Rhodes University Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department
Rhodes University Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department
Rhodes University Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department – See Details Below:
Humans are the central factor in all activities of work life and society. No social, medical, technical or economic progress may take effect without humans being involved. Human health and performance are the critical issues for a productive and successful individual and a progressing society.
Human Kinetics and Ergonomics provide the knowledge about the function and the reaction of the human body in order to
- optimise human performance
- avoid injury and keep healthy in professional activities as well as in private life, and
- improve productivity and quality of output in all domains of work life.
This is of essential importance for South African society to further develop and help individuals to a healthy, wealthy and independent lifestyle.
The object of StudyFocus of study is the Human Factor in different activities and different conditions of life. We study human responses and reactions as well as the design of tasks, treatments, objects and environmental conditions according to the needs of the human. The unique approach of HKE is the holistic consideration of biomechanical, physiological, perceptual, mental and psycho-emotional aspects. This is jointly applied to improve human health, human performance and the productivity of the human operations.
Kinesis = Greek for motion: Understanding the complex eclectic nature of human movements
Ergonomics a= derived from the Greek ergon (work) and nomos (laws): The science of work, studying the interplay between humans and its tasks and environment, now extending across all aspects of human activity
HKE is an interdisciplinary subject that integrates knowledge from different disciplines such as anatomy, biomechanics, neurology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, engineering, computer science, management, economics etc. This variety makes it a fascinating subject but also a challenging one.
Fields of study
Structure of the human body<
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Functioning of the human body
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Sensory and mental functions
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Conceptual domain
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Application AreasKnowledge of Human Kinetics and Ergonomics is applied to
- improve hazardous working conditions,
- optimise fitness and performance of sports people,
- enable maximum productivity without harming the human body,
- appropriate use of equipment and technology, and
- help people live a healthy lifestyle.
This developed into a BA (Phys Ed) degree in 1968 and student numbers peaked in 1974 to 253 as the department fulfilled its primary objective, which was to supply Physical Education teachers for SA Schools. Further building construction occurred in 1979/80 when the front block of four large rooms was added.
“Phys. Ed” students participated in a cross-section of sporting activities, where the personal standard of performance was assessed, and much emphasis was placed on teaching methods. The department’s focus was teaching all aspects of Physical Education, and it soon became known for its good standard of gymnastics and athletics. The vast majority of students went on to do an HDE (Higher Diploma in Education, as it was known then) before going out to teach.
Rhodes University Human Kinetics and Ergonomics Department Contact