Course description
Youth sport – from talent camps to Olympic preparation - has a high political priority. Increasing participation in sport and physical activity is an urgent imperative in the UK and many other countries for both health and social policy reasons. At the same time, public concern for the welfare of children and young people has grown in the wake of a number of well-publicised examples of sexual and other forms of abuse to young people in sport. Awareness of child protection and safeguarding has never been higher in the UK than it is now, especially since the introduction of the government’s Every Child Matters agenda and the awarding of the 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games to London.
Every young person engaged in sport deserves full protection and high standards of welfare, whether through nutrition, coaching or parental support. This course is intended to explore and assess the risks and protection needs of children and young people in sport and to engage students in wider debates about risk, safety and surveillance in late modern society. In addition to providing information about child welfare theory, policy and practice as applied to sport, the course also prepares students to commission and to undertake rigorous research, monitoring and evidence-based evaluation of welfare-base provision in sport.
Term 1
Researching Children, Childhood and Youth 2 (First half - 15cr)
- shared with proposed MSc in Children, Youth and International Development
Sport Organisation, Politics and the Law (15cr) - including new Youth Sport inputs
EITHER:
International Development, Children and Youth 2 (30cr)
- shared with proposed MSc in Children, Youth and International Development]
OR:
30 credits of options 3
Term 2
Researching Children, Childhood and Youth 2 (Second half - 15cr) - shared with proposed MSc in Children, Youth and International Development
EITHER:
Independent Study 1 (15cr) - tailored to youth sport
OR:
Global Agendas on Young People, Rights and Participation (15 cr)
Safeguarding Children and Young People in Sport NEW (30cr)
Term 3
Dissertation 2 (60cr)
- shared with proposed MSc in Children, Youth and International Development
Special Features
The staff tutors are some of the world’s leading sport academics, renowned for the quality and policy relevance of their research. They include:
* Professor Celia Brackenridge (Course Director) - the pioneer of academic study of welfare and protection in sport: author of Spoilsports: Understanding and Preventing Sexual Exploitation in Sport (2001, Routledge) and Child Welfare in Football: An Exploration of Children’s Welfare in the Modern Game (2007, Routledge)
* Dr Gary Armstrong – leading sport sociologist and specialist in sport, globalisation and international politics; author of Six trophies and a Funeral: Authenticity, Identity and the Citizens of Maltese Football (2006) and Sheffield United FC: The Biography (2006)
* Dr Vassil Girginov – specialist in management and organisational culture in sport; author of Sport: Social and Political Analyses (2006) and Cross-Cultural Competence of Sport Managers, European Sport Management Quarterly (2006)
* Dr Laura Hills – sport and leisure sociologist specialising in youth, gender and physical activity; author of Playing the field(s): an exploration of change, conformity and conflict in girls’ understandings of gendered physicality in physical education’ in Gender and Education (2006) and ‘Friendship, physicality, and physical education: An exploration of the social and embodied dynamics of girls’ physical education experiences’ in Sport, Education and Society (2007).
In addition, guest lectures will be given by staff from major policy organisations, including: UNICEF, the Child Protection in Sport Unit (NSPCC/Sport England)
Assessment
Assessment is an integral part of the learning process. Students will encounter a range of assessment methods including: essays, reflexive diaries, examination papers, case studies, forms of oral assessment such as seminar presentations, and individually-researched projects.
Teaching Methods
The course has a strong emphasis on student-centred learning. This is evident through its teaching and learning methods, which require the active participation of all members of the group and place importance on independent investigation. Each module includes contact hours and independent learning, which involves individual study using library resources, data collection and other relevant activities connected with the module.
Careers
Graduates from this course will return to full time employment, continue their voluntary roles, or use the award to progress their careers in the sport and leisure industry in the UK or overseas. Typical job roles might include: sport governing body child protection/welfare officer; local authority sports development officer; or, public sector professional with a welfare remit in a sport, leisure, education or youth sport agency.
