This course examines the philosophical (axiological, ontological, epistemological and aesthetic) bases of research. Approaches, methodologies and designs to research resulting from the different philosophical thoughts are examined in relation to various disciplines. Students are expected to design research projects and justify the philosophical underpinnings of the proposed methodologies

In this course students will examine the cardiovascular system and its components; blood pressure response to exercise; regulation of heart rate; distribution of blood; integrated exercise responses to cardiac output, distribution and oxygen transport; and cardiovascular adjustments to upper body exercise.

In this course, students will examine the kinds and services of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and their dynamics in exercise. Vitamins, minerals and water needs are examined in relation to exercise performance. Other content areas include pre-competition meal, glucose feedings, electrolytes and water uptake in exercise.

3 Credit(s)

In this course, students will examine the kinds and services of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins and their dynamics in exercise. Vitamins, minerals and water needs are examined in relation to exercise performance. Other content areas include pre-competition meal, glucose feedings, electrolytes and water uptake in exercise.

The course provides an analysis of professional and amateur sports organisations from philosophical, historical and operational perspectives. It takes in-depth look at the structure and functional capacities at management and business practices of industry. The course is designed to equip students with organisational knowledge and skills required for high level management of sports.

This course focuses on the application of strategic planning to management of sports. An understanding of the policies and mechanics of strategic planning will be applied to sports. Students will be taken through the basic phases involved in strategic planning such as: analysis or assessment, strategy formulation, strategy execution, and evaluation or sustainment/management phase. The use of environmental scans, gap analysis, action planning and benchmarking will be discussed within broad philosophical contexts.

The course is a critical analysis of various aspects of health and exercise psychology. It considers psychological benefits of exercise (e. g., increased wellbeing) as well as the psychological pitfalls of too much exercise (e. g., exercise addiction, overeating, anorexia nervosa).

This course examines various theories, models and principles applied in sports and exercise psychology. The course involves the following: various psychological factors and how they influence sports performance, participation in physical activity, and overall health and well-being. Other areas to cover are methods used by athletes and exercisers of various skill levels to achieve peak performance, scientific and theoretical background of sports and exercise participation, application of psychological skills to sports and exercise environments to enhance peak performance and quality of life, and ethical principles of applying these psychological skills.

This course provides opportunity for students to examine the philosophical, historical, sociological and scientific basis of inclusion of Health and Physical Education in the school curriculum. It also reviews various curriculum models in Physical Education and their suitability within a contemporary context. Special attention is paid to the implications of both the sports and health focus approach to curriculum development. The prospects and challenges in running a hybrid curriculum are examined.

The course examines qualitative research design from the perspectives of phenomenology, ethnography, grounded theory, ethnomethodology through practical approaches to data collection, analysis and reporting. It also considers practical computer applications as well as ethical issues in qualitative research.

The course examines quantitative data analysis considerations applicable to different research designs (survey, ex post facto, experimental, community trials, etc.). Advanced statistical procedures to be considered include multiple regression, multi variance, and path analysis. Ethical issues in quantitative data analysis and reporting are also considered.

The students will examine training principles, anaerobic and aerobic system changes, factors affecting the aerobic training response, maintenance of aerobic fitness gains, methods of training, strength measurement and resistance, structural and functional adaptation to resistance training, and factors that modify the expression of human strength, detraining, circuit resistance training, and muscle soreness and stiffness.

The students will examine the pulmonary structure and function, surface area and gas exchange, mechanics of ventilation, pulmonary ventilation, and variations from normal breathing patterns other areas are the respiratory tract during cold weather exercise, regulation of ventilation during exercise, ventilation and energy demands, acid-base regulation, buffers and the effects of intense exercise.

This course will provide students with a critical overview of theory and research in leadership within the field of sports administration. The course will examine leadership as a process, focusing on the leader, the followers, and the situation. It will involve the analysis of the sports industry with special emphasis on the sports administrators’ role and functions as well as in-depth analysis of planning, organizing, leading, and controlling as they apply to the sports administrator. Students will have the opportunity to explore several leadership theories and their application in managing sports at different contextual levels, such as amateur, professional, club, national and international sports. This will include examination of different leadership approaches, skills, and dynamics as they affect the management process, and of the evolution of professional sports management practice. Key concepts of organizational theory will be applied to various structural components that address the management specifics of how to plan, organize, control, and direct a sports enterprise as well as decision-making and communication skills necessary to be an effective leader.

This course is designed to equip students with advanced principles and applications of sport marketing. The course explores marketing theory in a sports context. It covers marketing strategies as they relate to businesses, such as the sporting goods industry, branding, advertising, broadcasting and sponsorship. The course presents a comprehensive examination of basic marketing functions and concepts as applied to sports-related enterprise, including school/college sports programmes, fitness centres, etc. It involves the analysis of sports business problems that involve the creation, distribution, and sale of sporting goods and services. The course content includes areas such as marketing information systems, pricing strategies, media relations, promotional methods and endorsements, resolution of sport marketing problems, demand analysis, consumer analysis and market analysis.

This course is an intensive examination of the critical components of successful and ethical professional practice and career building in sports performance. It examines the psychosocial determinants of high level performance and factors that affect maintenance of advance level performance. Issues to be discussed will include motivation, professional sports development practices, role of corporate bodies and management of social and psychological pressure.

An intensive field or laboratory experience in training, exercise physiology, exercise leadership, sports management, biomechanics, or sports and exercise psychology would be undertaken. Emphasis would be on independent fieldwork in which the student is attached to a sports team or fitness club in order to receive, practical experience in management, coaching or research. This will be done under the direction and supervision of expert practitioners as well as academics.

This course focuses on theories and models, and their application in measurement and evaluation in Physical Education. Issues in learner assessment in Physical Education at different levels of education are examined with the view to developing appropriate models for each level. The course also discusses educational programme evaluation models that can be applied in evaluating the Physical Education programme. Examples of models that will be applied are Stufflebeam’s CIPP, Kirkpatrick’s Four Levels and Eisner’s Educational Connoisseurship.

Thesis Proposal Seminars

Two seminars are required in year 2. The first seminar is essentially a report of an initial literature review in the student’s chosen specific area of research. It affords students the opportunity to explore the theoretical foundations of the research problem and justify its viability. Students produce a concept paper of their research and an annotated bibliography of potential literature for the study. The second seminar is the presentation and defence of the thesis proposal.

Thesis Report Seminars

Two seminars are required in year 3. In the first seminar, the student is given the opportunity to present the analysis of data, preliminary results and reflections from the field. The second seminar is an oral defence of the entire thesis report (viva voce) after the thesis has passed.