Sport Studies is an interdisciplinary minor that provides students with the tools to explore the way sport interacts with media, literature, history, culture, business, economics, and scientific/social scientific inquiry. The program, which features opportunities for internships and pathways into sport industries, explores a rich range of traditions, histories, and philosophies of sport.
The Sports Studies minor is a lens through which students can explore connections and relationships among a variety of disciplines. In national and global contexts, Sports Studies minors will study the role of sport in shaping notions of race, class, gender, ability/disability and sexuality.
This minor program officially launches at the start of the fall 2024 term.
Students can choose their 16 credits from a variety of course options:
Students can choose their 16 credits from a variety of course options:
Morgan Ray '24 is a Communications Studies student who completed a gameday internship with the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. Morgan said her internship was "nothing short of incredible," and added that "it's such a great starting point to get into the field, explore this as an option, and get a step in the door." Morgan's internship experience was also featured in Newsroom.
Dr. Liz Wilkinson is an associate professor in the Department of English and is also affiliated with the programs in American Culture & Difference and Women, Gender & Sexuality Studies. She competed as a Division I springboard diver during her undergraduate years at Penn State, and worked as a sports reporter before completing Masters degrees in English and Education, as well as a PhD in English with a graduate certificate in Women & Gender Studies. At St. Thomas, her love for sports writing reemerged — along with her love for camaraderie and competition. She teaches courses in sports literature, Native American literature, women's literature and women, gender & sexuality studies. She also competes alongside other UST faculty and staff in the YWCA triathlon every August. Her current area of research is women and sports, to include intersections with women's history, feminist theory and sports history.
