Sport in Australian Society

This unit involves the study of sport in Australian culture, exploring Australia's historical sporting context through to its importance in today's Australian society. As a sports sociology unit, the course is focused on the ways sports are entangled in social, cultural, political, and economic forces that operate within and across the micro, meso, and macro levels of Australian society. It addresses some of the ways individuals are involved in sports organizations and activities, including our participation in sport for purposes of recreation and leisure, self-expression and personal fulfillment. The course also foregrounds the importance of spectatorship and the consumption of sports as entertainment commodities. The course deals with sports and sports culture as sites that enable the analysis of social issues, structures, and forms of inequality. This includes exploring sport in Australia in terms of social norms, roles, and power relations, including all the complex social dynamics that characterize forms of social stratification (e.g., by race, class, and gender).