Kinesiol 3A03 - Faculty of Humanities - McMaster University

McMASTER UNIVERSITY
History 3S03 (/Kinesiol 3A03) The History of Exercise and Sports Medicine
Fall 2009
Dr. Nancy B. Bouchier
Classes: 12:30-1:20 Tues (lecture), Wed, Friday (tutorial discussion) Office: CNH 603
ph. (905) 525-9140 ext. 24136 bouchier@mcmaster.ca Office Hours: TBA - and by appt (email)
CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
Selected topics in the social and cultural history of exercise and sports medicine in the Western
World, with an emphasis on the 19th- and 20th-century developments in North America. Three hours
(lectures and discussion); one term Prerequisite(s): Registration in Level III or above Cross-List(s):
KINESIOL 3A03
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND CONTENT
This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of changes in concepts of
physical exercise over the course of western civilization from an emphasis on hygiene to one on training
for high performance in sport. It examines the relationships between exercise, health, fitness, physical
culture, physical training, and sports medicine through lectures, through tutorial discussion of assigned
secondary (2°) source readings (the writings of sport and medical historians), and through primary (1° )
source writings of thinkers and practitioners from various historical periods. In the process, students will
develop and enhance their skills in critical reading, writing, analysis, participating in the peer-review
process throughout the year, and presenting their work in both written and verbal form. Selected topics
in the history of exercise and sports medicine from ancient times to the present include: the medical,
sport, and physical culture elements of exercise movements; gymnastic systems, diet regimens,
professional organizations, and athletic training regimens; and issues such as medical quackery,
professional encroachment; and the gender implications of exercise and sports medicine theory and
practice.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
“You are expected to exhibit honesty and use ethical behaviour in all aspects of the learning process.
Academic credentials you earn are rooted in principles of honesty and academic integrity. Academic
dishonesty is to knowingly act or fail to act in a way that results or could result in unearned academic
credit or advantage. This behaviour can result in serious consequences, e.g., the grade of zero on an
assignment, loss of credit with a notation on the transcript (notation reads: “Grade of F assigned for
academic dishonesty”), and/or suspension or expulsion from the university.
It is your responsibility to understand what constitutes academic dishonesty. For information on the
various kinds of academic dishonesty please refer to the Academic Integrity Policy, located at:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/univsec/policy/AcademicIntegrity.pdf, especially Appendix 3, Academic
Dishonesty Explanations.
The following illustrates only three forms of academic dishonesty: Plagiarism, e.g., the submission of
work that is not one’s own or for which other credit has been obtained; Improper collaboration in group
work; Copying or using unauthorized aids in tests and examinations.”
COURSE FORMAT/INSTRUCTIONAL METHODS
Each week class is held during a three 50 minute time blocks; one each of lecture, tutorial, and
related assignments/research/independent coursework (online discussion and postings; weekly topicrelated
www sites, etc.) on the Hist 3S03 E-Learn @ Mac [ELM] site. Tuesday lectures will typically be
presented in Powerpoint format; the mandatory Wednesday and Friday tutorial portion of the class
involves group discussion of assigned questions and tutorial readings led by student facilitators as well

as and group discussion and peer review of student assignments. All assignment instructions will be
available on ELM, with endnote (rather than footnote) and bibliographic citations done according to the
Turabian/Chicago Style. Format examples for this style are available online:
http://library.mcmaster.ca/guides/turabian.htm
All graded work will be returned during normally scheduled class times and students who are not
available to pick up their work should contact the instructor to make arrangements for its return. Each
student will be able to access their grade records as they are determined throughout the term in a
confidential way on the course ELM site. Please bring any discrepancy between the posted grades and
your own records to the attention of the instructor so the matter can be attended to expediently.
The reading and discussing of assigned readings and attending the mandatory tutorial portion of
class is required in this course. You will submit weekly synopsis sheets on selected readings during
tutorial class. They will be collected, read, and evaluated each week by the Instructor; this assessment
will inform your tutorial participation grade. Blank synopsis sheets are found in the Courseware Pack in
front of the designated articles and marked with a # below. See the Synopsis Sheet Help sheet on the
Hist 3S03 ELM for instructions. You will also be assessed on your contribution to tutorial discussions,
and you will complete a self-assessment at the end of each tutorial. Remember, tutorials are mandatory
and an essential part of your experience in this course, and a sizable chunk - some 15% - of your final
grade comes from tutorial participation and your handing in of required tutorial class work.
The instructor and university reserve the right to modify elements of the course during the term.
The university may change the dates and deadlines for any or all courses in extreme circumstances. If
either type of modification becomes necessary, reasonable notice and communication with the students
will be given with explanation and the opportunity to comment on changes. It is the responsibility of the
student to check their McMaster email and course websites weekly during the term and to note any
changes.
HIST 3S03 ELM SITE AND MCMASTER EMAIL ACCOUNT POLICY.
This course requires that students use the HIST 3S03 ELM site and its discussion boards for
ongoing class communication; the downloading of lecture notes; access to weekly topic-related www
sites; handing out course and assignment information and study questions; and for other things such as
announcements should the lecture schedule be changed in any way. Students must therefore check the
ELM site at least several times a week, and always before all classes.
It is the policy of the Faculty of Humanities that all e-mail communication sent from students to
instructors (including TAs), and from students to staff, must originate from the student's own McMaster
University e-mail accounts. This policy protects the confidentiality and confirms the identity of the
student. Instructors will delete messages that do not originate from a McMaster e-mail account.
To log in at the Hist 3S03 ELM Website, you will need to start your web browser and go to:
https://elm.mcmaster.ca/webapps/portal/frameset.jsp Enter your user name and password. Then click
OK. Instructions for these and other operations such as using the calendar, printing pages, posting to the
discussion area, etc., are found online on the HIST 3S03 ELM site.
REQUIRED COURSE TEXTS/READINGS
- HIST 3S03 Custom courseware pack available through the McMaster University Bookstore.
- the contents of the HIST 3S03 ELM site, including weekly www links and readings available on it
- “Book Reports and Book Reviews” found on the HIST 3S03 ELM site.

