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Thanks to all who responded to the request for department title
information. Lots of good responses. Here is a summary of what I have
received so far. If I get any more, I will post them also.
John
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John,
Here at UNH we used to be the Dept. of Physical Education. Some time
ago,
before I got here, they changed to Dept. of Kinesiology. I personally
prefer this title over Phys Ed. However, one consideration is that few
people know what Kinesiology actaully MEANS. For this reaseon perhaps
Exercise Science, Movement Sciences, etc. would be better understood by
the
HS students and parents looking at your programs.
Hope this helps
Erik
************************************************** **************************
Erik E. Swartz, Ph.D., A.T.,C.
Department of Kinesiology
New Hampshire Hall
124 Main St.
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: (603)862-0018
Fax: (603) 862-0154
email: eswartz@cisunix.unh.edu
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John
A couple of years ago, we changed our name from "Kinesiology and Sport
Studies" to simply "Kinesiology". Our rationale was that our title was
redundant because the current use of the word kinesiology implies a
broad
inclusive field of human movement. Our programs include the same
concentrations as yours with an additional one in exercise science.
Hope
this helps.
Darla Smith
Darla R. Smith, Ph.D.
Kinesiology Graduate Coordinator
University of Texas at El Paso
1101 N. Campbell
El Paso, TX 79902
915-747-7208 phone
915-747-8211 fax
John;
I refer you to:
Brassie, PS & Razor, JE (1989) HPER unit names in higher
education - A view toward the future. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance, 60(7), 33-40 where they present 114
program titles, and
Newell, KM (1990) Physical Education: Chaos out of order. Quest
42(3), 227-242, where he presents 70 titles
Peter
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John
We are considering a name change from Sports Medicine to Kinesiology
and
Exercise Science at Pepperdine. One reason for the change was that we
felt
the new name better describes the content of both the Department and
the
major. A second reason was that the faculty felt that there was
academic
support for the new name in the relevant literature. Lastly, the
descriptor
terms Kinesiology, Exercise and Science are used frequently by many
departments in the USA. To substantiate this last claim, I entered
all
descriptors terms from the names of all departments listed in the ACSM
undergraduate (2001) and graduate (2000) directories into an Excel
spreadsheet. Data were entered for 208 colleges and universities, 58
graduate/undergraduate programs, 99 graduate only programs, and 54
undergraduate only programs. Frequency counts were obtained for each
descriptor term. The cumulative counts for each descriptor term were
expressed as a percentage of both the total number of terms that
appeared in
all department names (601) and as a percentage of the number of
university
names.
Results
A total of 42 different descriptor terms occurred in the department
names.
The ten most frequently occurring descriptors are shown below:
Name Count Frequency Terms Frequency Univ.
Health 82 13.6% 39.4%
Science 72 12.0% 34.6%
Education 68 11.3% 32.7%
Physical 68 11.3% 32.7%
Exercise 59 9.8% 28.4%
Kinesiology 45 7.5% 21.6%
Sports 37 6.2% 17.8%
Recreation 28 4.7% 13.5%
Human 27 4.5% 13.0%
Performance 22 3.7% 10.6%
All other terms occurred in less than 7% of all university names. The
average department name used 2.89 descriptive terms and over 1/3 of
all
programs feel the need to explicitly declare that they are science
programs.
Discussion
1. Physical and Education appear with the same frequency in the
listing
because they are always paired.
2. Health occurs most frequently and is usually in combination with
one of
the following: (1) Health & Human Performance or (2) Health, Physical
Education ...
3. Exercise and Science almost always occurred together, but Exercise
and
Sports Science occurred as frequently as just Exercise Science.
Summary
Based upon all of these data and the reasons outlined previously, we
compromised on Kinesiology and Exercise Science. While some faculty
strongly advocated simply Kinesiology for the department name, some
felt
that kinesiology is not a term that is readily understood by the public
and
prospective students. Therefore, we reached the compromise solution.
I hope that this information helps.
