Undergraduate Course Descriptions

This course introduces students to the scientific principles of nutrition pertinent to the function of nutrients in the body and the physiological processes involved in digestion and absorption. Students will attain knowledge of the nutrients that make up the food we eat; the anatomy and physiology of digestion and absorption; the function of the each macro and micro nutrient within the body; the interplay between foods, food substances and disease processes like heart disease, cancer, and obesity; the role of nutrition throughout the life cycle; and, our global food problems.

This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge of the inner workings and physiological changes that occur in the body during exercise, after exercise, and during a training period. Topics include efficiency, needs and limitations of body systems and their interrelationships, gender roles in exercise, and developing a personalized exercise routine to meet your needs.

This course concentrates on the science, planning, management, and analysis of training and conditioning as it relates to the human body. Through a series of assignments and case studies, you will learn the theory of muscle growth and how muscle growth applies to your body. The course will answer many questions including how can you build an impressive, muscular physique using free weights? How, for example, can you customize your workouts according to your body type? And how should diet, including food supplements, factor into your fitness goals?

This course prepares students with an interest in pursuing a career in the fast growing industry of sports facility or event management. During the course, students will acquire professional skills that can be applied in a wide variety of career positions. A range of topics include facility financing, alcohol management, crowd management and box office management. Upon completion students will have basic fundamentals to comprehend the field of facility and event management.

This course in sports medicine explores the causes and prevention of common sports injuries. You will learn the prognosis and treatment of injuries by examining the anatomy of the injured area of the body through diagrams and interactive websites. Each section of the course covers a certain category of injuries; you will learn what sport or particular athlete is more at risk. Each student will be required to submit a course paper on a specific injury that includes case studies from appropriate references. It is recommended that students complete SPHE 421 Kinesiology before enrolling in this course.

Students in this course will review Coaching Theory and Methodology within the coaching profession. They will examine theories specific sports teams, including the development of methodologies and the development of a team, principles for coaches to follow and pass on to teams, and the end of competitive careers in organized sports. Guiding questions include: What sport has done for the player and coach? Why is theory and methodology in sport important? How does leadership and strategy play a role? Students will develop a coaching philosophy that will drive their coaching theories and methods. Students will discover that teaching life lessons through sport is vital to the success of their athletes.

This course is a broad investigation into the types and categories of pharmacological and nutritional performance enhancing substances used by athletes throughout history to present date. Students will use analytical techniques to identify, compare, and categorize the five major groups of performance enhancing drugs and nutritional supplements. They will discover the origins, physiological effects, prevalence, and usage trends of drug families, and from the information, the student will be able to formulate an understanding as to why certain drugs are used for specific sports, despite illegal consequences. Students will be able to list, define, explain, and fully understand therapeutic drugs, naturally produced hormones, nutritional supplements, cardiovascular enhancements, and stimulants, through individual and collaborative research, discussion, and presentation opportunities. Engaging debate and exploratory discussion options will provide students the chance to critique, appraise, and ultimately formulate individual conclusions surrounding the moral, ethical and social aspects of drug use in sport. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to examine the legal aspects of drugs in sports, the administrative and political drug control processes, and how organizations have evolved over time, through increased awareness of the need to control or eliminate the use of drugs in sports performance. Students will investigate and explore the numerous current event issues, as well as the athletes, and professionals associated and implicated in the illegal use of drugs in athletic performance.

What should you eat? When should you eat it? Why? Nutrition plays an integral part of our daily life. A healthy diet can protect us from a number of diseases including heart disease and cancer. Nutrition also plays an integral part of the athlete’s success; often making a difference between success and failure. Improper use of diet and/or ergogenic aids can result in poor performance. Students in this course will explore basic nutrition concepts, gaining an appreciation of the contribution of macro and micronutrients to a healthy diet and gaining an understanding of the importance of these nutrients as performance enhancers. They will identify a number of strategies for making healthy food selections, for integrating these selections into their lives, and for successfully maintaining a healthy diet. These concepts will be reinforced through the analysis of their own diets and the development of several new diets. The impact of excessive or deficient caloric intake on health and body composition will be determined. Finally, dietary supplements and performance enhancers are used by many people. Improper use of these can be detrimental to one’s health as well as adversely impact athletic performance. Strategies for identifying and for using good and bad supplements/enhancers will be developed

This course will provide the student with the skills necessary to develop an annual training program for athletes of all levels. Emphasis will be placed on the principles of periodization and how to determine the appropriate training program for each sport. The topics of plyometrics, speed, agility, strength and power will be demonstrated in videos and through other course materials. Students will be required to complete a 52 week training plan for an athlete based on the principles of periodization.

