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

The Global Scholars Certificate is designed for students who have interest in studying courses with a major focus on international, global and/or Indigenous content.  Students will gain a global perspective and learn about the increasingly important role of kinesiology and physical education in health, physical activity and their intersections in a global context. 

REQUIREMENTS:
Students currently registered in KPE must successfully complete 2.0 FCE from the following Global Pathway list of courses as part of their BKin degree requirements:  KPE300H1, KPE302H1, KPE304H1, KPE305H1, KPE307H1, KPE310H1, KPE311H1, KPE321H1, KPE335H1, KPE355Y1*, KPE399H1*, KPE401H1, KPE403H1, KPE404H1, KPE405H1, KPE406H1, KPE408H1, KPE409H1, KPE455Y1*, KPE495H1* and study abroad courses for credit.  Course names are listed below. 

Note: Courses with an asterisk(*) have varying topics and will only count towards the certificate if the focus of study/placement is on an international, global or Indigenous topic.

All eligible certificate holders will be considered University of Toronto Global Scholars.

IMPORTANT ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

  1. Individual courses may only count towards one identified BKin certificate in addition to counting towards the BKin degree.
  2. Students are limited to a maximum of 3 BKin certificates with their degree. 

Please refer to this website for further information.


Global Kinesiology and Physical Education Pathway List of Courses

KPE300H1 - Physical Culture and Social Inequality

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.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE302H1 - Media Health and Exercise Sciences

This course draws upon critical media studies, health communication studies, political economy, and semiotic fields to examine the ways in which meanings about science, physical activity and health are produced, distributed and consumed. The symbolic and material effects of this circuit of cultural media production on bodies and populations will be scrutinized. Modules of study will address the social marketing of health in kinesiology and allied health fields, risk communication, health literacy, journalistic craft, media ethics, the commodification of physical culture, and interprofessional issues in affecting the exercise sciences.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE100H1, KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE304H1 - Violence Suffering & Physical Culture

This course exposes students to a range of sociological, philosophical social psychological and human rights oriented theories of violence, abuse and suffering in/as physical culture. In the course, we examine not only those forms of physically, emotionally and psychologically damaging instances of interpersonal aggression commonly found in and around physical cultures, but also forms of violence and abuse implicitly connected to the production, performance and maintenance of specific physical cultures. Over the course of the semester we deconstruct manifestations of physical cultural violence in a variety of settings in Canada and elsewhere, discuss embodied experiences with violence, and abuse, examine the ubiquity and ethics of suffering in human physical cultures, question the health-related outcomes of violence in physical cultures, and inspect the ideological and institutional systems supporting the performance of violence in physical cultures.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE100H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE305H1 - Geographies of Social and Environmental Justice in Health and Physical Culture

The course will examine the importance of space, place and the environment 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 matter' physical culture, kinesiology, and health. We will examine how experiences and representations of space and place are mediated by systemic oppressions and differences in power relations. To do this, we will explore how social injustice, settler-colonial relations, environmental racism, consumption and the Anthropocence's impact physical culture, sport, and health. We will interrogate how our practices in sport, physical culture and kinesiology 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 historical, political, local and global disparities in the governance of space, place and Land. We will consider the possibilities for enacting democratic, caring, and responsible ethical relations to enact preferred futures where ecocentric, equity-based, and sustainable geographies and environment flourish.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE307H1 - Olympic and Paralympic Studies

This course examines the aspirations, achievements, problems and prospects of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements and their implications for physical activity and health. The modern Olympic Movement, initiated by Pierre de Coubertin, has outlasted all rivals -- notably the Women’s Olympics, Workers’ Olympiads and the Games of the Emerging Forces -- and won the allegiance of virtually the entire world. It now enjoys enormous influence over the development of sports and other forms of physical activity and now incorporates the Paralympic Games.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE310H1 - Sport and Climate Change

This course provides an in-depth review of the multidirectional relationship between sports and the natural environment, including the shifting seasonality of the sports calendar, the impacts of climate change on sport organizations and participants, and sustainable practices in the sports industry. Students will gain practical skills in sport ecology through climate risk assessments, examinations of the ecological footprint of sports events, facilities, and activities, and critical discussions of environmental issues in sport. Through case studies, practical examples, and hands-on projects, students will develop a comprehensive understanding of sport ecology and the role of sports professionals in promoting environmental sustainability.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE311H1 - Sport Media and Culture

This course explores the relationships between health, physical activity, sport, the mass media, and popular culture in North America. We will examine the ways in which meanings about science, physical activity and health are produced, distributed and consumed within allied health fields and the wider population. The first half of the course will be devoted to media, health, and physical activity, while the second half will cover media and (mostly elite) sport. Throughout, we will look at all sorts of media - newspapers, websites, books, advertisements, TV and film, social media and new technologies.
Course topics will address a variety of approaches to health literacy and media studies, the social marketing of health, risk communication in kinesiology, media advocacy, new social media, health technology, media framing, the commodification of physical culture, and media ethics. During this course, you will also be asked to consider how the relationship between sport and the mass media reflects the broader culture of a society, as well as the ways that professional sport media interacts with and supports the professional sport industry, (re)produces inequality and harm, and contributes to important discourse around sport, health, and society more broadly.

