Study method
- 100% online
- Assessments
- 100% online
- Enrol by
- 29 Dec 2024
- Entry requirements
- Prior study needed
- Duration
- 12 weeks
- Price from
- $2,124
- Upfront cost
- $0
- Loan available
- HECS-HELP and FEE-HELP available
The Politics of Play: Contemporary Issues in Sports, Games, and Leisure
About this subject
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand classic and contemporary theories and arguments in the sociological study of sports, games, and leisure.
- Apply sociological concepts to the analysis and evaluation of the influence of sports, games, and play in society.
- Synthesise empirical research and demonstrate reflective thinking on the forms and role of sport, games, and play in everyday life.
- Critically evaluate current public debates on contested social issues relating to value of sport and games in wider society.
- Theories of play
- The function of games in everyday life
- Cheating, corruption, and deviance in sport
- Sport and culture
- Race, gender, sexuality and class in sport
- Politics and power in sport
- E-sports and the future of play
Sport, games, and play are a part of everyday life. Formal or informal, solitary or shared, physical or virtual, realistic or fantastical, organised or spontaneous, games are a means of escaping the ‘real’ world or exploring it in new ways. Our shared values can be demonstrated through play, either by celebrating those we deem to be ‘good sports’ or shaming those who don’t play ‘in the spirit of the game’. But how are these norms of ‘fair play’ shaped, by whom, and how can they change over time? How can urban sports such as skateboarding and parkour be seen as ‘subversive’ and framed as a public menace, and yet offer opportunities for personal expression and communal belonging? How are video games shaping new understandings of both fun and competitive interactions, and how are e-sports influencing the future of play?
Meanwhile, more ‘traditional’ forms of sport are undoubtedly among the most influential in Australian society. No less than three Australian Test cricket captains and tennis players have been recognised as Australian of the Year. Prime Ministers and other political leaders desperately promote their team affiliations to make themselves relatable, and Victoria has not one, but two public holidays dedicated solely to sporting events. But why is this the case? Why does sport seem to possess such an enormous influence in Australian society? Sport can unite us and foster community-building, but it can also divide us through forms of exclusion based on race, gender, sexuality, faith, age, and class. In short, sport may claim to be ‘fair’ while in reality proving ‘foul’. In this subject, we address debates around sports and games and explore how forms of play can create welcoming social spaces.
This is an online, entirely asynchronous subject, meaning there are no live lectures or tutorials. Instead students can work through the content on their own schedules (while, of course, keeping in mind the assessment deadlines).
- Quizzes (600 word equivalent) (15%)
- Short Written Responses - 1800 words equivalent. One of these responses, weighted at 20%, will be the early assessment for this subject. (45%)
- Research Essay - 1600 words (40%)
For textbook details check your university's handbook, website or learning management system (LMS).
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- QS Ranking 2024:
- 17
- Times Higher Education Ranking 2024:
- 18
Entry requirements
Others
Prerequisites: Students must have completed 30 credit points of Level two subjects.
Additional requirements
No additional requirements
Study load
- 0.125 EFTSL
- This is in the range of 10 to 12 hours of study each week.
Equivalent full time study load (EFTSL) is one way to calculate your study load. One (1.0) EFTSL is equivalent to a full-time study load for one year.
Find out more information on Commonwealth Loans to understand what this means to your eligibility for financial support.
What to study next?
Once you’ve completed this subject it can be credited towards one of the following courses
Bachelor of Arts/Bachelor of Health Sciences
UndergraduateLAT-AHS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-ART-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-HSC-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-BUS-DEG
Bachelor of Information Technology
UndergraduateLAT-TEC-DEG
Bachelor of Psychological Science
UndergraduateLAT-PYS-DEG
UndergraduateLAT-CYS-DEG
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