Students in this course will use qualitative and quantitative analysis to understand the biomechanics of human movement. This course will focus on biomechanics in sports and how biomechanical evaluation can improve performance and prevent injuries. Through the use of videos and personal observations, students will learn to apply mathematical equations to various sports skills to develop an understanding of how the laws of physics affect performance. Linear and angular kinematics and kinetics will be applied to sport skills. Students will complete a course project which will require the student to observe a sport skill, qualitatively analyze the athlete performing the skill and make recommendations for improvement. It is highly recommended that students complete College Algebra and Physics before taking this course.

Students in this course will examine how gender and sexuality are impacted within sport and sports organizations. The relationship between sexuality, masculinity, femininity and sport has been a slow evolving process throughout history. This course is broken down into three main topics: masculinity in sport, media representation in sport, and transgressing femininities in sport. The visibility of professional athletes in the media has opened doors of opportunity for both male and female athletes. Students will discuss the equality of sports coverage based on gender along with career opportunity in sports organizations. The ratio of male to female athletic administrators is severely lopsided even in this modern era. This course will examine why and what the future holds for gender issues in sport.

Students will examine morality and ethical issues pertaining to sport. During this course, students will become involved with discussions on sportsmanship, fan behavior, performance-enhancing drugs, gender equity in sport, deviant behavior in athletics, and issues related to youth sports participation. Students will be required to examine their current rules, morals, and philosophies to their career aspirations and reflect on them in an ethical as well situational manner. Students will be immersed in ethical situations through the use of videos and relevant current event articles.

This course will help you learn how to teach the skills and strategies and techniques and tactics of baseball. You’ll learn about approaches to coaching, including the games approach (an alternative to drills-based coaching), you’ll develop a season plan and a series of practice plans; and you’ll improve your ability to coach during games. This course is suitable for high school coaches and for serious club coaches, and college coaches.

This course will help you learn how to teach the skills and strategies, and techniques and tactics of basketball. You’ll learn about approaches to coaching, including the games approach (an alternative to drills-based coaching), you’ll develop a season plan and a series of practice plans; and you’ll improve your ability to coach during games. This course is suitable for high school coaches and for serious club coaches, college coaches, and advanced coaches at the youth level.

Students in this course will explore the techniques and tactical skills within the sport of American Football. Basic offensive, defensive, and special team skills are taught while exploring various teaching strategies for effective implementation. Football is a game that goes well beyond the obvious physical struggle on the field of play. Below the surface is a complex game which calls for strategic learning and specific methods of movement in accordance to the basic laws of physics. Coaching football calls for an understanding of these concepts in addition to strong organizational and instructional abilities. This course is designed for coaches at all levels. For coaches just beginning in the profession or looking to begin in the future, this course will discuss a number of basic areas that are essential to being successful such as coaching philosophy, practice planning, and game preparation. For those individuals that have been coaching for some time, this course will give you a chance to re-evaluate your philosophy, technique, style, and communication ability. In summary, the approach is toward teaching the student the theory, principles, concepts, and practices that can be applied in the dynamic, ever changing, challenging, and rewarding field of coaching football.

Students in this course will use analytical techniques to examine the scope and effect of sport on society. They will explore sociological concepts on how sports and sport participation impact the lives of individuals and groups in a society. Students will explore several significant contemporary issues. These contemporary sport sociology issues will include drug abuse, race, ethnicity, gender inequity, ethics, gambling, and violence. To increase their sociological understanding of sport, students will identify and discuss sociological perspectives about the components of sport and physical activity.

