Certificate in Global Kinesiology & Physical Education (U of T Global Scholar)

The provision of opportunities for physical activity is profoundly affected by the social structures of Canadian society, and persistent inequalities. An increasing number of Canadian institutions in physical and health education have now committed themselves to policies of social equity. This course enables students to study the effects of class, gender, race, and sexuality upon opportunities, programs and practices, and the means by which social equity might be more effectively pursued.

The course will examine the importance of space and place in social life. Drawing from health, medical and socio-cultural geographies, architectural, feminist and anti- oppression theories/film/research, as well as in person spatial analysis of local geographies, we will identify and assess how ‘place matters’ to the practice of physical culture, kinesiology, and health. We will examine how experiences of space and place are mediated by systemic oppressions and differences in power relations. To do this, we will explore how social injustices, settler-colonial relations, environmental racism, consumption and the Anthropocence impact physical culture, sport and health, as well as how the practice of sport, physical culture and health have profound implications for the health and ecological geographies of humans, ‘more-than-human’ species, ecosystems, and all life on earth. The course takes a social and environmental justice and anti-oppressive approach towards interrogating local and global disparities in the governance of space and place. We will consider possibilities for enacting democratic, caring and ethical relations in the geographies and environments of health and physical culture.

This course explores patterns of health and illness among groups (populations) of people. Emphasis is on the determinants of health (social political, economic and environmental etc.). Students will learn about basic research methods and issues in the field. Current examples of major local and global health concerns will be used to illustrate key concepts.

The course will be an introduction to global sports law. Students will explore how the rules and regulations of the Olympic Movement, the technical side of sport, and the anti-doping movement constitute private transnational legal systems where international sport organizations have regulatory autonomy that is often shielded from intervention by national legal systems. Students will learn how disputes involving these sport rules and regulations are resolved through private arbitration by reviewing key arbitral decisions issued by the Court of Arbitration for Sport and the Sport Dispute Resolution Centre of Canada, and by participating in mock arbitrations of disputes involving doping violations, team selection decisions, and competition outcomes. Finally, students will critically examine how certain sport rules relating to gender verification, out-of-competition doping testing, and doping sanctions impact the rights of athletes, and whether arbitration can provide the necessary oversight and accountability measures to protect those rights.

This course will provide students an opportunity to develop their knowledge and competencies in interpersonal theory in Kinesiology and Physical Education. Topics covered in this course include, verbal and non-verbal communication strategies, active listening with patients/clients, reflective practice, managing conflict, decision making, teamwork, and leadership. This course draws upon previous coursework and integrates theory and practice across course learning activities to apply the course content to the breadth of populations and settings within the field of Kinesiology and Physical Education. As a part of the course, students will participate in a field experience (100 hours) with a mentor observing and engaging in interpersonal relations and participating in the planning and implementation of programs as appropriate. Course evaluation activities include weekly class and tutorial sessions, written assignments, presentations, and examinations. Notes: Classroom/tutorial sessions are two hours per week in addition to field experience. Please refer to the 'Fees and Financial Requirements' section of the calendar for information on ancillary fees.

Increasingly, sport and physical activity are recognized and utilized as tools of international development. From refugee assistance and conflict resolution to programs targeting economic growth and HIV/AIDS, a host of development initiatives use sport-based programs to meet their goals. The purpose of this course is to examine—theoretically, empirically, and critically—the development through sport / sport for development and peace (DTS / SDP) movement. It is important to consider these social and political issues in order both to problematize the DTS movement and to assist and challenge future DTS volunteers.

This senior course in physical cultural studies attends to and examines the existential and cultural dimensions of illness, disease and suffering in society. Taking both the personal (i.e., embodied, emplaced and performative) experience and institutional organization of illness as its broad focus, the course theoretically and empirically interrogates how socially problematic forms of embodiment, self-constructions through disease processes, illness and individual affect, strained interpersonal relations through illness, bodies in physical and social recovery, and cultural representations of ‘bad bodies’ are poorly understood within kinesiology proper. Particular attention in this course is given to how bodies and associated selves at the fringe of medically defined ‘health’/kinesiological parameters are positioned as pathological, contra-normative, at risk or in need of repair and restitution. Central theoretical and conceptual questions regarding what constitutes health and wellbeing are addressed against the lived cultural realities of people with movement and physical activity challenges and limitations. Topics in the course may include, but are not limited to, doing physical activity as a diseased person, the social organization of rehabilitative medicine in sport and physical cultures, athletes living with/recovering from physical trauma and mental illnesses, patient-centered movement cultures, and phenomenological accounts of the illness, disease and dying processes.

