Course

Sport, Law and Society in Australia - LAWS3350

Faculty: Faculty of Law

School: Faculty of Law

Course Outline: See below

Campus: Sydney

Career: Undergraduate

Units of Credit: 6

EFTSL: 0.12500 (more info)

Indicative Contact Hours per Week: 3

Enrolment Requirements:

Restricted to students enrolled in Legal Studies: Prerequisite: Academic Program must be either 4055 or 3408 or 4054.

CSS Contribution Charge: 1 (more info)

Tuition Fee: See Tuition Fee Schedule

Further Information: See Class Timetable

View course information for previous years.

Description

The rise of organised sport coincided with Australia's development as a nation, playing a major role in developing Australian identities. As one of Australia's major cultural practices, participation, and success in international sport became an essential element in projecting Australia on the global stage. In the late twentieth century sport became one of nation's fastest growing industries. This course explores the history of Australian sport and the development of a body of law to underpin its place and function in Australian society. Topics include sport and Australian nationalism; the rise of organised sport in Australia; development of sports governance; the intersection of sport and the law in issues of race, gender, ethnicity and religion; the debate between amateurism and professionalism; Australian sport on the global stage; doping and the law, the court of Arbitration for sport; the impact of corporate interest in Australian sport.

Note: This course is only available to Study Abroad Students.

Learning Outcomes

Students successfully completing this course will be able to:
  1. Understand the development of Australian sporting culture.
  2. Understand the Australian model of sport and how it developed.
  3. Understand the governance structures of Australian sport.
  4. Understand public policy and sport in Australia
  5. Understand how Australian sport interconnects with global sports governance structures.
  6. Understand how the law intersects with Australian sport.
  7. Understand some of the major legal cases related to Australian sport.
  8. Understand where Australian sport has had to comply with the law of the land when it comes to issues such as discrimination, intellectual property, industrial relations, and drugs policy amongst others.
  9. Understand the relationship between the media and sport and the history of the law's engagement in this area.
  10. Critically analyse issues related to sport and the law in Australia.
  11. Critically analyse issues related to the law and Australia's participation in global sport.
  12. Be equipped to debate the above issues in an informed and professional manner.
  13. Be equipped to write critically and analytically about the above issues.
  14. Better conduct research on the above issues and more generally.

Main Topics

Theme 1: The Development of Australian Sporting Culture
  • The Study of Australian Sport, Approaches & Theories
  • Colonial sport, the rise of Australian nationalism and the development of the club system
  • From Suburban Parks to National Leagues — The Development of the Football Codes from 19th Century Suburbia to 21st Century National Competitions
  • Sites of Australian Sport in the Twentieth Century: The Beach, The Track, The City, The Country and a place for Women?
Theme 2: Law, Sport and Australian Society:
  • The Development of the Australian Sport System and a Law of Sport
  • Who Owns the Game? World Series Cricket of the 1970s to The Rugby Wars of the 1980s and 1990s and related media issues
  • Sponsorship and Australian Sport
  • Player Management Disputes and Sport Industrial Relations
  • Discrimination: Race and Australian Sport
  • The Media and Bringing the Sport into Disrepute
  • The International Dimension: Selection, Doping and the Court of Arbitration for Sport
  • Who Owns the Game revisited — Australia's dilemma: Sport for the Public Good or Sport as Financial Behemoth (New Media, Broadcast rights and the place of public policy)

Assessment

Class Participation- 10%
Class Presentation (oral)- 20%
Research Essay (2000 words)- 40%
Debate- 10%
Documentary Analysis (800-1000 words)- 20%

Textbooks

A study Kit of readings
Students

Study Levels

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