Coursera

Sports and Society (Coursera)

Offered by Duke University,

Sports play a giant role in contemporary society worldwide. But few of us pause to think about the larger questions of money, politics, race, sex, culture, and commercialization that surround sports everywhere. This course draws on the tools of anthropology, sociology, history, and other disciplines to give you new perspectives on the games we watch and play.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

It's the new and improved version of Professor Orin Starn's original "Sports and Society" for Coursera, which drew more than 40,000 students. We will focus on both popular sports like soccer (or “football,” as anyone outside America calls it), basketball, and baseball, and also lesser-known ones like mountain-climbing and fishing. You will never watch or think about sports in the same way again.

Syllabus

WEEK 1: Getting Started! Games, Play, and Sports
WEEK 2: Globalization, Nationalism, and the Politics of Sports
WEEK 3: Race, Cultural Identity, and the Sports World
WEEK 4: Gender, Sexuality, and the Rise of Women's Sports
WEEK 5: Why Do We Care So Much about Sports?
WEEK 6: The Megabusiness of Sports
WEEK 7: Outdoor Sports, Extreme Sports, and the Search for Adventure

Go to Class

MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Coursera

Universidad de los Andes

Sexualidad y educación (Coursera)

Education Social Sciences

La mayor parte de las personas tenemos inquietudes sobre cómo, cuándo y para qué educar a niñas, niños, jóvenes y adultos acerca de la sexualidad. Ya sea como madres, padres, cuidadores, profesores, profesionales de la salud, interesados en los medios de comunicación o en el tema de la sexualidad, con frecuencia nos planteamos preguntas como las siguientes: ¿Para qué educar sobre sexualidad, si existe abundante información al respecto? ¿La educación de la sexualidad debería brindarla la familia o la escuela? ¿A qué edad es adecuado iniciar la educación de la sexualidad? ¿La educación de la sexualidad aumenta la curiosidad sobre este tema?

Sep 21st 2026

5-12 Weeks

Education Sexuality Sexuality Education

Coursera

University of Lausanne

Doping : Sports, Organizations and Sciences (Coursera)

Social Sciences Sports

The objective of this course is to encourage a critical understanding of doping. To achieve this goal, this course will rely on a multidisciplinary approach that allow you to see how different disciplines get into a single object, in different perspectives and in often complementary ways. This approach will also allow us to appreciate the complexity of a subject like doping. Doping in sports is a complex practice whose definition and identification is the result of socially and historically constructed norms. This course offers to shed light on the processes that led to the use and prohibition of doping substances.

Sep 28th 2026

4 Weeks

Health Sports Social Sciences

Coursera

Northwestern University

Teaching the Violin and Viola: Creating a Healthy Foundation (Coursera)

Film & Audio

Join us as we explore the fundamental principles and early stages of teaching violin and viola through a series of engaging video lectures and lesson demonstrations, including: 1) Master classes with some of the world’s top string pedagogues, 2) Individual lesson demos of teaching violin/viola set up, left and right hand technique and pieces from the early violin/viola repertoire, 3) Group lesson demos of teaching music theory, ear training and fun activities that encourage good playing habits, and 4) A “field trip” to the violin shop, where we will outfit a new beginning student with a proper instrument and bow.

Sep 28th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Music Art Healthy

Coursera

Erasmus University Rotterdam

Driving business towards the Sustainable Development Goals (Coursera)

Business

Extreme weather events, wars, famine and environmental destruction are just a few of the wicked problems faced by humanity. That’s why in 2015 the United Nations adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. This agenda includes 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that target the big challenges such as how to eliminate poverty, how to protect the environment and how to bring about peace. Every member state committed to achieving these goals by 2030. What can businesses do to counter climate change and create a sustainable business culture? Why is this relevant for business anyway? Explore how business can contribute to a better future for people AND the planet without giving up profits.