In this course we will refer to race as a remnant of colonialism, an effect of social practices, and a shifting, performed identity. We explore the ways that fantasies of the history of Canada as a tolerant and multicultural nation hide truths about racism in this country and construct race and indigeneity in everyday life. This course examines how and why ’race’ matters so intensely and the ways ‘race’ is produced and policed, ultimately enabling and empowering some bodies and movements, while oppressing others within physical cultures. Myths of race as a biological category will be debunked. We will explore a wide range of topics including Black masculinities and Black diasporas, access to sport for Asians and anti-Asian racism, the (in)visibility of Indigenous peoples in Canadian sport; religious (in)tolerance, and White privilege. We will read theoretical and empirical chapters and articles and discuss how socio-economic, ableist, and gendered practices of differentiation produce race categories. Last, we will elaborate our roles in creating more equitable and democratic spaces for all athletes and people. KPE405H1 will not only improve engagement with social justice issues, but also ameliorate communication skills and intercultural competencies particularly related to indigeneity, diaspora, equity, and anti-racism in sport.

Participants in physical education, physical activity and sport enjoy all the rights of Canadian citizens under Canadian law, including the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and provincial and territorial human rights legislation. They also enjoy the protections of the international system of human rights established by the United Nations, to which the Canadian government is a signatory. Although many of those documents specifically mention rights related to sports, the promised rights are not always protected in practice as evidenced in, for example, far too many recent cases of athlete abuse. This course examines the concepts, legal protections and failings of human rights in Canadian and international sports, and explores ways in which they could be strengthened.

This course builds upon KPE350Y1/KPE355Y1 to further students’ theoretical grounding in the broader practice of Kinesiology and Physical Education in society. Topics covered in this course include, but are not limited to, emotional intelligence in the workplace, integrity in community relations, performance adaptability, diversity, creativity, ethics and professionalism, and work-life balance. Adopting a values-based approach to learning and development students will be encouraged to consider strategies for enhancing the practice of Kinesiology and Physical Education within society. As a part of this course, students will spend 100 hours in the field and will work closely with a mentor. Course evaluation activities include weekly class and tutorial sessions, written assignments, presentations, and examinations.

Notes: Classroom/tutorial sessions are two hours per week in addition to field experience. For more information visit the professional placement page on our website.

Please refer to the 'Fees and Financial Requirements' section of the calendar for details on ancillary fees.

The purpose of the independent study is to permit students to extend beyond current course offerings and explore in detail a subject area of their choosing related to the study of physical activity and health. Students work closely with a faculty supervisor with a relevant background. Before pursuing an independent study, students are expected to have taken all the relevant courses offered by the Faculty in that sub-discipline. Students will research their topic of interest primarily through reading and writing a report on their findings. They are also required to attend some classes/workshops throughout the term and to present their reviews and/or findings at the annual Bertha Rosenstadt National Undergraduate Research Conference. Students may elect a total of no more than two half courses under KPE495H1 or external equivalents.

*Notes regarding KPE390Y1, KPE490Y1 and KPE495H1:

1. For permission to enrol a student must: a) Obtain course information and application forms from Registrar’s Office website. Application forms are available in the spring for the following academic year. b) Find a faculty advisor. c) Complete the pre-requisite form (may do so with faculty advisor if desired). d) Complete advisor-student agreement form together with faculty advisor. e) Submit both prerequisite and student-advisor agreement form together to Registrar’s Office for review and approval by course coordinator.

2. Nominal funding may be available to subsidize some costs of KPE390Y1/KPE490Y1/KPE495H1 projects. See the course information package for application guidelines. **Please note that each faculty member can accept only a limited number of students.