Placement (Short)

The purpose of this unit is to develop the knowledge and skills necessary in the application and undertaking of a work-based placement at a subject specific organisation. The unit will facilitate your awareness of the application processes and employability skills required during a postgraduate level work placement. In addition, this unit will promote the development of appropriate verbal and written communications skills with external organisations and/or potential employers. It is assumed that you will secure your own post-graduate level work placement and complete the required hours during the undertaking of this unit.

The unit aims to:

1. Develop your deep and systematic understanding of the job/placement application process, including your ability to critically evaluate job advertisements, presenting yourself in an appropriate manner for a post-graduate level work placement. 
2. Promote the development of appropriate verbal and written communications skills suitable for discussion with  placement organisations and/or potential employers.
3. Allow students to develop skills of reflective practice and critical evaluation.
4. Enhance awareness of the vocational opportunities available to students in their chosen subject discipline and the associated desirable skills.
5. Allow students to work autonomously within a professional placement environment, within both individual and team scenarios.

Managing Sport And Physical Activity

This unit will provide you the opportunity to explore current research and practice around the development and management of sports and physical activity interventions. Using current project and programmes as case studies, the unit will investigate the conceptual frameworks of developing sport and physical activity interventions including the planning, organising, managing and evaluating of a project.

The unit will complement the knowledge developed in Leadership Sport and Physical Activity and build upon the learning from Critical Issues and Contemporary Policy. It will focus on the management of people, projects and resources. With reference to current and relevant case studies and approaches, you will critically consider and evaluate the management processes involved in sport and physical activity.

Behavioural Science And Public Health

This unit introduces you to the discipline of public health and demonstrates the role that behavioural science can play in relation to behaviour change for the promotion of health and prevention of disease and illness.

 Drawing on staff research, this unit will provide you with a critical insight into developing and evaluating the role of theoretically driven and scientifically developed interventions in the remit of facilitating positive health behaviour change.  Moreover, you will acquire a critical appreciation of public health policies, methodologies and epidemiological concepts.

Contemporary Sports Policy

The aim of this unit is to review the approaches to policy development and to explore and analyse the sports policies of governments, or other relevant sports agencies. In doing this, the unit will consider how agencies in various countries lead the process to develop sport and physical activity nationally, regionally and locally and will compare and contrast the rationale behind policy development 

This unit will take a practice-based approach to learning where you will be required to assess contemporary policy and express considered opinions on the feasibility of the policies to achieve their stated aims. Policy contexts will be explored and related to the current programmes that are being delivered in practice. In undertaking analysis, theoretical perspectives on the implementation of policy will be explored and applied. The unit seeks to assist you to develop a critically reflective perspective on the broader social and political factors that impact on the sector. 

Leadership Principles And Practice

This unit is designed to explore key leadership theories and concepts and consider them in the context of sport, physical activity and physical education.

The unit will critically consider issues such as strategic leadership, developing and leading culture and leading change. It will evaluate the issues involved in leading people and organisations and consider the issues that impact on leadership in sport and physical activity.

Taking a practice-based approach to learning, current and relevant industry case studies will be utilised in order to reflect upon leadership in a sport, physical activity and physical education context. Links will be made with the content of other relevant units (such as Critical Issues and Contemporary Sports Policy) in order to draw upon the key issues that impact upon and require effective leadership.

Critical Issues In Sport And Physical Activity

This unit takes a research based approach to examine issues in sport and physical activity engagement in a range of environments including schools, youth sport, and community sport. It provides theoretical perspectives applied to contemporary situations, to underpin your understanding of how and why diverse individuals and groups engage or do not engage in sport. The purpose of this is to enhance critical analysis of policy, initiatives and participant voice, to challenge normative assumptions about sport and physical activity (dis)engagement.

This unit also aims to enhance your skills of using a range of sources of information to inform your thinking, developing logical arguments and writing in an academic style.

Research Methods For Sport, Physical Activity And Education

This unit is intended specifically to inform and prepare individuals for the undertaking of research for assessment and particularly for the Dissertation project. This unit aims to develop knowledge of the methodologies and strategies involved in undertaking sport and education research and support you in being independent researchers.

The unit will explore the different approaches that can be used to collect research data, consider how this data can be analysed and identify the approaches to reporting on research data. It will establish any previous research experiences of students, build upon this experience and support understanding of additional methodologies. Additionally, the unit will critically examine potential issues arising when collecting data and insight ‘out in the field’, thus preparing you for the role of researcher.

This unit will assist you in understanding philosophical approaches underlying the research process and evaluate the principles of quantitative and qualitative research so what you can critically evaluate the methodologies of existing studies and your own proposed project. It will provide an overview of a range of research methods used when undertaking qualitative and research. It will support you to select appropriate tools to undertake research as well as offering the opportunity to critically evaluate the methodology of studies. In undertaking this, you will critically examine potential issues for the researcher in data collection, including ethical considerations.

The knowledge gained within this unit will be demonstrated through the development of a sport and physical activity research project proposal.

Participatory Action Research For The Development Of Sport And Physical Activity

This unit provides students with an opportunity to investigate engagement in physical education, sport or physical activity in an applied manner, by conducting a participatory action research (PAR) project. It combines the conceptual framework of developing sport and physical activity interventions with the applied planning, organising, managing and evaluating of a project.

Throughout the course of the project, you will reflect upon and plan according to relevant issues of pedagogy, policy and context. You will seek and listen to participant voice in order to develop an intervention that aims to have a successful short and medium term outcome. In conducting inquiry, you will learn about creating and maintaining links between research and practice, and you will critically consider, practically experience, and evaluate the process of intervention development.

International Development Of Sport

This unit will consider how sport and physical activity is used as a tool for development and engagement across the globe. Sport organisations operate nationally and internationally whilst sports programmes are often designed for export to developing countries. Likewise, international events are often used as a tool for development.

Utilising current, relevant case studies and examples, this unit will investigate and critically assess the role of sport and physical activity as a development tool. Using a practice-based approach the unit will consider the impact of major events and programmes and consider the role of sport in supporting the wider social development of a country.

The delivery of the unit will draw upon the work the University is undertaking with the Erasmus Plus project where sport is being used as a tool to support wider social development across European Contexts.

Sport And Physical Activity Masters Dissertation

The dissertation unit is designed to provide you with the opportunity to undertake a substantial research project on a topic of interest appropriate for your Master’s course.

The research project enables you to further analyse the issues covered through the course and to develop the theories, models and skills explored during in the taught units. It is by far the largest single piece of work undertaken during your Master’s programme and is seen as the clearest expression your ability to study at Master’s level. It is primarily an independent project supported by the advice of a faculty member.

The unit aims to provide you with the opportunity to develop and demonstrate both conceptual and practical research skills and gives you experience of the research process first-hand

This unit is closely linked to the work you have done in stage 1 of your course. In the Research Methods unit, you began your dissertation preparation. In  semester 2 you started on your ethical approval and literature review with your allocated supervisor so that you are well prepared to submit your first assessment by the beginning of semester 3.