Module SPRT2291: Sport, Crime and Deviance

Department: Sport and Exercise Sciences

SPRT2291: Sport, Crime and Deviance

Prerequisites

• Sport, Culture and Society (SPRT1271) or Understanding Crime (SOCI1391) or Conceptualising Society (SOCI1331)

Corequisites

• None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To encourage students to think sociologically and criminologically about issues of crime and deviance in the context of sport;
• To introduce students to key theoretical approaches from the disciplines of Sociology and Criminology as a framework for understanding crime and deviance in the context of sport;
• To introduce students to a range of issues and debates pertaining to incidents of crime and deviance in the context of sport;
• To develop students’ communication and presentation skills.

Content

• Students will be introduced to key Criminological and Sociological approaches to and debates concerning the concepts of ‘deviance’ and ‘crime’, thus providing students with a theoretical framework to underpin their study of official representations of, and responses to, ‘crime’ and ‘deviance’.
• With a theoretical framework established, a range of deviant and criminal practices in sport will be identified. This will include various forms of sports-related violence and ‘deviant athletic bodies’ in the context of sport and sport sub-cultures. The module will consider the governance of sport and the role of the State in regulating sport, sports fans and sports participants.
• In addition to this subject-specific content, students will also be coached in communication and presentation skills and be given opportunities to develop these key employability skills in advance of their Summative Oral Presentation.

Learning Outcomes

• On completion of the module, students should be able to:
• Critically discuss key Criminological and Sociological approaches to and debates concerning the concepts of ‘deviance’ and ‘crime’ in the context of sport;
• Critically discuss the governance of sport and the role of the State in regulating and criminalising sports, participants and spectators;
• Critically discuss the notion of ‘body deviance’ in the context of sport and sports sub-cultures.

• On completion of the module, students should be able to:
• Think critically about and discuss issues pertaining to crime and deviance in the context of sport, verbally and in writing;
• Develop sociological and criminological arguments, reflect, evaluate and assess theoretical approaches and pertinent issues, verbally and in writing;
• Evaluate, analyse and interpret information and evidence, verbally and in writing.

• On completion of the module, students should be able to demonstrate:
• Proficient and creative IT skills relating to the production of their Formative and Summative Essays and also their audio-visual aids (e.g. PowerPoint) to support their Summative Oral Presentation;
• Effective and engaging written and verbal communication skills (describing; debating; arguing; advocating; negotiating; presenting);
• An ability to source, manage and synthesise a diverse range of literature and other information resources;
• Efficient time-management skills and an ability to plan and organise workload, work independently and work collaboratively in small groups.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• Lectures: weekly lectures will be used to map out the main contours of this module. They will introduce students to key concepts, debates and issues concerning crime and deviance in the context of sport.
• Seminars: small group seminars allow students to explore in more detail themes and issues arising from lectures and associated reading, so deepening their understanding of key topic areas.
• Formative Oral Presentations: a formative presentation allows students to develop and practice their verbal communication skills (describing; debating; arguing; advocating) in small groups. Written formative feedback is provided to enable students to critically reflect upon the development of their knowledge base and skills set.
• Summative Essay: a summative essay enables students to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of a specific topic in depth and to research and construct a systematic discussion within word-limited constraints.
• Summative Oral Presentation: a summative presentation tests students’ verbal communication skills (describing; debating; arguing; advocating) in small groups.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

1 x 500 words essay plan (Optional)

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University