Teaching

American Fitness Media

Cornell University

American Studies Program

Fall 2026

Did you know that the treadmill originated as a prison torture device?  Or that aerobics videos are credited with popularizing the VCR? This course will examine the body and technology, as well as exercise and wellness cultures, across media.  Through readings in 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. Looking at a variety of texts and objects, including treadmill patents, the Wii console, athleisure fashion, Reddit subs, biohacking manifestos, and live-streamed Peloton classes, we will ask what the history of exercise tells us about gender, race, sexuality, perceptions of health and disability, and our relationship to technology.  Utilizing different research methods, including interviewing an Instagram fitness influencer and conducting autoethnography at the campus gymnasium, we will interrogate theories of “fitness,” from Eugenics to polygenic embryo screening, and “wellness,” from apple cider vinegar to “Make America Healthy Again.”