Monday, February 10, 2020
Blog Post #1: First Post !
For my final paper I want to write something along the lines of Exercise and Health. Myself being an Exercise Science major with aspirations to pursue Physical Therapy, I believe that this will be a great opportunity to really connect this course to my future. I want to explore the importance of regulating exercise for college students as it is very easy to get caught up in classes, eating and/or sleeping. As stressful as college is, we can not allow ourselves to lose sight of our physical health. Exercise can be as simple as the walks we take to classes or buses, and can be as intense as a high-intensity gym workout. There are many interesting and very practical aspects of exercise and movement that everyone can apply. Ultimately my goal is to bring to light the ideals of sports medicine into everyday college life.
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I think this will be a first, so I am interested to learn more. Thinking about your project might also inspire me to become more physically active.... :-)
ReplyDeleteThe first thing I thought of in relation to your project is that most colleges offer elective "gym" classes. I'd be curious to know if any REQUIRE "gym" as part of the standard curriculum (other than military academies!) And if they require "gym" (or whatever colleges call it), then what is the theoretical justification? And why do colleges give credit for gym? Are there (or were there historically) any debates about that? What are the issues raised in such debates? These are just questions that pop in my head.
One of your goals should be to think at least somewhat theoretically, rather than just practically, about a question involving college and exercise. So the main question you ask should be more of a "why" than a "how" question (though it is fine to look at how as well -- but not primarily). Something like "Why should college students exercise?" or "Why do colleges give credit for exercise?" rather than "How can we get college students to work out more?" Basically, try to come up with a project that is NOT a grant proposal to increase exercise among college students, which would be more appropriate for a professional writing class (such as Scientific and Technical Writing, Writing Grant Proposals, or Writing for Business and Professions). Instead, come up with a project that looks more abstractly at the reasons why exercise is a part of the college curriculum, why it might be especially appropriate today (with rising stress levels among students), and why colleges should direct resources to it.
I have had lots of students write about college student stress, including these:
http://mentalhealthinhe.blogspot.com/
http://kelseyhotz.blogspot.com/
Could the rise in issues related to mental health on campus be tied to a decline in physical activity? Might increasing exercise in college students address that? What other problems might exercise help to address?
It might also be interesting to visit the history of athletics on campus, which has gone from a more communal activity (from the 19th to early 20th century), with many students participating, to more of a hyper-specialized activity, with very few students participating and the majority just watching from the sidelines (literally) while drinking beer. In fact, I doubt there are many walk-ons anymore on college sports teams (other than club sports).
These are just some of my initial thoughts about the topic. I'm interested to see what sort of project you develop.