SPM120 Performance-enhancement and anti-doping in Sport (Autumn 2025)

ECTS Credits:
5
Responsible department:
Department of Sport and Social Sciences
Course Leader:
Sigmund Loland
Lecture Semester:
Autumn
Teaching language:
English
Duration:
½ year

Table of contents

Introduction

This web-based course is for everyone who wants to gain a better understanding of performance enhancement and anti-doping in sport. More specifically, students will gain a research and practice based multi-disciplinary overview of definitions, prevalence, social-cultural aspects, policies, and values in relation to performance-enhancing substances and methods in sport.

Prerequisite

No subjects.

Admission to the course

Students registered in the European master programme, internal and external online students.

Learning outcomes

After having completed the course the students shall be able to

  • define and categorize performance-enhancing means and methods and describe their regulation in sport (anti-doping)
  • describe and offer explanations based on social science of the prevalence of the use of various performance-enhancing means and methods in sport
  • discuss the ethics of the use of performance-enhancing means and method and anti-doping in sport
  • contribute to evidence-based and informed anti-doping policies in sport

Learning methods and activities

The course is built on three modules. The modules consist of written texts, video-clips and tests where the students are encourage to reflect on the topics.

Work requirements

  • All the material in each module must be covered. The online-learning platform "Canvas" will automatically control the progress.
  • At the end of every module, the student must submit a reflection note on an assigned topic. The reflection note will be evaluated with pass/fail.

All reflection notes must be passed to qualify for the final home exam.

Assessment/exam

Final home exam (three weeks). Graded A-F.

  • The exam includes two or three assignments with student responses. The responses should not extend 2500 words in total.

Tasks submitted via WISEflow will be run through plagiarism control.

Core literature

Core literature for Fall 2025.
Last updated from FS (Felles studentsystem) Oct. 15, 2026 3:15:33 AM