Sport & Society

The minor is Sport & Society coaches students to critically examine the social, ecological, and historical dimensions of sport as a social institution. Interdisciplinary coursework explores sport’s role in civic life, its potential as a platform for social change and development, and as a catalyst for social engagement. Students will learn about its intersections with structural inequalities related to place, race, ethnicity, social class, gender, sexuality, and (dis)ability. The minor contributes to understanding human behavior, past and present social dynamics, and the broader cultural significance of sport worldwide.

Students will gain the tools needed to understand sport’s influence on identity, community, and how to advocate for sport as a platform for positive social change. The minor prepares students for careers in education, media, marketing and business, non-profit organizations, sport management, and advocacy. This minor is ideal for those interested in how sport shapes—and is shaped by—society.

Earning your minor

Students may be admitted to the minor in Sport & Society after admission into a major. The minor requires a minimum of 18 credits (two required and four elective courses), at least 9 of which must be upper-division work taken in residence at WSU or through WSU-approved education abroad or educational exchange programs. Students must maintain a 2.0 average.

Required (6 credits):

• SOC 245 – Sociology of Sport
• SPMGT 367 – Sport in American Society

Electives (choose 12 credits):

• SOC 103 [COMM] – Social Psychology of Communication
• SOC 340 [EQJS] – Social Inequality
• SPMGT 101 [EQJS] – Sports and Popular Culture: Trends and Issues
• SPMGT 290 – Sport Programs
• SPMGT 365 – Ethics and Moral Reasoning in Sport
• SPMGT 379 – Sport Communication
• CES 308 [SSCI] – Cultural Politics of Sport
• COM 225 – Sports and the Media
• ECONS 321 – Economics of Sports in America
• HIST 224 [EQJS] – Baseball and American Social Movements
• HIST 384 [EQJS] – The World Through Sports History
• KIN 201 [HUM] – Exploring Meaning in Sport and Movement
• KIN 313 – Psychological Aspects of Physical Movement

*Minor is available on Pullman and Global campuses