UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
Dr. Charlie Song. Office: 850-473-7352, Bldg 72/#248. Email: csong@uwf.edu
Office Hour: M: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM; T&R: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:30–3:30 PM.
Other office hours available upon appointment.
PET 4251
Sociology of Sport
Fall 2013
Course Description: This course is designed to introduce students to the fundamental concepts
of sports and sociology. It involves students in examining various social phenomena taking place
in related to sports such as violence, sports in school and college. It introduces students to array
of social theories that apply to analyzing some of the social issues in related to sports, such race
and ethnicity, gender, social class, politics, and religions. This course will generate the awareness
for students to understand the importance of and paying attention to the social functions of sports
played in today’s society.
Textbook: Coakley, J. (2009) Sport in Society: Issues & Controversies (tenth edition). New
York, NY: The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Learning Objectives: Students will be expected to
1. Define the concepts of sports and sport sociology, and understand the rationality of studying
sports in society.
2. Describe the common social theories applied to studying sports in society.
3. Examine the sport development in the Western society throughout the overview of the
Olympic history to understand the inter-impacts between sport and society in various issues.
4. Describe the relations between sports and socialization, and be able to discuss in depth what
role sports play in socialization.
5. Identify characteristics of children’s participation in sports and discuss this social
phenomenon with own critical thinking.
6. Examine various social phenomena in sport, such deviant behaviors and violence based on
the learned social theories.
7. Identify the gender issues in sport and discuss the impact of these issues to our society and
the development of sports in the future.
8. Examine and discuss the issue of race and ethnicity in terms of their importance in sports and
to our society.
9. Define the social class and class relations, and describe the power issues from the social class
that impacts sports.
10. Identify the relations between sports and the economy, and define the characteristics of
commercial sports.
11. Identify the relations between sports and media, and be able to discuss dependency of sports
on media or vice verse.
12. Describe the roles that politics play in sport, particularly the roles government plays, and
understand the international sports’ impact to our politics.
13. Identify the relations of sports and religions, and be able to discuss the similarities and
differences between sports and relations.
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
Dr. Charlie Song. Office: 850-473-7352, Bldg 72/#248. Email: csong@uwf.edu
Office Hour: M: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM; T&R: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:30–3:30 PM.
Other office hours available upon appointment.
Course Requirement: Students are required to
1. Actively participate in all class sessions in all aspects of class activities.
2. Demonstrate the professionalism and the proper behaviors in college education
environment.
3. Communicate proactively with the professor concerning the assignments, projects, and
other issues that affect the students’ performance in class.
4. Complete the assignment in the defined date. One class delay will cost the student 20% of
the assignment grade. The latest collection is two classes after the deadline date. The
student may be rescheduled for the assignment if an absence is excusable and caused by
an activity under the university policy.
Evaluation: Exams (3) ....................................................................... 60%
Pop quizzes (the best 6 out of 8) .................................... 15%
Sportography ................................................................... 5%
Participation in class discussion....................................... 5%
Final exam (optional) ..................................................... 15%
Total ............................................................................100%
Grading:
The UWF standard (plus and minus) grading system is adopted.
92 – 100...............................................................................A
89 – below 92 .................................................................... A86 – below 89 ....................................................................B+
83 – below 86 ...................................................................... B
79 – below 83 .................................................................... B76 – below 79 ....................................................................C+
72 – below 76 ...................................................................... C
69 – below 72 .....................................................................C65 – below 69 ................................................................... D+
62 – below 65 ......................................................................D
Below 62 ............................................................................. F
Final grades will be based on the combination of sectional exams, pop quizzes, any given
assignment, participation in class discussion, and the deduction or addition from your
attendances.
Exams: There will be three (3) sectional exams and one optional final exam. Each sectional
exam will contain 60 multiple choice questions based on materials from lectures and textbook
readings. These exams are non-cumulative in content. The final exam is optional (not for extra
credit!) and contains 120 multiple choices questions from all the chapters covered during the
entire semester. All exams are taken on eLearning. Students must make sure to have a reliable
computer to take an exam with Lockdown browser downloaded before the exam. No excuse is
accepted after the exam time begins.
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
Dr. Charlie Song. Office: 850-473-7352, Bldg 72/#248. Email: csong@uwf.edu
Office Hour: M: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM; T&R: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:30–3:30 PM.
Other office hours available upon appointment.
Please call UWF IT Help Desk at 850-474-2075 for assistance on any computer-related
technical and operating issues. The professor does not answer any tech questions!
The following exam policies will be enforced:

Must work independently. Any form of teamwork and collaboration will result in charge of
academic misconducts.

All exams are open book. Textbook, notes, and PowerPoint presentations are good enough
for all questions. However, taking an exam without proper preparation will only guarantee a
failure. The time allowed for an exam might leave extra time to check approximately less
than 20% of total question answers from textbook or notes.