This course offers a comprehensive and practical look at the past, present and future of disability sport. Topics covered are inclusive of youth through adult participation with in-depth coverage of the essential issues involving athletes with disabilities. Modern challenges and controversies dealing disabilities in sport will be examined along with sport opportunities for athletes with disabilities, coaching and training of athletes with disabilities, sports medicine issues, activity modifications, equipment uses, and event management for both adults and children with disability.

This course examines the direct relationship between psychological stress and the human body. Everyday, approximately ONE MILLION Americans are absent from work due to stress. Some studies have suggested that stress has caused an increase in workplace violence. And yet while many of us have heard of the term "stress", few of us understand what it means. It asks the questions: What is stress and what causes it? Can being overly stressed increase your chances of catching the cold or flu? How can work related stress cause you to become burned out on the job? And how can you reduce the negative affects of stress in your life? Through a series of assignments, case studies and group activities, we will focuses on the mechanisms by which psychological and physical stress can affect your health, the different ways you respond to stress, and the factors contributing to these differences. It serves to enlighten students on the complex interrelations between the body and mind, with a special emphasis on stress reduction techniques.

Sports management is evolving at a rapid pace. This course provides an overview of the sports industry and teaches the basics of sport management to future sport managers. Students will explore the sports industry in different segments that will help guide them to what area of expertise they might choose as a career path. Topics will include ethics, finances, high school and youth sports, marketing and legal issues. This course also examines specific industries involving management such as the fitness industry, facility management, sporting goods, and event management.

Students will look at and will learn how head and spine injuries occur, the frequency and causes of deaths in athletes, catastrophic injury and sudden death in sport, how injuries are sustained in team sports such as soccer, basketball, ice hockey, baseball, and lacrosse, the incidence of injuries in individual sports such as gymnastics, swimming, wrestling, track and field, and cheerleading, and general guidelines for injury prevention as well as sport-specific recommendations. Students will learn a team approach to assessing injuries and preventions of injuries from occurring or reoccurring in sport. Students will be immersed in injury situations through the use of videos and relevant current event articles.

Sports First Aid is the recognition and emergency treatment of sports injuries sustained during the participation in a sporting event. Students in this course will learn basic first aid principles in order to provide emergency care to injured athletes. Students will develop a basic knowledge of common sports injuries to be able to administer appropriate sports first aid. This course will introduce the role of the coach as well as other medical professionals that provide first aid to athletes. Focus will placed on techniques and concepts used to treat these sports injuries. Students taking this course will become a competent first aid responder for basic athletic injuries

Sports Finance will provide students with a vast overview of the financial and contemporary economic issues related to sports, athletes and the sport industry. The course will examine the market power in sports, impact of teams and facilities on neighborhood economics, issues relating to a professional sports lockout as well as the relationship among academics, athletics, and the economy. Contemporary topics will include sports franchises, agents, contracts, sports industry financing, and financial and legal issues

This course focuses on the promotions, public relations, and advertising and other marketing functions involved in the multi-billion dollar sports industry. The course provides research, case analysis, and other opportunities to learn of the effective principles, theories, practices, and methods involved with all aspects of sports communications.

This course places an emphasis on managerial competencies, the strategic importance of human resource management, and the implications of organizational justice used in the sports industry. This course also examines human resource practices such as job design, staffing and career considerations, leadership, and performance appraisal.

Athletic programs administration focuses on the coach, and their administrative responsibilities of their profession. Coaching goes beyond knowledge of the game, strategies to win or practice design. Coaches and administrators, much like managers in the business world, are decision makers and resource allocators. They make sure player to player and coach relations are operating smoothly. Their duties also include fundraising, facility management, scheduling and maintaining budgets much like any business manager. This course examines the key concepts and skills to becoming an effective sports manager that includes program promotion, leadership, personal organization, public relations and risk management.

This course will introduce Coaching Leadership on a sports level but show how that leadership can relate to personal, business and everyday successes for individuals. Creating success in the sports arena, a leader has to communicate, to bring a set of individuals together to accomplish one common goal. To be a good leader and coach, one must motivate teamwork and reveal the powerful characteristics of success. Leadership can be universal and used in any walk of life. Coaches are faced with many hurdles to overcome on different levels. The best coaches are able to work through these barriers and develop systems that bring teammates together with a common purpose. Course objectives will be reached by means of selected case studies and focused assignments, reinforced by study of proven coaching leaders.