COURSE EVALUATION
mid-term examination 20% Week 6 Tues 13 October
assignment #1 20% First version due week 10 tutorial (11, 13 Nov); Final
version due week 11 tutorial (18, 20 Nov.)
assignment #2 15% First version due week 12 tutorial (25, 27 Nov); Final
version due in lecture class 1 Dec.
tutorial participation 15% (including weekly self-evaluations and peer evaluation)
final examination 30% (Scheduled by the Registrar; held during exam period)
Total 100%
Examinations will cover your knowledge and comprehension of the subject matter, and your
ability to apply, analyse, synthesize, and evaluate the material. The mid-term examination comes during
the lecture class of Week 6 (Tues 13 Oct) and is based upon the subject matter covered until that time.
The final examination will cover the material from Week 7 until the end of classes, but will also include
a comprehensive essay-type question that spans the entire year’s work. "A" students will master both
lower-level (knowledge, comprehension, and application) as well as higher-level (analysis, synthesis,
and evaluation) cognitive skills, exhibiting them in written and verbal form, using clear and concise
English.
The two examinations are based upon materials derived from lectures, class discussion, from the
assigned readings, and anything else related to the course. They will consist of any of the following:
short and long essay-type questions; matching, short answer and fill-in-the-blank-type questions;
multiple-choice type questions; identify and significance essay-type questions; and document reading
and analysis-type questions. Prior to the event the Instructor will give you specific information
concerning the structure of the forthcoming exam and examples from past exams so that you may
prepare accordingly. Since you must write well to effectively present your ideas, essay type answers are
graded on content AND writing style. Make sure that it is readable. Omit needless words. Correct
spelling and grammatical errors. Go through your answers until you are satisfied that they are
sufficiently ‘polished’ for submission.
Students will conduct a self-evaluation of their tutorial participation that is written on the inside
of their name cards every week. The instructor will collect and review these cards every week. As well,
the student facilitators will be assessed by their peers every week.
For assignment and other related instructions see HIST 3S03 ELM . Course assignments must be
handed in during class time on the day that they are due. If you find that you are having acute personal
difficulties (e.g., documented illness, death in the family, any other dramatic event which impedes your
ability to do your work in this class) contact the Instructor as soon as you realize something is wrong
either by phone or email (bouchier@mcmaster.ca) so that alternate arrangements may be worked out. I
have absolutely no problems with helping out students in need of special consideration. Please don’t be
afraid to ask for help when you need it. If you are in need of administrative help/guidance, students in
the Faculty of Humanities should contact the Advisors in their Dean’s Office CNH 112 ext. 27532
HumanitiesAdvisors@mcmaster.ca while students in the Faculty of Science should contact their
Advisors in BSB 129 ext. 27590 science@mcmaster.ca. Students who are having academic problems
(understanding course content, writing exams, tutorial participation, or researching/writing class
assignments), please speak to me as soon as you feel that you are slipping. We will work together to
identify the problem and find ways in which to fix the situation.