Exams will be administered on the dates indicated in the schedule. In general, NO make-up is
permitted unless the professor is informed at least 48 hours before the exam begins. If the
student is granted permission to make up the exam, it should be taken at a different time or
date, but no later than 3 days from the time of the exam is originally scheduled.

Make-up exam is only permitted for legitimate causes (university functions, court orders,
professional conferences, serious illness with a physician’s note, sudden death of a family
member, etc.). Should you miss an exam due to serious illness, you MUST contact the
professor no later than the first class meeting following the exam.

Make-up exam must be taken within one week from the original exam date. Only one makeup exam will be permitted per student during the semester.
Quizzes: Throughout the semester, eight (8) chapter pop quizzes will be given on randomly
selected classes, among which, six (6) quizzes are counted into final grade calculation. The two
(2) quizzes with the lowest points will automatically be excluded from final grade calculation.
No make-up for pop quizzes. If one misses a pop quiz due to an excusable absence, the final
calculation will be based on the actual number of quizzes the student has taken with exclusion of
the 2 poorest scored quizzes. If a quiz is missed by non-excusable absence, the score for that quiz
is zero.
Participation in class discussion: In a course of this nature, it is imperative to exercise one’s
critical thinking in discussing the issues that are brought up in class. One of the effective
demonstrations of using critical thinking is to express his/her opinions and comments over the
discussed issues. Therefore, each class member is expected to engage constructive debates,
information and opinion sharing, and to offer comments to any discussed issue. This portion of
grade will be solely based upon the professor’s observation and impression on each student’s
active participation and engagement in class discussion. It is a subjective determination on the
grade given based on the actual and objective performance of each student throughout the class
meetings.
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
Dr. Charlie Song. Office: 850-473-7352, Bldg 72/#248. Email: csong@uwf.edu
Office Hour: M: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM; T&R: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:30–3:30 PM.
Other office hours available upon appointment.
Course Policies: The professor and each student have obligation under the university policy to
create the most appropriate learning environment in classroom and other learning settings.
Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally correspondent to the higher
education standards, and specifically the following policies are observed in this class.
Attendance: Attendance will be recorded for each class session. Students will allow three
absences throughout the entire semester without penalty. Each additional unexcused absence
will result in one level of grade drop from the final calculated grade. For unavoidable
circumstances the professor needs to be notified in advance by providing legitimate proof of
verification in order to be excused. A perfect attendance will earn one level of grade up from the
final calculated grade.
Professionalism: Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally correspondent to
the higher education standards, and specifically the following policies are observed in this class.

As the building regulation requires, no food and drink is allowed in classroom and
teaching/movement lab.

Your cell phones must be SILENT and no one is allowed to use or play cell phone for any
personal purpose during class session. If you expect an emergency call, you need to direct
the caller to 850-474-2592 (HLES front desk). The office specialist will get your attention.

No iPad in classroom. Laptop is also not permitted because (1) the PowerPoint
presentations are posted on eLearning for download and preview/review; and (2) an upright
laptop screen becomes a distraction to other members of class.

NO WALKOUT and BACKIN are allowed when the class is in session. For a special reason
one needs to do so, please inform the professor before class begins.

Any tardy over 10 minutes will be recorded and three (3) such accumulated tardy are
equivalent to one unexcused absence.

Any early departure due to a legitimate cause must obtain the permission from the professor
prior to the class start. Otherwise, it is considered as an absence.
Academic misconduct:
Honesty in our academic work is vital, and we will not knowingly act in
ways which erode that integrity. Accordingly, we pledge not to cheat, nor
to tolerate cheating, nor to plagiarize the work of others. (UWF Student
Handbook).
UNIVERSITY OF WEST FLORIDA
Department of Health, Leisure & Exercise Science
Dr. Charlie Song. Office: 850-473-7352, Bldg 72/#248. Email: csong@uwf.edu
Office Hour: M: 10:00 AM–12:00 PM; T&R: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM and 2:30–3:30 PM.
Other office hours available upon appointment.
Academic dishonesty is a serious offense and will be taken seriously. Please refer to the UWF
Student Handbook for a list of behaviors that fall under the definition of academic misconduct.
The Handbook also outlines the penalties for academic misconduct and the due process
procedures that must be followed. The particular document of updated Academic Misconduct
policy is on: http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/misconduct.cfm
Additional information on plagiarism: Plagiarism is a serious violation of academic standards
and will be punished severely. Students who plagiarize will fail the course and will be referred to
the Dean for academic dishonesty. Some students are surprised to learn that they plagiarized
themselves when they inappropriately used work produced for one course in another course. If
you are unsure, ask the professor for guidance. See the UWF policy on definition of plagiarism
on http://uwf.edu/academic/policies/misconduct/misconduct.cfm
Special need: If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss academic accommodation, or if
you would need assistance in the event of an emergency evacuation, please contact the professor as soon
as the course begins.