Sport Performance
Course Descriptions
BUSI 3743 – Content Creation – 3 credit hours
COMM 4713 – Leadership – 3 credit hours
Study of communication relative to values, leadership, and power in organizational contexts such as business, professional, social, educational, and political groups. Recommended: COMM 1003.
ENGL 3743 – The Story of Sport – 3 credit hours
PHED 1201 – First Aid – 1 credit hours
PHED 2133 – Motor Learning & Development – 3 credit hours
Teaches various stages of motor learning as it applies to the physical education student. The development of children in grades P-12, including digital media and technology, will be discussed with issues that this brings for their physical movement abilities. Prerequisite: EDUC 2123. Course rotation: Fall of odd years.
PHED 2553 – Fitness, Wellness & Conditioning – 3 credit hours
The course provides a comprehensive understanding of theory and practical application of critical areas for lifelong physical fitness, wellness, and physical conditioning (cardio, respiratory endurance, muscular strength and endurance, flexibility, body composition). Nutrition, weight management, cardiovascular disease, and injury prevention will be included using digital media and technology. Interactive learning and laboratory experiences for individual wellness assessment, practice of exercise systems including dance and recreational activities, and improvement of body function will allow students to assess critically lifetime activities as components of a wellness program. Course rotation: Fall and spring of odd years.
PHED 3013 – Exercise Physiology – 3 credit hours
Students will use technology to study physiological changes which occur during and after physical activity. The physiological changes include circulatory, respiratory, endocrine, and nervous systematic adjustments. Students are recommended to have successfully completed the biology general education requirement before taking this course. Course rotation: Fall of even years.
PHED 3023 – Kinesiology – 3 credit hours
Students will use technology to study the human musculature and the body’s structural relationship to exercise and skilled motor performance. Course rotation: Fall.
PHED 3402 – Fundamentals of Coaching – 2 credit hours
Methods of teaching sport skills, and sport management skills. The purpose will be to promote athletes’ growth, development, and learning, while teaching age-appropriate skills. Includes analysis of National Coaching Standards and an examination and analysis of the philosophy and ethics of coaching. Students will examine how values are communicated, and how to facilitate positive social and emotional growth. Students will utilize technology to write personal statements on their philosophy of coaching and will work through ethical dilemmas in sport. Prerequisite: EDUC 2123. Course rotation: Spring of even years.
PHIL 3003 – Ethics – 3 credit hours
PSYC 3403 – Social Psychology – 3 credit hours
A study of human behavior in terms of personality and situational variables. Major topics covered include attitude formation and change, aggression, attraction, social cognition, prejudice, and group processes. Prerequisite: PSYC 1003 and sophomore standing or above. Course rotation: Fall and spring.
RTSM 2103 – Leadership & Diversity in RTSM – 3 credit hours
Students will examine and practice leadership techniques and group dynamics in RTSM programming. Application of these techniques and concepts will be examined specific to minority status, gender, youth-at-risk, senior citizens, and people with disabilities. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C in RTSM 2013.
RTSM 2603 – Principles of Sport Management – 3 credit hours
Development of a conceptual understanding of sport management, career opportunities in sport management, and the necessary competencies for the different career fields. Prerequisite:Minimum grade of C in RTSM 2013.
RTSM 3633 – Coaching Ethics & Strategies – 3 hours
Focuses on competitive coaching with an emphasis on various NCAA and NAIA policies as well as on the strengths, weaknesses, and ethical considerations of various coaching styles. Prerequisite: RTSM 2603 or instructor’s permission.
RTSM 4703 – Sport Law – 3 credit hours
An overview of legal issues that impact sports. An examination of various aspects of the legal system and how it relates to the management and supervision of sport and recreation programs. Topics include but are not limited to risk management, negligence, contract law, civil law, Title IX, the ADA, waivers, and more. Prerequisite: Minimum grade of C in RTSM 2603 or instructor’s permission.
SPER 1003 – The Social History of Sport – 3 credit hours
This 3-credit course introduces students to the Sport Performance major by exploring the historical and sociological development of sport from ancient civilizations to the present and encourages reflection on the intersection of their lived sport experiences. Students will examine how sport functions as a cultural institution that reflects and influences values, politics, economics, and social change across time. As the introductory course for the major,it provides a foundation for understanding sport as both a site of learning and performance, while orienting students to the program’s broader goals: fostering critical thinking and ethical decision-making, promoting integrative learning, developing intercultural competence, and enhancing teamwork and collaboration. As a 1000-level course, theassessment measures will include discussion, reflection, and applied projects, students will begin connecting their lived experiences in sport with the academic study of its history and meaning.
