Course syllabus autumn 2025
Course syllabus autumn 2025
Title
Sport Governance – from Local to International Level
Swedish title
Sport Governance – from Local to International Level
Course code
IV604G
Credits
7.5 credits
Grading scale
UA / Excellent (A), Very Good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Pass (E) or Fail (U)
Language of instruction
English
Decision-making body
Faculty of Education and Society
Syllabus approval date
2023-05-25
Syllabus valid from
2023-08-28
Entry requirements
Prerequisite courses for this course are: IV601G Sport in Society - to Address Challenges IV605G Sport and Sustainable Development
Level
Advanced level
Main field
Sport Sciences
Progression level
A1F
Course objectives
The aim of the course is to deepen the understanding of governance and the organisation of sport in a national, international and comparative perspective.
Course contents
The course focuses on the governance, management and organisation of sport in a local, national and international context. The specific Scandinavian sport context is highlighted and problematised.
One central theme of the course regards ethical and democratic aspects of the management and organisation of sport. The discussion is built up around concepts like (good) governance, power and value systems.
During the course, national and international organisations and authorities managing sport issues (such as sport federations, community actors and the EU), and different regulatory documents are both analysed. Relations and connections between local, national and international levels are analysed from a comparative perspective.
The course addresses current sport ethical dilemmas, in relation to governance and regulation.
Learning outcomes
Upon completion of the course the student should be able to:
- demonstrate knowledge about, and problematise relevant perspectives and concepts concerning the political and ethical governance of sport,
- analyse and compare the governance, management and organisation of sport at different geographical levels,
- formulate, plan and carry out a comparative study of one Scandinavian and one international sport organisation, and evaluate the results with special focus on their development potential.
Learning activities
The course contains varied work formats that can consist of lectures, guest lectures, seminars, group exercises, study visits and self-study. A significant part of the learning activities consists of individual studies, combined with lectures and seminars. The lectures aim to provide an overview of the relevant theoretical and empirical concepts and research.
The sessions that require compulsory attendance are announced at the start of the course.
Assessment
The course is assessed through one individually performed written assignments and an oral presentation.
The grading criterion are announced at the start of the course.
Course literature
De Bosscher, Veerle, Shibli, Simon, Westerbeek, Hans and Van Bottenburg, Maarten (2015). Successful Elite Sport Policies: An International Comparison of the Sports Policy Factors Leading to International Sporting Success (SPLISS 2.0) in 15 Nations. Meyer & Meyer Sport (UK) Ltd. 400 p.
Ibsen, Bjarne, Nichols, Geoff & Elmose-Österlund, Karsten (2017). Sport Club Policies in Europe. University of Southern Denmark. 108 p.
Breur, Christoph, Feiler, Svenja, Llopis-Goig, Ramon and Emlose-Österlund, Karsten (2017). Characteristics of European Sports Clubs. 125 p.
Sport in Scandinavian Societies (Special Issue), Sport in Society: Cultures, Commerce, Media, Politics (2010), 563-743
The Governance of Sport from a Scandinavian Horizon (Special Issue), International Journal of Sport Policy and Politics, 3 (2011), 3: 305–420
Course evaluation
Malmö University provides students who participate in, or who have completed a course, with the opportunity to express their opinions and describe their experiences of the course by completing a course evaluation administered by the University. The University will compile and summarise the results of course evaluations. The University will also inform participants of the results and any decisions relating to measures taken in response to the course evaluations. The results will be made available to the students (HF 1:14).
Interim rules
If a course is no longer offered, or has undergone significant changes, the students must be offered two opportunities for re-examination based on the syllabus that applied at the time of registration, for a period of one year after the changes have been implemented.
Additional information
If a student has a Learning support decision, the examiner has the right to provide the student with an adapted test, or to allow the student to take the exam in a different format. The syllabus is a translation of a Swedish source text.