What is sport?  What does it mean to play? How much leisure do we really have? Sport and leisure are major features of  society and play a central role in our lives. In addition, both leisure and, to a greater extent,  sport intersect with other aspects of modern  life-- politics, sexuality, work, the mass media, business, education, and race to name but a few of these connections. In our course, we shall use several sociological approaches to explore the ties between sport and leisure to our private and public lives. We shall raise the following types of questions:

• Why and how do people create and enjoy leisure and sport?
• What are the historical and modern meanings of leisure and sport?
• How does sport differ from play, leisure and athletics?
• How do  the cultures of different societies produce different sporting and leisure worlds?
• What and how do children learn from play and leisure?
• How do business and the mass media affect sport?
• Do we need the Olympics?
• Does sport build character?
• What are the major linkages between sport and gender? sport and race?
• Why do drug abuse, cheating and violence exist in sport?
• How does the physical environment shape our leisure and sports?
• Why is sport such a major feature of college life?
• What are some of the effects of technology on leisure and sport?
• What is the future for sport and leisure in the 21st Century?

Your comments and suggestions are welcome: sangiolu@shu.edu