COURSE SCHEDULE - LECTURES, EXAMS AND READINGS
Each week you will be reading both Secondary and Primary Source Readings. You will also be filling
out and handing in a Synopsis Sheet for certain assigned Secondary Source readings. They will be
marked below by a crosshatch (#). Synopsis sheets are always found in front of the article and the title of
the article assigned for synopsis. Primary Source Readings are marked with an asterisk (*) below.
WEEK-BY-WEEK STUDY GUIDE FOR LECTURE, TUTORIAL AND ASSIGNMENTS
Any changes to this study guide and list of lecture topics will be posted on the HIST 3S03 ELM
, if changes are needed. Each week you will receive a short list of study questions which have been
submitted to the Instructor by each week’s student facilitators (every student is required to take turns
being the facilitator, creating the readings questions and leading the class discussion of a particular
reading). These questions will then be made available to you through the HIST 3S03 ELM site for
discussion in the tutorials held on Tuesday and Thursdays. Students should work together in tutorial to
answer the study questions and each student should build a set of notes on each question. Typically,
some exam questions will be related in some way to these study questions.
Week 1 11 Sept [Friday]
Intro to HIST 3S03
Students will sign up for Wed or Friday tutorials.
Week 2 15, 16, 18 Sept.
Lecture: Exercise, Sports Medicine, and the Past
Getting to know the Tutorial system and your class colleagues; setting up study groups; and becoming
familiar with the HIST 3S03 ELM site.
Tutorial: No readings are assigned, however we will discuss the Courseware Pack and the following
from it: 1. “Time line of Medicine”; 2. Pilkington, “Medicines.”
Week 3 22, 23, 25 Sept.
Lecture: Humoral Theory, Exercise and Medicine in the Ancient World
Tutorial: 1. #Porter, “Antiquity;” 2.*Diagram, “Humoral System;” “Humoral Spirits; “ 3. *Hippocrates,
“A Regimen for Health.”
Week 4 29, 30 Sept., 2 Oct
Lecture: Medieval and Renaissance-era Anatomy and Health Regimens
Tutorial: 1. #Jacalyn Duffin, “The Fabricated Body: History of Anatomy;” 2.*Doctor Christobel
Mendez, “On the Great Profits That Follow Exercise.” (1553); 3.*”The School of Salerno.” (Regimen
Sanitatis Salernitatum 15 th c. CE)
Week 5 6, 7, 9 Oct.
Lecture: Enlightenment-Era Physiology, Scientific Systems of Exercise
Tutorial: 1. #Jacalyn Duffin, “Interrogating Life: History of Physiology;” 2. *Hoffman, “Of health, life,
proportion, and nature.” (1695); 3. *Pugh, “On the Necessity and Importance of Exercise.”(1794)
Week 6 Tues 13 October - Examination #1
No Tutorials this week

Week 7 20, 21, 23 Oct
Lecture: 19 th Century Gymnastics/Exercise Systems
Tutorial: 1. #Carolyn de la Pena, “Dudley Allen Sargent: Health Machines and the Energized Male
Body;” 2. *Posse, “Modifications of the Swedish System of Gymnastics to Meet American Conditions.”
(1892); 3. *Sargent, “The Conflict between Business and Profession.” (1927)
Week 8 27, 28, 30 Oct.
Lecture: Exercise, Sport, and Training Regimens
Tutorial: 1. #Park, “Athletes and their Training in Britain and America, 1800-1914;”
2. *Students are to bring any primary source document on physical training c. 1800-1940 to class; see
HIST 3S03 ELM for further instructions
Week 9 3, 4, 6 Nov.
Lecture: Gender and Exercise Prescription
Tutorial: 1. #Vertinsky, “The Social Construction of the Gendered Body: Exercise and the Ex. of
Power;” 2. *Bell, “A Doctor Answers Some Practical Questions on Menstruation.” (1955); 3. *Galen,
“On The Usefulness of the Parts of the Body.”(2nd c. CE)
Week 10 10, 11, 13 Nov.
No Tues Lecture
Tutorial: Assignment #1 Peer Review; Assignment #1 - 4 copies of Drafts are due at the beginning
of tutorial class
Week 11 17, 18, 20 Nov. ** Assignment #1 Final paper Due at the beginning of lecture class;
Lecture: Quackery(?): Food and Exercise Faddism
Tutorial: 1. #Green, “Living the Strenuous Life;” 2. * “Diet and Morals;” “Fletcherism.” (1909); 3.
*Ruddick, “Vigorous Manhood;” “Self-Pollution.” (1934).
Week 12 24, 25, 27 Nov.
Lecture: The ‘science’ of body types and exercise - a new physiognomy
Assignment #2 Peer Review; Assignment #2 - 4 copies of Drafts are due at the beginning of tutorial
class
Week 13 1 Dec ** Assignment #2 Final paper Due at the beginning of lecture class;
Lecture: Final Overview
Final Examination - date TBA by Registrar’s office