Course Description and Justification    

This course is designed to understand psychological perspectives of human performance and discuss application of research findings in the areas of sport and exercise psychology. An awareness of the literature focused on the psychological dimension is critical to our understanding of human behavior and motivation in sport and physical activity settings. This course will serve as the major foundation course for students interested in the field of sport and exercise psychology.  Further, the course content will be relevant to teaching and coaching majors as well as exercise/fitness, physical therapy, recreation and health promotion students interested in designing and implementing exercise-related/recreational physical activity and rehabilitation programs.

 Course Objectives

The course objective is to acquire knowledge and understanding of motivational approaches to human performance and develop the ability to critique and integrate this literature in terms of her/his future research and/or applied interests. Upon the completion of this course the student should be able to (orally and/or in writing):

1.       Demonstrate an understanding of the major theoretical perspectives in human performance and motivation

2.       Discuss the influence of factors affecting motivation

3.       Apply principles and ideas of psychological aspects and motivation in human performance to the physical activity field (e.g., sport, exercise, PE, physical therapy, and athletic training)

Prerequisites

One course in psychology (200-level or above) or KIN331 or KIN 504, and/or consent of instructor

For more details of the course and course materials go to iLearn at https://ilearn.sfsu.edu/login/index.php