SPER 2103 – Integrating Sport and Scholarship – 3 credit hours
This 3-credit course requires student-athletes to engage in 90 hours of practicum-stylesupervised athletic practice, rehabilitation, and competition during the term. Instruction is delivered through a combination of weekly class meetings, structured reflective assignments, and directed integration of athletic participation with academic theory. Faculty oversight ensures that athletic experiences are tied directly to learning outcomes related to student-athlete identity, embodied learning, and integrative reflection. The contact hours are equivalent to the institutional definition of a credit hour (750 minutes of direct instruction and 90 hours of structured student learning activity per 3-credit course), with athletic practice and competition serving as a supervised laboratory for academic application. The course is designated at the 2000-level, aligning with definitions for courses that emphasize analysis of identity formation, foundational theories of learning, and reflective practice.
SPER 3103 – Ethics in Action – 3 credit hours
This 3-credit course requires student-athletes to complete 90 hours of practicum-style structured practice, rehabilitation, and competition, integrated with weekly class sessions, ethical case studies, reflective writing, and applied projects. Under faculty supervision, athletic participation becomes the site of applied ethical reasoning, decision-making, and critical reflection, satisfying federal and SACSCOC definitions of instructional equivalency.The structured time commitment aligns with the expectation of 750 direct contact minutes plus 90 additional supervised student learning hours per semester. As a 3000-level course, it emphasizes application of ethical frameworks, analysis of dilemmas in real-time contexts, and intermediate-level reflection, consistent with institutional definitions of upper-level credit.
SPER 3203 – Culture in Competition – 3 credit hours
This 3-credit course requires 90 hours of practicum-style structured athletic engagement, integrating practice and competition with weekly instruction on cultural competence, communication styles, and team cohesion across diverse settings. Faculty provide direct supervision through class discussions, case studies, and applied reflection, ensuring athletic participation is explicitly tied to academic learning outcomes. The total faculty instructionaltime will be 750 minutes. As a 3000-level course, it emphasizes advanced analysis, peer feedback, and adaptation strategies across intercultural settings, in keeping withinstitutional definitions for upper-division coursework requiring synthesis and application.
SPER 3303 – Collaboration in Motion – 3 credit hours
This 3-credit course requires student-athletes to engage in 90 hours of practicum-stylestructured practice, rehabilitation, and competition, coupled with weekly classroominstruction and applied teamwork projects. Faculty-led activities integrate theory on role clarity, communication, cohesion, and conflict resolution with lived sport participation. This integration of 90 hours of supervised athletic practice with 750 minutes of academic instruction satisfies SACSCOC definitions of contact hour and instructional equivalency. The course is offeredat the 3000-level, requiring students to synthesize teamwork theories, apply leadership and adaptability skills, and produce a collaboration project, consistent with institutional definitions for advanced-level credit.
SPER 4903 – Senior Seminar – 3 credit hours
The Senior Seminar in Sport Performance is appropriately designated as a 4000-level course because it requires students to demonstrate advanced synthesis, integration, and application of knowledge acquired across the curriculum. Unlike lower-level courses that introduce and develop discrete skills, this seminar requires mastery-levelreflection and the articulation of a comprehensive professional identity. Students must curate and analyzeartifacts from prior coursework, critically evaluate their own development relative to program-level outcomes, and present a professional trajectory through a capstone portfolio, presentation, and exit interview. These expectations align with institutional definitions of 4000-level coursework as capstone experiences requiring independent judgment, critical synthesis, and professional-level communication. In accordance with SACSCOC’s definition of a credit hour, the Senior Seminar carries 3 credit hours, which equates to approximately 2250 minutes of direct faculty instruction per week for a 15-week semester, or 2250 minutes of structured seminar contact. In this course, direct instructional time will be met through weekly seminar meetings and faculty-guided activities (portfolio workshops, professional presentations, exit interviews).
WS 1003 – Introduction to Women’s & Gender Studies – 3 credit hours
An introduction to the subject matter and methods of the discipline of women’s and gender studies, especially the practice of placing women’s experiences at the center of feminist critical inquiry. Introduces the idea of gender as a cultural phenomenon involving difference as well as power and privilege and explores issues at the center of women’s experiences, including work, education, sexuality, family, and violence. Particular attention is paid to the multiplicity of women’s identities and the interconnectedness of gender, race, ethnicity, religion, class, and sexuality. Course rotation: Fall.