Sep 21st 2026

5-12 Weeks

Business Economy Society

Coursera

University of Colorado Boulder

Anti-Racism III (Coursera)

Social Sciences

Anti-Racism III is the third course in CU Boulder's Anti-Racism specialization on Coursera. You will be asked to apply and deepen what you've learned about race, racism, identity, and inequality in the first and second courses to a more global context that understands systemic racism and white supremacy as a human rights issue. You will also be invited to consider how you might engage in anti-racist practices in your own life, and you will be challenged to design a community outreach project that leverages your own experience and skills as an anti-racism advocate. Anti-Racism III will be available in Fall 2021.

Sep 21st 2026

3 Weeks

Identity Racism Race

Coursera

University of Colorado System

Queering Identities: LGBTQ+ Sexuality and Gender Identity (Coursera)

Education

In this course, you will explore the history of LGBTQ identities, experiences, and activism. We’ll study major events in global LGBTQ history, investigate local histories of queer and transgender people and communities, and consider how LGBTQ histories have helped shape broader conversations about civil rights, equality, and justice.

Sep 21st 2026

5-12 Weeks

Civil Rights Justice Gender

Coursera

University of Colorado Boulder

Animals, Self, and Society (Coursera)

Social Sciences

This course explores how animals and people are situated within the web of structures and connections known as “society.” Module 1 considers some of the key symbolic roles that animals play in society by investigating the practice of “thinking with animals.” We investigate how people construct different meanings of animals and the implications these meanings have for both animals and humans. You will gain first-hand experience of this by analyzing how animals are represented in the media.

Sep 21st 2026

4 Weeks

Society Animals Animal Welfare

Coursera

Duke University

Civic Engagement in American Democracy (Coursera)

Social Sciences

So how does the American political system work? Who are some of the key actors? What are key concepts for a student trying to understand what’s going on? How can I as a citizen influence politics? Civic Engagement in American Democracy takes on these and other key questions. We’re Dr. Nicholas Carnes and Dr. Bruce Jentleson, the principal course instructors. Along with our Duke faculty colleagues who also contributed modules, we’ve designed the course to provide a strong foundational introduction to US politics.

Oct 5th 2026

4 Weeks

Government Politics Democracy

Coursera

University of Manchester

Global Health and Humanitarianism (Coursera)

Social Sciences

Welcome to the Global Health and Humanitarianism MOOC. We are delighted to have you with us, and hope that the next six weeks will provide an interesting and thoughtful experience for you. We hope the course will give you an overview of global health and humanitarianism in theory and in practice.

Oct 5th 2026

5-12 Weeks

Health Evolution Society

Coursera

FIA Business School

Participação das Mulheres na Sociedade e nas Organizações (Coursera)

Business

Nossas boas-vindas ao Curso Participação das Mulheres na Sociedade e nas Organizações. Neste curso, você aprenderá sobre as diferenças entre sexo, gênero e identidade de gênero, relacionando os papéis de gênero com seu histórico, além de contextualizar essas questões com o mundo contemporâneo. De forma geral, as mulheres tiveram um ingresso mais tardio que os homens no mercado de trabalho, com mudanças na sua participação. O objetivo é identificar o status das mulheres no mundo corporativo e os pontos críticos existentes nas relações de gênero nas organizações contemporâneas.

Sep 21st 2026

4 Weeks

Women Gender Coursera Plus

Coursera

University of Glasgow

Cultural impact of housing displacement gentrification (Coursera)

Social Sciences

This course provides an introduction to gentrification and to the cultural impacts of housing displacement for people in cities and neighbourhoods across the world. Gentrification is a term which has been used to describe the process by which wealthier people move into an area leading to the displacement of poorer groups who are priced out of the area by increases in rents and housing prices. It is usually associated with physical improvements to the housing stock and to changes in local shops and services. Sometimes it is closely associated with the displacement of black people by white people.

Sep 21st 2026

4 Weeks

Geography Social Change Race

Coursera

University of Edinburgh

Football: More than a Game (Coursera)

Education

Explore the world of football (soccer), the money, the rivalries, the trends, the past, the present, the men’s game, the women's game and the real issues. Whether you love it, hate it or try to ignore it – join us as we go behind the scenes to examine why football is more than just a game.

Sep 21st 2026

5-12 Weeks

Sports Data Analysis Football