Let’s Get Physical: Histories and Theories of Fitness

Did you know that the treadmill originated as a prison torture device? Or that aerobics videos are credited with giving rise to the popularity of the VCR? “Let’s Get Physical: Histories and Theories of Exercise” will examine the body and technology, as well as fitness cultures across media from an interdisciplinary, theoretical perspective. Through readings in critical theory, media studies, gender studies, disability studies, and science and technology studies, students will explore the spaces and instruments of fitness, as well as the cultures that have emerged around them. By looking at a variety of texts, including treadmill patents, aerobics videos, and live-streamed Peloton classes, we will ask what the history of exercise tells us about gender, perceptions of health and disability, and our relationship to technology.