Sport and Modern Society: Britain and Ireland 1801-1939

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

This course will examine the role of sport in modern British and Irish history. It will trace the emergence and development of modern sporting organisations from the anarchic rituals of the peasantry and the leisure pursuits of the aristocracy. Essentially, the course will seek to explain this process and its importance. The course will also offer a detailed study of the political, social, cultural and economic context and relevance of sporting organisations. Amongst the themes explored will be the manner in which the formal organisation of sport was involved in notions of education, religion, class and the prosecution of war. Ultimately, these themes will be drawn together to assess the relationship between sport and modern society.