COURSE STRUCTURE
This topic focuses on the relationship between social class, sport, and physical activity. In specific terms, it examines how social class differences are reproduced and performed through sport and physical activity. This is achieved by developing an understanding of the social stratification of society, associated social class groupings, and the social class lifestyles which help to distinguish each of these groupings. Bourdieu’s notions of capital, class habitus, and hexis are then introduced as a means of explaining the differential experiences of, and motivations for, sport and physical activity involvement displayed by lower and middle class groupings. Finally, the role of sport and physical activity in the process of class reproduction, particularly as it relates to parenting strategies, is discussed.
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1. LECTURE
For six slides per page format (for printing) click : HERE
For one slide per page format (for viewing on computer) click: HERE
For Fall 2015, click here for a podcast that covers the information on the MIDDLE CLASS LIFESTYLES that we did not get to in lecture.
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2. REQUIRED READINGS
It is expected that you will complete these readings following Wednesday lectures and in preparation for discussion section tasks/assignments.
In addition, within the Module 2 exam, you should expect to be asked questions on the following readings:
Reading 1: Frederick, C. B., Snellman, K., & Putnam, R. D. (2014). Increasing socioeconomic disparities in adolescent obesity. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 111(4), 1338-1342.
Reading 2: DeLuca, J. R. (2013). Swim club membership and the reproduction of happy, healthy children. Qualitative Research in Sport, Exercise and Health, 5(1), 58-79.
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3. VIDEO CLIPS
Some of these video clips will be viewed during lecture. However, you are expected to view those not shown in lecture in preparation for both the discussion section and exam related to this topic:
Video Clip 1: Extended trailer for “People Like Us: Social Class in America” (PBS, 2001) documentary.
Video Clip 2: ABC News segment on the “Fattest Town in America”.
Video Clip 4: An excerpt from Super Size Me (2004), outlining the negative aspects of what Bourdieu described as the “taste of necessity”.
Video Clip 5: Promotion for Esquire Network’s “White Collar Brawler” series.
Video Clip 6: CNN clip focused on the competitive parenting syndrome.
Video Clip 7: Everclear music video “Volvo Driving Soccer Mom”.
Video Clip 8: New York Times video focused on the rugby team at Hyde Leadership Public Charter School in Washington, DC.
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4. KEY CONCEPTS
The following key concepts represent the core knowledge related to this topic, and you should ensure that you develop a thorough knowledge and understanding of them in preparation for both the discussion section and exam related to this topic:
The Body and Class Performance
The Social Stratification of American Society
Group Similarities Constituting Social Class Groupings
Social Classes and Lifestyle Assemblages
The Social Gradient and Differential Life Chances and Experiences
Classed Lifestyle Cultures
Social Class/Lifestyle/Health Differences Between Burlington, VT and Huntington, WV
Social Class and Sporting/Physical Activity Participation
The Class Distribution of Sport/Class Hierarchy of Sport
Same Sport, Differing Motivation Based on Social Grouping
Class Cultures and Capital
Economic Capital and Necessity
Sport, Physical Activity, and Economic Capital
Social Capital and Sporting Involvement
Cultural Capital and Sport/Physical Activity Norms and Values
Physical Capital and Social and Moral Worth
Healthism and Individual Explanations
Social Determinism and Structural Explanations
Habitus as Learned Classed Tastes and Preferences
Hexis as Classed Lifestyle Embodiments
Lower Class Habitus: Embodied Cultures of Poverty
Subsistence and Physical Existence
The Pursuit and Expression of Toughness
Instant Embodied Gratification and Bodies for Profit
The Lower Class Taste of Necessity
Converting Physical Capital
Middle Class Habitus: Embodied Cultures of Promotion
Embodied Self-Presentation and Conspicuous Consumption
Middle Class Hexis, Social Value, and Moral Virtue
Investing in Future Bodies and the Health Industrial Complex
Competitive Lifestyling and Parenting
The Cycle of Classed Lifestyle Reproduction
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5. DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
Following the lecture, and having read the assigned readings and watch relevant video clips, you are encouraged to answer a series of discussion questions related to this topic which can be accessed HERE.
These questions require that you engage and extend the information covered within each theme, in order to generate a better understanding of core concepts, knowledge, and issues.
These questions are intended as preparation for both the discussion section and exam related to this topic.
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6. ESSAY QUESTION #7 (this is an option for the Module 2 essay)
Examine the manner in which your own class backgroundand habitus (your learnt--but seemingly natural--tastes and preferences) has influenced both the sporting activities you participate in, and the reasons/motivations for your involvement in these particular activities.
What role has the interplay of various capitals played in the creation of your sporting/physical activity tastes and preferences (habitus) and associated embodied lifestyle (hexis)?
Do your sporting preferences and motivations reinforce, or perhaps challenge, the habitus most usually associated with your own social class location?
This essay should be a minimum of 1,500 words to answer it comprehensively.
You may find the following academic sources useful in completing this assignment. You do not have to use these sources, they are simply provided for you as an introduction to the literature, and you should use them where appropriate and/or relevant. Also, be warned, these readings do not count towards the THREE additional academic sources you are expected to use within your essays (however, they may direct you toward additional academic sources you could use):
Ball, K., Salmon, J., Giles-Corti, B., & Crawford, D. (2006). How Can Socio-Economic Differences in Physical Activity Among Women Be Explained? A Qualitative Study. Women & Health, 43(1), 93-113.
Bourdieu, P. (1978). Sport and social class. Social Science Information, 17(6), 819-840.
Dagkas, S., & Quarmby, T. (2012). Young People’s Embodiment of Physical Activity: The Role of the ‘Pedagogized’ Family. Sociology of Sport Journal, 29, 210-226.
Swanson, L. (2009). Soccer Fields of Cultural [Re]Production: Creating "Good Boys" in Suburban America. Sociology of Sport Journal, 26(3), 404-424.
Fletcher, R. (2008). Living on the edge: The appeal of sports for the professional middle class. Sociology of Sport Journal, 25(3), 310-330.
Jarvie, G. (2011). Sport, Social Division and Social Inequality. Sport Science Review, XX(1-2), 95-109.
Nielsen, G., Grønfeldt, V., Toftegaard-Støckel, J., & Andersen, L. B. (2012). Predisposed to participate? The influence of family socio-economic background on children's sports participation and daily amount of physical activity. Sport in Society, 15(1), 1-27.
Warde, A. (2006). Cultural capital and the place of sport. Cultural Trends, 15(2), 107-122.
If you choose to complete this essay, and in addition to the sources provided on this page, you need to identify and use (either through paraphrasing or direct quotation) interpretations, insights, or information from a MINIMUM OF THREE appropriate academic sources (in addition to those provided for you on this website).
The deadline for submitting (via the ELMS/Canvas website) your Module 2 Essay is 11.59pm on Friday November 27.
Important: The ELMS/Canvas website will not accept essays after the due time and date.
In order to receive feedback from your TA, you can submit a draft version of your essay up to and including 10.00pm ET Friday November 11.
Be sure to review the details on the module essay page. On that page you will find the EVALUATION CRITERIA for module essays (which you are strongly encouraged to read), you will also find links to the appropriate academic sources you should use when researching and writing your module essays, and the style and format guidelines you need to follow when completing module essays. All this information needs to be read, understood, and closely followed for you to succeed in this course.
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