This course will introduce the strategy involved in coaching a sports team. Coaching requires a focused leadership to direct individuals into playing for a common cause. Coaches must determine the short and long term goals throughout the course of the season and off-season. Many hurdles, barriers, and circumstances develop through the season that, with the right tools and strategies, a coach can direct a team towards a common goal. Many strategies will be examined from some of the best minds in coaching. Course objectives will be reached by means of selected case studies and focused assignments, reinforced by research done through coaching references.

THIS COURSE WILL REQUIRE A PROCTORED EXAM. Students in this course will learn how to apply treatment interventions during the recovery and rehabilitation process related to the injured athlete. This class will cover the prevention, recognition, and treatment of injuries and other medical conditions sustained during the participation in sporting events. Students will learn about the pre-participation exam and the importance of screening for pre-existing medical conditions. They will focus on acute, chronic, and overuse injuries commonly seen in sports. Students will gain an understanding of basic anatomical and physiological principles as they pertain to the treatment of sports injuries. Focus will placed on the etiology and therapeutic techniques used to treat these injuries during the rehabilitation process.

This course is designed for the undergraduate degree in Sports and Health Sciences. Students will combine knowledge from prior classes such as Anatomy, Exercise Physiology, Nutrition and Training and Conditioning and will be prepared to implement their knowledge in a professional setting. Application of basic exercise training principles will be expanded as the course progresses, allowing the student to execute a wide range of personal fitness training principles such as fundamentals of human movement science, client/athlete assessment, exercise training concepts, program design, nutrition and supplementation. This course incorporates advanced exercise programming techniques utilizing the Optimum Performance Training Model (OPT Model) and prepares students for the Certified Personal Training examination offered by the National Academy of Sports Medicine (NASM-CPT). Upon successful completion of this course and with a valid CPR certification students are eligible to sit for this examination.

Kinesiology develops a practical understanding of the neuromotor system in relation to anatomical structures responsible for human movement along with their respective functions. Students will learn how to analyze movement and determine specific muscles responsible for a particular movement along with the associated joint action and neural control mechanisms. Students will contrast movements and exercises to determine their appropriateness and fit for specific and common goals in real world settings. Additionally, students will discuss Kinesiology principles and critical concepts as they relate to athletics, rehabilitation, and recreational exercise. The course will also explore how to improve human performance through effective exercise and training program design. Students learn concepts in this course which apply in coaching, athletics, rehabilitation, and fitness settings. (Prerequisite: MC360).

An introduction and overview of the field of sport communication; specific topics include models of sport communication, print and electronic media, sport advertising, public relations, media relations, and employment opportunities. Students will have the opportunity to critically assess the communication efforts of sports organization as well as construct their own communications in the field of sport. These goals will be accomplished through writing and discussion assignments, reflective reading worksheets, and a final paper

Sports Event Management and Planning involves a comprehensive overview of the development and implementation process involved with managing a successful sporting event. The student will examine detailed event criteria including time line, budget analysis, sponsorship, event location, staff and consumer management, as well as the development of television and talent contracts. The course shall provide the knowledge necessary to cultivate, organize, and execute any sporting event from a managerial standpoint.

This course will focus on the policies, structure and politics that shape sport at the regional, national and international levels. With a focus on the Olympic movement, the course will also examine the organization and development of amateur and professional sport, including the need for Paralympic Games, Gay Games and Special Olympics. The student will analyze the different membership guidelines, organizational goals, and administrative roles of the many governing bodies as well as learn about the historical politics and boycotts, the international development of sport and the bidding process for an international event.

This senior capstone class is the final course in the degree sequence for students majoring in Sports and Health Sciences. In this dynamic and interactive course, learners will review, assess and then apply many of the concepts they have researched during undergraduate studies through the creation of a customized graduation portfolio. This portfolio can be used for future career or academic goals and serve as a tangible job aid that houses previously acquired knowledge. Real life, hands on tools for career advancement will be examined and then applied, including the creation of a professional resume. An investigation of the job market in the field of sports and health will also take place through case study analysis and lively, career focused discussions. Alternative career paths for sports and health sciences degree holders will also be explored. Student must have SENIOR standing to register.