Teaching reforms: not all bad

Christopher R. Matthews argues that a consequence of the higher education reform is positive in that it improves teaching and plays to sociology's strength

Doing public sociology in the classroom

Within this chapter I explore the manner in which public sociology (Burawoy, 2004) might be usefully employed to enhance teaching and learning. After arguing for an orientation to teaching that centralises students’ experiences by ‘starting from where they are’ I outline three practical stages in the doing of public sociology in the classroom. These overlapping stages are important as a means of supporting the development of foundational skills that enable more challenging work towards the end of undergraduate study. In conclusion, I suggest that by integrating elements of public sociology across a curriculum colleagues can enhance their degree programme in terms of employability, engagement and student satisfaction. I also suggest that this process offers some key avenues for tackling some of the pressures and challenges that sociology faces as a discipline

Love fighting hate violence: an anti-violence program for martial arts and combat sports

This chapter outlines the Love Fighting Hate Violence (LFHV) project: an anti-violence initiative aimed at inspiring reflection and generating pedagogical interventions within martial arts and combat sports. The goal of LFHV is to harness the potential of these activities for educating people about violence, specifically with respect to understanding the principles of consent and violation. The chapter provides a theoretical overview of the project’s core philosophy by way of an interactionist reading of fights as social encounters. It then turns to discussing some of the practical materials already developed for use within LFHV. These draw on the aforementioned theory, as well as a values-based teaching methodology, to frame the potential contribution that this project can make to anti-violence education

Understanding sports violence: revisiting foundational explorations

Within this paper we discuss the importance of attending to definitions of ‘violence’. Through a return to a selection of important foundational works, we attempt to unpack the fundamental meanings of violence in a general sense, and sport violence in particular. With a specific focus on the need for definitional clarity, and particular attention to the ‘ritual’ dimensions of sport violence, we argue that engaging with these concepts is essential when conducting research in ‘violent’ contexts. Based on a critical reading of a small selection of relatively recent scholarship in sports settings, we ultimately argue that without careful consideration of what can constitute ‘violence’, scholars risk misrepresenting the social worlds they investigate. In conclusion we call for researchers to enter into a dialogue with foundational explorations of violence and to pays far greater heed to the definitions favoured by practitioners who engage with apparent ‘violence’ on a regular basis

Love Fighting Hate Violence manifesto

Love Fighting Hate Violence (LFHV) is a campaign aiming to raise awareness of the important moral difference between sport-based combat, and violence. It seeks to encourage practitioners and fans of martial arts and combat sports to reflect on this distinction, and to encourage various forms of anti-violence action within and through their different disciplines. This manifesto aims to clarify some of the central ideas and objectives of LFHV. It outlines the reasoning behind the campaign, points to the general spirit of what we hope it can achieve, and also hints at some ways it could be put into practice