Durham University
Programme and Module Handbook

Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2023-2024

Module SPRT40415: Sport, Exercise & Health: Future Perspectives

Department: Sport and Exercise Sciences

SPRT40415: Sport, Exercise & Health: Future Perspectives

Type Open Level 4 Credits 15 Availability Available in 2023/24 Module Cap None.

Prerequisites

  • None.

Corequisites

  • None.

Excluded Combination of Modules

  • • SPRT3241: Futures in Sport, Exercise and Health

Aims

  • To build advanced knowledge and critical understanding of emerging health and welfare developments that have relevance to future graduates of sport, exercise, and health related degree programmes. Examples will be responsive to contemporary and emerging issues and may include: digital health, applied nutrition, mental health, activism, exercise as medicine, demographic change, and active environments.
  • To build advanced knowledge and critical understanding of how knowledge mobilisation within the multidisciplinary field of sport, exercise and health sciences may contribute and respond to emerging developments both in the present and anticipated future.
  • In this context, ‘developments’ refers to potential threats, risks, emerging issues, and opportunities, including matters at the margins of current thinking that challenge past assumptions.
  • This Level 4 optional module embraces the strengths and challenges of knowledge mobilisation and multi/interdisciplinary approaches in responding to real world issues relating to changes in health and welfare. It is, therefore, well suited to students enrolled the MSc Physical Activity, Health and Society. Note: Level 4 students will undergo a separate assessment and seminar from L3 students to ensure the depth of understanding is appropriate.

Content

  • This module is intended to build upon and extend knowledge and skills developed through a variety of multi-disciplinary undergraduate degrees and professional practices to build knowledge and critical understanding of emerging health and welfare developments. It will employ an interdisciplinary approach to synthesize the socio-cultural study of sport and physical activity, health psychology, applied nutrition, physiology, public health, and other disciplines.
  • Content will cover critically informed, interdisciplinary research that investigates the complex interactions between sport, exercise, physical activity and health, and the environments in which these occur. Emphasis will be placed on knowledge mobilisation, the process by which academic knowledge is implemented in to practice across various settings.
  • The module covers a wide range of evidence, case studies and theoretical approaches drawing from numerous fields and disciplines such as: sport ecology, health geography, sociology, disability studies, psychology, applied nutrition, physiology, biological and medical sciences, and public health.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:
  • Critically appraise the use of knowledge mobilisation in sport and exercise science and formulate ways to integrate its use in practice.
  • Evaluate the role of interdisciplinary work in sport and exercise sciences and in the future of the discipline.
Subject-specific Skills:
  • Apply the theoretical frameworks of knowledge mobilisation across interdisciplinary topics in sport and exercise science to create novel knowledge mobilisation initiatives.
Key Skills:
  • Effectively communicate key concepts to engage a variety of different audiences.
  • Synthesise a range of complex concepts to enhance problem-solving capabilities.
  • Use IT and library facilities to identify and access relevant sources of information.
  • Manage time appropriately to meet the requirements of independent study.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • Staff-led content, including individual and group-based activities, will introduce students to important health and welfare developments (such as digital health, applied nutrition, mental health, activism, exercise as medicine, active environments). These topics will be fluid in response to the evolving field of sport and exercise science and draw from a range of disciplinary perspectives informed by the expertise of the department staff members.
  • Interactive group activities will enable students to discuss the relative merits and challenges of tackling issues from a multi and interdisciplinary perspective, and plan/undertake practical activities that could be incorporated as applied examples in their summative assessment.
  • Independently, students will be required to invest time in directed reading, research activities, and potentially group-based activity preparation.
  • Assessment is structured around effectively communicating knowledge and critical understanding of issues relevant to the future of sport, exercise and health covered within the module.
  • Formative feedback will be provided throughout the module in both lectures and seminars and will allow students to prepare for their summative from both a process and learning perspective. Students will have an opportunity to discuss a range of topics and gain feedback on their insights from both their peers and instructors.
  • An individual multimedia piece of work will allow students to demonstrate their ability to communicate their ideas effectively using an appropriate medium. Students will be asked to reflect on their experience creating their multimedia piece of work.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Activity Number Frequency Duration Total/Hours
Lectures 18 Weekly 1 hour 18
Seminars (note: these Seminars will be separate from L3 students) 6 Fortnightly 2 hours 12
Independent Study, Reading and Preparation 120
Total 150

Summative Assessment

Component: Multimedia Presentation Component Weighting: 100%
Element Length / duration Element Weighting Resit Opportunity
Multimedia Presentation Various 70% Yes
Reflection 500 words 30% Yes

Formative Assessment:

Students will have the opportunity to receive formative feedback throughout the module to develop their summative assessments. This will primarily occur during seminars where students will have the opportunity to present, discuss and receive feedback from both peers and instructors about the preliminary work for their summative assessments determine if they are meeting the learning outcomes of the module.


Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University