Sport Psychology

This course is an introduction to the field of sport psychology, a subspecialty of psychology that is concerned with identifying and understanding psychological factors that can be applied to sport in order to enhance athletic performance and personal growth. Students will be introduced to major theories of sport psychology, including strengths and critiques of those theories. Major themes of the class include the study of factors influencing motivation, ways to manage competitive stress, improving concentration, effectively using visualization, coping with failure, the importance of pre-performance routines, and building and maintaining confidence.