Sport & Society

Northumbria

The Sport and Society pathway at Northumbria is located within the Department of Sports, Exercise and Rehabilitation which offers a rich research environment for ambitious, cross-disciplinary and imaginative proposals for PhD study. Ranked 5^th nationally for Research power in the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, the Department prioritises the generation of research addressing the challenges, opportunities, and dilemmas encountered by participants, practitioners, educators, and policy makers in a wide range of sport, exercise and rehabilitation contexts (i.e., high performance, community, and recreational organisations and settings). Example of our social science inquiry include a) the cultural, socio-emotional, and pedagogical, dimensions of sporting experience and sports work, b) power-relations and social influence in organisational life, c) the social and emotional well-being of performers, participants, volunteers, and practitioners, and d) the micro-level enactment of sport, health and recreation policies.

We encourage PhD proposals which will critically examine the relationship between sport and society, especially those that connect practice and policy-led concerns with those of sport related social sciences (e.g., sport coaching and pedagogy, the sociology of sport, sport management, and the social-psychology of sport).  Examples include a) embodying, juggling and managing emotions in everyday practice, b) inequality in sports volunteering, c) the enactment of physical education policies, and d) the social and relational complexity of leadership and management work in high performance and/or community sport organisations. Applicants are encouraged to visit the staff/supervisor profile pages on our Department webpages for further information.

Durham information to follow shortly – please check back soon.