HEL622 Female inclusion & development in sport (Vår 2025)

On successful completion of the course, the candidates:

Knowledge

• will have advanced insight into the differences between sex and gender categorization in relation to female sports
• will have in-depth knowledge about definitions, key concepts, and theoretical perspectives of biopsychosocial development in female athletes
• will have in-depth knowledge and advanced understanding of the challenges and opportunities for female participation, development, and performance in sport
• will have in-depth knowledge about the differences between multi-, inter-, and transdisciplinary female sport research
• will have advanced theoretical and methodological understanding of challenges and opportunities of applying and undertaking research in female sport

Skills

• can plan research studies and formulate research questions in the field of female sport
• can critically analyse, evaluate, and interpret research on sex and gender categorization, biopsychosocial development in female athletes, and other female-specific topics in sport

General competence

• can communicate female-specific issues through national and international channels, and participate in debates in relevant forums
• can identify and discuss ethical issues in the field of female sport, as well as carry out research with scholarly integrity

The aim of this course is to provide a biological, psychological, and social (biopsychosocial) perspective on female athletes in sport, thereby responding to the call for more interdisciplinary research in sports science. This will provide PhD candidates with in-depth knowledge and the skills necessary to conduct inter- and transdisciplinary female-specific research focusing on increasing participation, development, and performance in female sport. In addition, the PhD candidates will be provided with tools to evaluate current evidence, influence policymakers, and impact grassroots practices in female sport.

The content described above will be disseminated via the following topics:

1. Sex and gender categorization in female sport - how to move the field of sport science forward
2. Biopsychosocial development in female sport research
3. An extensive overview of participation, development, and performance in female sport; definitions, theoretical frameworks, and perspectives
4. The call for interdisciplinary research - can interacting factors better explain participation, development, and performance in female sport?
5. Current challenges and opportunities of applying and undertaking research in female sport

Contact persons:

Professor Monica Klungland Torstveit (monica.k.torstveit@uia.no)

Associate Professor Bård Erlend Solstad (bard.e.solstad@uia.no)