The Liberal Arts as a Learning Environment and Foundational Philosophy for Sport Students and Society

Citation

McDougall M & Roe K (2026) The Liberal Arts as a Learning Environment and Foundational Philosophy for Sport Students and Society. In: Chandler C, Burgess K, Powell S, Smith MF & Timmis M (eds.) The Routledge Handbook of Teaching Practice in Sport and Exercise Science. Routledge International Handbooks. Routledge. https://www.taylorfrancis.com/chapters/edit/10.4324/9781003516439-8/liberal-arts-learning-environment-foundational-philosophy-sport-students-society-michael-mcdougall-kerry-roe-donald-doc-stacknick

Abstract
This chapter examines the enduring value of a liberal arts education for sport students and sport-related professions. Against the backdrop of higher education’s longstanding tension between vocational and liberal learning, we argue that the liberal arts offer essential capacities—critical inquiry, ethical judgment, intellectual flexibility, and civic awareness—needed to navigate the complexity of contemporary sport work. Sport domains increasingly confront “wicked problems,” ’— entangled, value-laden challenges that resist simple solutions, from athlete welfare to complex issues of equity and governance, which demand integrative thinking rather than narrow technical specialisation. Drawing on historical perspectives, current debates, and our experience as faculty at Keystone College, we demonstrate how a liberal arts ethos can prepare students for both professional practice in sport as well as broader civic life. We then present Keystone as a living, evolving embodiment of liberal arts, illustrating how curricular structures, pedagogical practices, and institutional culture embody liberal arts principles in action. Ultimately, we contend that the liberal arts remain vital to educating sport students for a world marked by uncertainty, complexity, and profound social change.