Penn State will offer a one-credit course analyzing the societal and ethical impact of sports in America beginning on Feb. 21 of the spring 2017 semester. The class, titled “Is Football Immoral and Other Questions in Sports Ethics,” will examine “big-time sports” from a critical perspective, as well as look at how sports are shaping American culture.

The class will consist of eight sessions on Tuesday evenings; students should be ready to read one or two articles before class and come prepared to engage in discussion. Professors from different disciplines (namely communication arts and sciences; labor and employment relations; women’s, gender, and sexuality studies; African American studies; English; philosophy; and law) aim to provide students in the class with different perspectives on the issue. Additionally, students will interview former athletes and sports representatives during some of the classes.

This new addition is the latest course offered by Penn State that attempts to specifically analyze a timely issue or current event. One course in the recent past that has addressed this type of issue was a course offered in the summer of 2014 that examined the implications of the death of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri. Another course discussed the impact and significance of Donald Trump’s presidential bid.

Since it’s a specialty course, you won’t find “sports ethics” in the course catalog. Rather, interested students should send in a statement of interest here and wait for a response via email. Students can find the course on LionPath under “Liberal Arts 297.”