John Charles

Areas of Specialization

Health ethics, philosophy and movement, kinesiology in higher education, sport and social science

Background

Born and bred in England, John Charles completed undergraduate studies at Westminster College, Oxford in 1969 before teaching for four years in a comprehensive school in Oxfordshire. He travelled to the United States for graduate studies leading to a doctoral degree from the University of Oregon and then to a position as Assistant Professor for three years at Wellesley College. In 1979, Dr. Charles was hired as an Assistant Professor at the College of William and Mary where he has since been promoted to the rank of Professor and has served in many capacities, including Chair of the Kinesiology Department and Director of Academic Advising. In addition to teaching a broad range of classes within Kinesiology, Dr. Charles has also taught in the Arts and Sciences Honors program, American Studies and Environmental Studies. His scholarship record includes many paper presentations at national and international conferences, including two featured presentations in 2005: the Delphine Hanna Lecture at the NAKPEHE Annual Conference in Tuczon, Arizona and the Keynote Address to the International Sport Science Congress sponsored by the Korean Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance at Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Korea. Publications include a series of articles in Quest on kinesiology, scholarship and the liberal arts in higher education and three books. Introduction to Humans Moving probes the relationship between philosophy and movement and Contemporary Kinesiology, currently in its second edition, envisions a liberal arts approach to the study of health and human movement. Health Ethics addresses a spectrum of issues in personal, public and environmental health and provides a useful way of analyzing moral dilemmas and synthesizing ethical solutions. Professor Charles is the 2012 National Association of Kinesiology in Higher Education Scholar of the Year.

Education

• 1978, Ed.D., University of Oregon
• 1974, M.S., Henderson State College
• 1969, Westminister College, Oxford

Academic Positions

• Member of the Retention, Promotion and Tenure Committee, The College of William And Mary, 2010- present
• Director of Academic Advising, The College of William and Mary, 2003-2009
• Kinesiology Department Chair, The College of William and Mary, 1997-2003
• Professor of Kinesiology & Health Sciences, The College of William and Mary, 2002-present
• Associate Professor, Kinesiology, The College of William and Mary, 1983-2001
• Assistant Professor, Physical Education, The College of William and Mary, 1980-1983
• Assistant Professor, Physical Education, Wellesley College, 1977-1980

Courses Taught

• Freshman Seminar: Olympic Games (KINE 150)
• Freshman Seminar: Sport Literature (KINE 150)
• Introduction to Kinesiology & Health Sciences (KINE 204)
• Play, Sport, and Culture (KINE 335) 
• Independent Study in Kinesiology & Health Sciences (KINE 470)
• Research in Kinesiology & Health Sciences (KINE 480)
• Health Ethics (KINE393)
• Philosophy in Kinesiology & Health Sciences (KINE 493)
• Internship (KINE 498)
• American Studies 202: Legacy of the 60's
• Honors 202: Cultural and Intellectual Traditions

Research

Refereed Publications

• "Changes and Challenges: a 20/20 Vision of 2020," Quest, August 2005, 57,3 267-286
• "Zen in the Art of Kinesiology," Quest, May 2001, 53, 2, 151-164.
• "Technology and the Body of Knowledge," Quest, November 1998, 50, 4, 379-388.
• "Using Philosophy to Your Advantage," Strategies, September/December 1998, 12, 1, 33-36.
• "Scholarship Reconceptualized: The Connectedness of Kinesiology," Quest, May 1996, 48, 2, 152-164.
• "Kinesiology in the Liberal Arts", Quest, April 1992, 44, 122-126.
• "Tasteful Living in the Spice Age", Journal of Physical Education, Recreation and Dance, October 1982, 56-57.
• "Technocentric and Homocentric Ideologies in Physical Education", Quest, 1979, 31, 2, 277-284.

Books

• Health Ethics, Stipes Publishing Company, 2009.
• Introduction to Humans Moving: A Guide to Philosophy in Action. Stipes Publishing Co., 2002.
• Contemporary Kinesiology: An Introduction to the Study of Human Movement in Higher Education, 2nd Edition. Stipes Publishing Co., 2002. First edition published by Morton Publishing Company, 1994.

Chapters in Books

• “Invitation to Kinesiology”, first chapter of Introduction to Kinesiology: A Biophysical Perspective, edited by Peter Klavora, 2009, Toronto: Sports Books Publisher.
• “History of Physical Activity and Sport”, chapter in Introduction to Kinesiology: A Behavioral and Sociocultural Perspective, edited by Peter Klavora, in press, to be published in 2009.
• "Scholarship Reconceptualized: The Connectedness of Kinesiology, in Social Sciences and Kinesiology, 3rd Edition, edited by Glyn C. Roberts and Susan L. Greendorfer, Simon and Schuster, 1996
• "On Liberty and Leisure", in Leisure and Ethics: Reflections on the Philosophy of Leisure, edited by Gerald S. Fain, American Association of Leisure and Recreation, 1991.

Over 30 Invited and Contributed Scholarly Papers and Talks, including

• Keynote Address, International Sport Science Congress, Korean Alliance for Health, Physical Education Recreation and Dance, August, 2005
• Delphine Hanna Keynote Address, National Association of Kinesiology and Physical Education in Higher Education, January, 2005.