Unit information: The sociology and politics of the Olympics in 2013/14

Unit name	The sociology and politics of the Olympics
Unit code	SPAI30006
Credit points	20
Level of study	H/6
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12)
Unit director	Dr. Goldblatt
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	School of Sociology, Politics and International Studies
Faculty	Faculty of Social Sciences and Law

Description including Unit Aims

In just over one hundred years, the modern Olympics has been transformed from a bizarre Hellenic revival into the world’s biggest cosmopolitan festival and greatest TV spectacular – an event important enough that cities and governments across the world fight to hold it, an occasion of such symbolic importance that the hard-nosed members of the Chinese politburo were happy to spend $40 billion on the show. This unit explores the history of the modern Olympics: its invention, its development and its meanings. It examines the economic, political and cultural forces at work in shaping the event from its earliest days as a side show at the great World’s Fairs, to its interconnections with global politics and conflicts and its development as the world ‘s most mega mega-event. It also examines the politics of bidding for the games, opposing the games, organising and staging them.

The aims of this unit are:

• To introduce students to the sociological significance of the Olympics centring on the interaction between the Olympics and wider social structures and institutions: economic, social, and political.

• To explore the history of the modern Olympics – its invention, development and meanings – and to link this to the wider sociological literature on global politics and conflicts

To examine the economic, political and cultural forces at work in shaping the event including the politics of bidding for the games, opposing the games, organising and staging them.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of the unit, students will be able to:

1. Offer a critical account of the social and political significance of the Olympics
2. Provide an explanatory account of the Olympics role in framing global politics and conflicts and illustrate that role within a range of empirical contexts
3. Explain the key economic, political and social forces at work in the shaping of modern Olympics and its meanings within the wider context of sociological theory.

Teaching Information

3 hour seminar.

Assessment Information

Formative: 1500 word essay

Summative: 3,000 word essay

The formative and summative assessments enable students to demonstrate that they have met learning outcomes 1-3

Reading and References

• Gold, J. and Gold, M. (eds.) (2011) Olympic Cities, Routledge.

• Goldblatt, D. and Acton, J. (2012) How to Watch the Olympics: Scores and laws, heroes and zeros– an instant initiation to every sport London: Profile Books.

• Guttman, A. (2002) The Olympics: A History of the Modern Games, University of Illinois Press

• Horne, J. and Whannel, G. (2011) Understanding the Olympics, Routledge

• Sugden, J. and Tomlinson, A. (eds.) (2011) Watching the Olympics, Routledge