Michael
________________________
Michael E. Feltner, Ph.D, FACSM
Dept. of Sports Medicine
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA 90263 USA
EMAIL: michael.feltner@pepperdine.edu
WEB: http://faculty.pepperdine.edu/mfeltner/
VOICE: (310) 506-4312
FAX: (310) 506-4785
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
John:
We just changed our name from
School of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE)
to
School of Sport and Exercise Science (SES)
The faculty felt that KPE was not a good name for the "guy on the
street." We always had to follow up the name with an explanation.
Intellectuals know kinesiology, and it is a good term, but the general
population does not. We also have several majors: exercise science,
athletic training, and PE K-12. We have a graduate-only sport
administration program too. Surprisingly, all faculty were for the
change.
Good luck,
Gary Heise
University of Northern Colorado
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear John,
I went to graduate school in Kinesiology departments (different
universities for MS and doctorate). That is my bias for a department
name,
but I back it with this rationale:
Kinesiology "is" movement science. Another concise definition
of
Kinesiology would be: The study/science of body movement. The term
Kinesiology can include:
Human and animal movement (plant movement functions too?)
Movement in sport, exercise, daily life, disease/injury conditions...
(and
static postures)
* Biomechanics
* Physiology
* Motor control and learning
* Psycho-social aspects of movement
* Clinical and rehab aspects of movement (Medicine, as in "Sports
Medicine" and "Physical Medicine")
Maybe others can include a couple more areas. The term "Kinesiology"
is
more inclusive than the long department titles IN A SINGLE WORD!
Physical Education is certainly related to Kinesiology, and it
would seem to fit well in a Kinesiology Department. Fitness/Sport
Management is more of a stretch, and I do not have a justification off
the
top of my head. We have a Recreation and Sport Management area within
our
department, and that might prevent adoption of the "Kinesiology" title.
We
are saddled with the department title, "Health, Leisure, and Exercise
Science". This forces the obvious acronym, and I do not feel the long
title provides better description for the public than "Kinesiology".
In my opinion, a close second to "Kinesiology" would be "Human
Movement Studies", but it seems unnecessary to narrow the focus while
lengthening the title. I will be interested to hear what department
title
is adopted.
Sincereley,
Deric Wisleder
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John,
At Arizona State University the name was just changed to "Kinesiology".
You
may want to contact Dr. Richard Hinrichs and enquire as to the
rationale.
Bryan St. Laurent
Arizona State University
Biomechanics
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx
John
There is a great article written by Karl Newell in Quest (early 90's)
that
you should use as the basis of your thinking. Kinesiology is what we
are
about but Human Movement is by far the most generic term and I think
would
suit what you do.
Regards
Warwick
Associate Professor Warwick Spinks
Director, Institute of Sport and Exercise Science
James Cook University
Townsville, Queensland, Australia 4812
Phone: + 61 7 4781 6610
Mobile: 0419 787 895
Fax: + 61 7 4781 6688
E-mail: Warwick.Spinks@jcu.edu.au
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear John:
Our physical education concentration in our grad program was called
sport pedagogy until recently being switched back to Physical
Education.
(All of the grad concentrations -- Physical Education, Exercise
Physiology,
Sport Psychology -- are in the Dept. of Exercise & Sport Sciences.)
I think the idea that PhysEduc had a negative connotation, coupled
with
a lot of non-teaching options (e.g., exercise science), caused many to
switch away from the Physical Education name. However, Physical
Education is easily identifiable and has a long history and I would
urge you to keep it, at least in part, in the name. BTW, a number of
articles written in the 80's and early 90's in physical education
journals dealt with this topic. Check out issues of JOPHER and Quest.
If stuck, go with the concise "Kinesiology" and be done with it!
Good luck,
Jeff
--
Jeffrey C. Ives, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. Exercise & Sport Sciences Email: jives@ithaca.edu
Ithaca College Phone: 607-274-1751
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA Fax:
607-274-7055
John Lowry M.S., A.T.C.
Human Performance Laboratory
Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
(989)964-7319
jlowry@svsu.edu
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information. Lots of good responses. Here is a summary of what I have
received so far. If I get any more, I will post them also.