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE321H1 - Population Health

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.

Prerequisite: Prerequisite: KPE200H1, (KPE290H1/KPE391H1) or KPE291H1 Corequisite: the other of (KPE290H1/KPE391H1)
Course Category: Behavioural (B)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE335H1 - Global Sports Law

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.

Recommended Preparation: KPE200H1, KPE220H1, KPE264H1
Course Category: Behavioural (B)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE355Y1 - Interpersonal Theory in Kinesiology and Physical Education

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.

Prerequisite: You must have followed the appropriate pre-course procedures in the year preceding course enrolment, be entering 3rd year (or higher), and obtain instructor approval.
Exclusion: KPE350Y1
Course Category: Behavioural (B)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE399H1 - Research Inquiry Applications

This undergraduate course offers hands-on opportunities for students to develop transferable research skills and competencies related to the field of Kinesiology and Physical Education. As part of our research inquiry series, this course builds on aspects of foundational knowledge pertaining to research inquiry and methodological approaches, incorporating ethical considerations, data management, and both professional and collaborative research skills. Students will actively engage in research practices for 50 hours under the supervision of a faculty member, gaining practical experience and insights. Students will meet regularly for lectures/tutorials with assessments including some combination of assignments, presentations and examinations, designed to integrate theoretical with practical research skills development.

Prerequisite: Second year standing
Course Category: Behavioural (B)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE401H1 - International Development through Sport

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.

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE403H1 - Gender/s and Sexualities in Sports and Physical Culture

This course will examine historical and contemporary conceptions of gender/s and sexualities in sport and physical culture, paying attention to how gender normativities enable and constrain people’s sense of belonging in sports spaces. Discourses, representations and practices of masculinity, femininity, hetero- and homo- normativity, homophobia and transphobia are interrogated using feminist, post-colonial, anti-oppression and intersectional lenses (e.g., how gender and sexuality intersect with race, colonialism, class, and disability). Drawing from key theories, critical readings, film/documentaries, policy and contemporary political rulings , we consider the ways in which gender/s and sexualities are governed in sports and physical culture, and how differential power relations continue to shape people’s understanding of, and attitudes towards, gender-non-conforming bodies, limiting what is possible, specifically for 2SLGBTQI+ peoples in sport. We will discuss how social justice, caring and ethical relations are required in sports and physical culture to create spaces where a multiplicity of bodies, gender and sexuality identifications are protected, allowed to feel safe, and flourish.

Prerequisite: KPE100H1, KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE404H1 - Illness, Disease, and Physical Culture

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.

NOT OFFERED in 2026-27

Prerequisite: KPE200H1, KPE290H1/KPE391H1, KPE291H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE405H1 - Race, Indigeneity and Physical Culture

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.

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE406H1 - Sport in Popular Culture

The place of sport within popular culture has become increasingly prevalent in contemporary society, effected by the rise of the celebrity athlete, the political positioning of sporting organizations and the persistent nature of sport media and news. Popular culture maintains incredible influence in contemporary
society, impacting what we wear, watch, consume and participate in. It is intimately and personally connected to people’s opinions and understandings, working to influence stereotypes, attitudes, practices and beliefs. Fundamentally, popular culture has mass accessibility and appeal. This course is designed to critically examine the contemporary interrelationship between sport, popular culture and politics, paying close attention to the role of the media and structures of power, in creating these conversations. Although this course will draw on your familiarity with sport and popular culture, we will approach these subjects from a scholarly perspective. Drawing on theoretical positions in critical cultural studies and political studies, we will examine the role of sport in shaping and reinforcing cultural norms, values and stories. With the rise of various contemporary social and political issues playing out through sports in the sphere of popular culture, we will discuss and engage with a number of different subjects, so we can better understand how sport, and popular culture, have shaped our social and political lives.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE408H1 - Sport and the "War on Terror"

This course explores the evolution of sport and physical culture in the post-9/11 era. Drawing largely from post-colonial, critical race, and feminist theories, we will examine how contemporary renditions of sport have emerged alongside and been shaped by the continuing global war on terrorism. Topics covered in the course include, but are not limited to, the burgeoning area of sport-for-deradicalization; the relationship between sport, the increasingly paranoid security state and the surveillance industrial complex; and the mainstreaming of drone usage in the West. We will interrogate how these issues are buttressed by past and present colonial processes that disproportionately impact populations of colour both domestically and abroad.

NOT OFFERED IN 2026-27

Prerequisite: 3rd/4th year standing
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE409H1 - Sport, Physical Activity and Human Rights

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. We also explore ways in which recognition of those rights could be strengthened, and remedy may be found when those rights are violated.

Prerequisite: KPE200H1
Course Category: Physical Cultural (A)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE455Y1 - Kinesiology and Physical Education in Society

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.

Prerequisite: KPE350Y1/KPE355Y1; As well, you must have followed the appropriate pre-course procedures in the year preceding course enrolment, be entering 3rd year (or higher), and obtain instructor approval.
Exclusion: KPE450Y1
Course Category: Behavioural (B)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

KPE495H1 - Independent Study

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.

Prerequisite: Fourth-year standing and a minimum B average in the area of interest.
Course Category: Behavioural (B)
Mode of Delivery: In Person

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