This course covers a range of mind-body practices that people use for healing. It is based on the concept that the body is intelligent, and has the capacity to heal itself. Taught by the same prof as Body Mind Spirit (3SS3), and although you may have to work a little harder, it is still quite easy to get a good grade in this class.
We covered topics such as autogenic training, progressive muscle relaxation, Tragger method, the Alexander technique, and Feldenkrais method. There was a lecture component where we learned the theory and background info on the methods and the people who created them, and there was also a practical component, where we had the chance to learn and try out the techniques on each other in the gym. If you've ever happened to see a herd of students with yoga mats walking through the student centre, that was definitely 3S03 en route to practical!
Course outline can be found here:
http://www.mcmaster.ca/kinesiology/e...outline_09.pdf
There was one quiz (quite easy, as long as you can recall things from lecture), and a test on movement analysis, which is learned and practiced in practicals. The test, I found to be a little more challenging, because it involved more thinking about how to classify everyday movements, however most people did well.
For the group presentation worth 30%, the prof is all about creativity. He specifically asks for a creative component in the presentation, and most students get really into it, with a skit, costumes, dance, or a song. The presentation involved creating a treatment plan for the type of patient you were assigned, taking into account their illness, age, and ethnicity (e.g. my group had a teenage female from Central/South America with a non-physical illness). We were expected to take what we had learned and also not learned in the course to create the best method, and also to develop a treatment of our own. All the presentations were very impressive and received good marks.
The Professional Attitude grade is basically how you present yourself and approach the tasks in practicals. Everybody received between a 7 and 9 out of 10 in this area.
The exam is worth 40%, and is 3 written essay-type questions (unlike 3SS3, this is not a take-home exam). They do not have to be particularly long, because not all of them require lengthy essay answers. You are given a choice out of about 7 questions, that are something like this:
1.
2. A or B
3.
4. A or B
5.
Question 1 was mandatory and had to do with summarizing 4 of the articles that he had assigned in the readings throughout the course. (2 long and 2 short). There were 8 article titles listed to choose from; 4 for each category. HE WILL ALWAYS GIVE THIS EXAM QUESTION. The articles change, but this question is there each year.
Then I had to pick two other questions of my choice (e.g. 2B and 5). Some were just short answer on descriptions of methods, and others were more elaborate, such as discussing somatics and how it is considered holistic. (HINT: He likes references to personal experiences.)
Overall, it was a pretty interesting course, and especially great if you are looking to go into that type of field with hands-on healing, etc. The prof is very passionate about what he does and what he teaches.
If you have any other questions, feel free to ask me!
Desiree