John
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John,
Here at UNH we used to be the Dept. of Physical Education. Some time
ago,
before I got here, they changed to Dept. of Kinesiology. I personally
prefer this title over Phys Ed. However, one consideration is that few
people know what Kinesiology actaully MEANS. For this reaseon perhaps
Exercise Science, Movement Sciences, etc. would be better understood by
the
HS students and parents looking at your programs.
Hope this helps
Erik
************************************************** **************************
Erik E. Swartz, Ph.D., A.T.,C.
Department of Kinesiology
New Hampshire Hall
124 Main St.
University of New Hampshire
Durham, NH 03824
Phone: (603)862-0018
Fax: (603) 862-0154
email: eswartz@cisunix.unh.edu
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John
A couple of years ago, we changed our name from "Kinesiology and Sport
Studies" to simply "Kinesiology". Our rationale was that our title was
redundant because the current use of the word kinesiology implies a
broad
inclusive field of human movement. Our programs include the same
concentrations as yours with an additional one in exercise science.
Hope
this helps.
Darla Smith
Darla R. Smith, Ph.D.
Kinesiology Graduate Coordinator
University of Texas at El Paso
1101 N. Campbell
El Paso, TX 79902
915-747-7208 phone
915-747-8211 fax
John;
I refer you to:
Brassie, PS & Razor, JE (1989) HPER unit names in higher
education - A view toward the future. Journal of Physical Education,
Recreation and Dance, 60(7), 33-40 where they present 114
program titles, and
Newell, KM (1990) Physical Education: Chaos out of order. Quest
42(3), 227-242, where he presents 70 titles
Peter
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John
We are considering a name change from Sports Medicine to Kinesiology
and
Exercise Science at Pepperdine. One reason for the change was that we
felt
the new name better describes the content of both the Department and
the
major. A second reason was that the faculty felt that there was
academic
support for the new name in the relevant literature. Lastly, the
descriptor
terms Kinesiology, Exercise and Science are used frequently by many
departments in the USA. To substantiate this last claim, I entered
all
descriptors terms from the names of all departments listed in the ACSM
undergraduate (2001) and graduate (2000) directories into an Excel
spreadsheet. Data were entered for 208 colleges and universities, 58
graduate/undergraduate programs, 99 graduate only programs, and 54
undergraduate only programs. Frequency counts were obtained for each
descriptor term. The cumulative counts for each descriptor term were
expressed as a percentage of both the total number of terms that
appeared in
all department names (601) and as a percentage of the number of
university
names.
Results
A total of 42 different descriptor terms occurred in the department
names.
The ten most frequently occurring descriptors are shown below:
Name Count Frequency Terms Frequency Univ.
Health 82 13.6% 39.4%
Science 72 12.0% 34.6%
Education 68 11.3% 32.7%
Physical 68 11.3% 32.7%
Exercise 59 9.8% 28.4%
Kinesiology 45 7.5% 21.6%
Sports 37 6.2% 17.8%
Recreation 28 4.7% 13.5%
Human 27 4.5% 13.0%
Performance 22 3.7% 10.6%
All other terms occurred in less than 7% of all university names. The
average department name used 2.89 descriptive terms and over 1/3 of
all
programs feel the need to explicitly declare that they are science
programs.
Discussion
1. Physical and Education appear with the same frequency in the
listing
because they are always paired.
2. Health occurs most frequently and is usually in combination with
one of
the following: (1) Health & Human Performance or (2) Health, Physical
Education ...
3. Exercise and Science almost always occurred together, but Exercise
and
Sports Science occurred as frequently as just Exercise Science.
Summary
Based upon all of these data and the reasons outlined previously, we
compromised on Kinesiology and Exercise Science. While some faculty
strongly advocated simply Kinesiology for the department name, some
felt
that kinesiology is not a term that is readily understood by the public
and
prospective students. Therefore, we reached the compromise solution.
I hope that this information helps.
Michael
________________________
Michael E. Feltner, Ph.D, FACSM
Dept. of Sports Medicine
Pepperdine University
Malibu, CA 90263 USA
EMAIL: michael.feltner@pepperdine.edu
WEB: http://faculty.pepperdine.edu/mfeltner/
VOICE: (310) 506-4312
FAX: (310) 506-4785
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxx
John:
We just changed our name from
School of Kinesiology and Physical Education (KPE)
to
School of Sport and Exercise Science (SES)
The faculty felt that KPE was not a good name for the "guy on the
street." We always had to follow up the name with an explanation.
