Dr Laura Hills

Dr Laura Hills is a senior lecturer in youth sport/sociology of sport at Brunel University. She came to Brunel from University of Durham where she was the course leader for the Sport, Health and Exercise degree. Her research and teaching centres on gender, physicality, qualitative research methods, sports culture and social identities. Her recent publications have focused on social and embodied aspects of girls’ physical education experiences and gender, class, and body in mediated sport.

Teaching

Module Leader

• Sport, Identity and Difference
• Contemporary Issues in Sport

Research Details

Research Income

• 2007-2009 Football Association. Mixed Gender Football.
• 2003 British Council Joint Research Grant. Funding to support collaborative work on gender and education in Brazil.
• 2002 British Squad for Athletes with Learning Disabilities (MENCAP)

Research Centre

Publications

Journal Papers

(2011) Hills, L. and Croston, A., 'It should be better all together': exploring strategies for 'undoing' gender in coeducational physical education, Sport, Education and Society

(2010) Utley, A. and Hills, L., Disability and Rehabilitation: Editorial, Disability and Rehabilitation 32 (18) : 1487- 1487

(2010) Hills, L. and Utley, A., Reflections on providing sport science support for athletes with learning difficulties, Disability and Rehabilitation 32 (18) : 1488- 1494

(2009) Girginov, V. and Hills, L., The political process of constructing a sustainable London olympics sports development legacy, International Journal of Sport Policy 1 (2) : 161- 181 Download publication

(2008) Girginov, V. and Hills, L., A sustainable sports legacy: Creating a link between the London Olympics and sports participation, International Journal of the History of Sport 25 (14) : 2091- 2117

(2007) Hills, L., Friendship, physicality, and physical education: An exploration of the social and embodied dynamics of girls' physical education experiences, Sport, Education and Society 12 (3) : 317- 336

(2006) Hills, LA. and Kennedy, E., Space invaders at Wimbledon: Televised sport and deterritorialization, Sociology of Sport Journal 23 (4) : 419- 437

(2006) Hills, LA., Playing the field(s): An exploration of change, conformity and conflict in girls' understandings of gendered physicality in physical education, Gender and Education 18 (5) : 539- 556

Book Chapters

(2010) Hills, L., 'Even the people you know turn their back on you'. The influence of friendships and social networks on girls' experiences of physical education. In: Jackson, C., Paechter, C. and Renold, E. eds. Girls and Education 3-16: Continuing Concerns, New Agendas. Open University Press 104- 116

(2009) Hills, L. and Kennedy, E., Double trouble: Kelly Holmes, intersectionality and unstable narratives of Olympic heroism in the British media. In: Markula, P. ed. Olympic women and the media: International perspectives. Hampshire, UK : Palgrave Macmillan 112- 131

(2008) Hills, L., Youth culture and sports development. In: Girginov, V. ed. Management of Sports Development. Oxford, UK : Butterworth-Heinemann 165- 182

Books

(2009) Kennedy, E. and Hills, L., Sport, media and society. BERG