"Why PE?"

Everyone Hates PE, OR, Who Cares About PE? OR Why Do You Keep Torturing Me With this Pacer Test?

The public health community is becoming increasingly interested in the potential contributions of physical education to both childhood and broad-spectrum health and wellness. School physical education is seen as an ideal site for the promotion of regular physical activity because (in theory) up to 97% of elementary school children participate in some sort of physical education program and it is an "integral part" of wholistic education, but is this true? Who is participating and when? How often are PE classes offered and what is their quality? How do public attitudes and cultural norms support or undermine efforts to educate bodies? Should PE extend into college, grad school, the office? Are PE teachers be public health workers? Should health officials or other officials legislate or proscribe physical activity? What might educating people for a lifetime of physical literacy look like and why does it matter for wellness?

Dr. Conger is an anthropologist, an ethnochoreologist (study of human movement in cultural context), and the director of St. Olaf’s new Public Health concentration. Her research sits at the nexus of active body research and cultural approaches. This research grows out of ongoing work with female endurance athletes and a general interest in how gender shapes how we move (or don’t) our bodies throughout our lives. 

Learn more at http://stolaf.presence.io/event/why-pe