Intellectuals know kinesiology, and it is a good term, but the general
population does not. We also have several majors: exercise science,
athletic training, and PE K-12. We have a graduate-only sport
administration program too. Surprisingly, all faculty were for the
change.
Good luck,
Gary Heise
University of Northern Colorado
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear John,
I went to graduate school in Kinesiology departments (different
universities for MS and doctorate). That is my bias for a department
name,
but I back it with this rationale:
Kinesiology "is" movement science. Another concise definition
of
Kinesiology would be: The study/science of body movement. The term
Kinesiology can include:
Human and animal movement (plant movement functions too?)
Movement in sport, exercise, daily life, disease/injury conditions...
(and
static postures)
* Biomechanics
* Physiology
* Motor control and learning
* Psycho-social aspects of movement
* Clinical and rehab aspects of movement (Medicine, as in "Sports
Medicine" and "Physical Medicine")
Maybe others can include a couple more areas. The term "Kinesiology"
is
more inclusive than the long department titles IN A SINGLE WORD!
Physical Education is certainly related to Kinesiology, and it
would seem to fit well in a Kinesiology Department. Fitness/Sport
Management is more of a stretch, and I do not have a justification off
the
top of my head. We have a Recreation and Sport Management area within
our
department, and that might prevent adoption of the "Kinesiology" title.
We
are saddled with the department title, "Health, Leisure, and Exercise
Science". This forces the obvious acronym, and I do not feel the long
title provides better description for the public than "Kinesiology".
In my opinion, a close second to "Kinesiology" would be "Human
Movement Studies", but it seems unnecessary to narrow the focus while
lengthening the title. I will be interested to hear what department
title
is adopted.
Sincereley,
Deric Wisleder
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
John,
At Arizona State University the name was just changed to "Kinesiology".
You
may want to contact Dr. Richard Hinrichs and enquire as to the
rationale.
Bryan St. Laurent
Arizona State University
Biomechanics
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxx
John
There is a great article written by Karl Newell in Quest (early 90's)
that
you should use as the basis of your thinking. Kinesiology is what we
are
about but Human Movement is by far the most generic term and I think
would
suit what you do.
Regards
Warwick
Associate Professor Warwick Spinks
Director, Institute of Sport and Exercise Science
James Cook University
Townsville, Queensland, Australia 4812
Phone: + 61 7 4781 6610
Mobile: 0419 787 895
Fax: + 61 7 4781 6688
E-mail: Warwick.Spinks@jcu.edu.au
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Dear John:
Our physical education concentration in our grad program was called
sport pedagogy until recently being switched back to Physical
Education.
(All of the grad concentrations -- Physical Education, Exercise
Physiology,
Sport Psychology -- are in the Dept. of Exercise & Sport Sciences.)
I think the idea that PhysEduc had a negative connotation, coupled
with
a lot of non-teaching options (e.g., exercise science), caused many to
switch away from the Physical Education name. However, Physical
Education is easily identifiable and has a long history and I would
urge you to keep it, at least in part, in the name. BTW, a number of
articles written in the 80's and early 90's in physical education
journals dealt with this topic. Check out issues of JOPHER and Quest.
If stuck, go with the concise "Kinesiology" and be done with it!
Good luck,
Jeff
--
Jeffrey C. Ives, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Dept. Exercise & Sport Sciences Email: jives@ithaca.edu
Ithaca College Phone: 607-274-1751
Ithaca, NY 14850 USA Fax:
607-274-7055
John Lowry M.S., A.T.C.
Human Performance Laboratory
Saginaw Valley State University
7400 Bay Road
University Center, MI 48710
(989)964-7319
jlowry@svsu.edu
---------------------------------------------------------------
To unsubscribe send SIGNOFF BIOMCH-L to LISTSERV@nic.surfnet.nl
For information and archives: http://isb.ri.ccf.org/biomch-l
---------------------------------------------------------------