Physical Anthropology, Selection and Sports Excellence

Code:

PDCD034

Acronym:

CDDGCM

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Sports Sciences

Instance: 2020/2021 - SP

Active?	Yes
Course/CS Responsible:	Sport Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
PDCD	0	Plano em vigor a partir de 2009	1	-	5	45	135

Teaching language

Suitable for English-speaking students

Objectives

1. Understand the significance of research in selection and sports excellence.


2. Have a solid knowledge about human biological variability from physical anthropology perspective and its Olympic games´ projects


3. Understand, accurately, the notion of selection in sport, available selection systems and the complexities of prediction


4. Know well statistical methods related to classification problems as well as the detection theory.


5. Understand the concept of sports talent, their intrinsic problems as well as the long term preparation.


6. Familiarize with champion’s biographies.


7. Have a precise notion of genetic fundamentals applied to families of athletes and their response to training.

Learning outcomes and competences

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Physical anthropology
   1.1. Human biological variability and the homo performator
   1.2. Variability in complex traits
   1.3. Darwinian paradigm and its application to Sport
   1.4. Olympic games and anthropological projects: Rome, Mexico, Montreal
   1.5. “Racial” variability and sports excellence
2. Selection
   2.1. Concept of sports selection and operational problems
   2.2. Systems of athlete´s selection in different countries and sports
   2.3. Training and competition demands and athlete´s multivariate profiles
   2.4. The problem of prediction – clinical versus actuarial
   2.5. Classification methods and detection theory
3. Sports excellence
   3.1. Concept and complexities of its operational structure
   3.2. Generic idea of sports talent and long term preparation
   3.3. Practical examples from champions biographies
   3.4. Genetic factors and sports families
   3.5. Variability in training response and its genetic basis
   3.6. Tracking high athletes performance

Mandatory literature

Bouchard C, Brunelle J, Godbout P; La préparation d´un champion, Éd. Pelican, 1973
Bouchard C, Malina RM, Pérusse L.; Genetics of fitness and physical performance, H Kinetics, 2011
Bouchard C, Hoffman EP; Genetic and molecular aspects of sports performance, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011
Mielke JH, Konigsberg LW, Relethford JH; Human biological variation, Oxford U Press, 2006
Neil AM, Creelman CD; Detection theory. A user´s guide., LEA, 2005
Quintal A, Teixeira A, Freitas M, Maia J, Freitas D, Valdívia A, Seabra A, Garganta R, Almeida S, Gouveia E; O atleta infanto-juvenil madeirense., Ed. FADEUP, 2007
Guion Robert M.; Essentials of personnel assessment and selection. ISBN: 0-8058-5282-4
Guion Robert M.; Assessment, measurement, and prediction for personnel decisions. ISBN: 0-8058-1577-5
Sackett PR, Lievens F; Personnel Selection Annual Review of Psychology, 2008 (59:419-450)

Teaching methods and learning activities

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

designation	Weight (%)
Exame	60,00
Trabalho escrito	40,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	65,00
Frequência das aulas	70,00
Total:	135,00

Eligibility for exams

It is mandatory to be present in at least 75% of all classes

Calculation formula of final grade

Evaluation will be done with two types of tasks:
i) the presentation of a written paper by groups of two students (centered in any of the covered topics and linked to a unique sport);
ii) a written exam concerning all syllabus contents. The final mark will be the weighted sum of the two marks, given that the second task weights 60%.