Meaning, Ethics, and Movement

Catalog description

The course focuses on the development of philosophic reasoning skills to better understand the values and ethics of physical activity in a variety of professional settings. Emphasis is placed on the practicality of good philosophy, on applying philosophic insights to the health and physical activity workplace. The course shows how philosophic commitments are unavoidable and thus, why it is better to formally consider these commitments and evaluate their worth than adopt professional standards and behaviors without critical reflection. Specific course content emphasizes a number of learning outcomes. The first objectives are related to clarifying the nature of the philosophy of physical activity and relationships between the philosophy and science of human movement. The field of philosophy is described including the areas of metaphysics, epistemology, axiology, ethics and aesthetics. A variety of philosophic methodologies are identified and practiced including inductive, deductive and descriptive reasoning. Emphasis is placed on the varying degrees of confidence placed on the trustworthiness of philosophic methods and the validity of its conclusions. Students take a "philosophic readiness inventory" to determine their own philosophic tendencies and interests. Once the philosophy of physical activity is better understood, its methods and products are compared to the methods and outcomes of science. The course emphasizes a potential complementary relationship between the two where neither one is sufficient. A major portion of the class is devoted to three rival interpretations of personhood that have significant implications for professional practice. Students review the strengths and weaknesses of dualism, materialism, and holism and see their impact on biomedical ethics, motivational strategies, professional-client relationships, and other facets of health and physical activity professions. The undergirding logic here is that practitioners must first understand what a person is before they can best determine how to intervene or otherwise provide services to them. Attention is also directed to the subject matter of Kinesiology-namely, skilled movement in general and physical abilities in work, exercise, sport, dance, games, and play more specifically. The nature and values of these different ways of moving are analyzed in terms of their ability to serve as "tools" (means to other ends) and "jewels" (ends in themselves). Issues of motivation, efficacy, safety, and other factors are analyzed in an attempt to determine whether a play-and-enjoyment or a work-and-duty philosophy should be emphasized in various professional settings. Quantity and quality of life are juxtaposed to show their interdependence and the variable roles they play in affecting allied medical, coaching, teaching, fitness, recreation, and other movement-related professions. Finally, the course addresses common ethical problems faced by athletes, as well as physical activity and health professionals.