Human Biology

Hungarian University of Sports Science, Budapest, Hungary

 

Subject: Human Biology

Instructor: Dr. Anna Farkas

E-mail: farkas.anna@tf.hu

Course discription: This course provide the basic knowledge, concepts and methods in specific aspects of Human Biology, applied in the area of athletic and non-athletic youth  growth and development. Through the methodological knowledge students will understand how to characterise physique, body composition evaluate the relationship between physical traits and performance parameters.

Course goal: The goal is to establish useful knowledge to be able to understand the gender and age dependent differences and to be able to choose the best method for successful selection in the sport and specialization.

Learning objectives:

1.     Introduce Human Biology as a scientific area characterizing human as social and not just a biological individual.

2.     To learn anatomical points of taking body measurements and equipments and understand how to use absolute and relative measurements.

3.     Explain age and age periods characterising chronological vs. biological age. The methods of assessing biological age.

4.     To learn methods for describing physique – hystorical and recent views.

5.     To understand and apply the evaluation methods of body composition assessement methods.

6.     Understand the concept of Secular Growth trend and to apply it by our everyday experiences.

Learning outcomes:

1.     Classify body mesurement groups and to be able to explain the correct equipment to use. Evaluate the parameters by usefulness for characterising physical traits.

2.     Be able to analyze the gender and age-dependent differences by biological age.

3.     Participate in a discussion about to differentiate populations in respect of the secular growth changes.

4.     Use the exact human biological expressions and terms to discuss materials.

5.     Be able to prepare and determine sport specific characteristics of the physique and the body comnposition.

6.     Be able to develop aspects of selection for specific sport activties.

Homework: - due on deadline announced

-        an assay on the physique and/or the body composition characteristics of their own sport events (two pages, hand-written form) – own experiences

OR

-        to analyze a scientific article about his/her own sport event in respect of one of the topic of the semester – title of the article, author(s), periodical/publication, aim of the study, subjects, methods, results, conclusions, own opinion about the article „usefulness” in his/her future carreer (two pages, hand-written form)

Requirements:

-        teaching content in English

-        using English to communicate specific content

-        regular attendence at the classes (80 %),

-        arriving for the class in time (not to be late)

-        active participation at classes  - asking and answering questions,

-        completing homework by deadline,

Course content – topics:

-        Human Biology as a scientific are – main topics – hystorical and recent research fields.

-        Body measurements and equipment for the groups of measurements. Absolute and relative parameters.

-        Age characteristics: Chronological vs. Biological age. Biological age assessement methods.

-        Methods for describing physique – hystorical background, recently used methods. Comparison of methods. Assessement  and evaluation of gender, sport event and age-dependent differences.

-        Body composition – assessement methods, traditional methods and new devices for . Connection between body composition and the parmeters of the physique, and the performance.

-        Secular Growth Trend, as a biological phenomenon: concept and proofs of existence. Genetic, environmental and complex factors of secular trend.

Literature

SP Singh, Promila Mehta (2011): Human Body Measurements: Concepts and Applications. Prentice Hall of India, ISBN: ISBN-10: 8120338634 https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256546542_Human_Body_Measurements_Concepts_and_Applications/citations#fullTextFileContent

Somatotype. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Somatotype_and_constitutional_psychology

Physique and temperament. https://psychology.jrank.org/human-behavior/pages/cmxyrrzxk8/physique-temperament-factors-individual.html

J.E. LINDSAY CARTER, WILLIAM D. ROSS, WILLIAM DUQUET, AND STEPHEN P. AUBRY (1983): Advances in Somatotype Methodology and Analysis. YEARBOOK OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 26:193-213 (1983) https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdf/10.1002/ajpa.1330260509

About the secular growth trend. https://biomedres.us/pdfs/BJSTR.MS.ID.003043.pdf