Instructor: Dr. Susan R. Van Patten Class: Tuesdays & Thursdays 12:30 to 1:45 a.m.
Office: 141 Waldron Hall Classroom: 232 Waldron Hall
Office Hours: Mondays & Wednesdays
10:00 to 11:30 or by appointment		 Phone: 831-7644 (direct) 831-7720 (department)
E-mail: svanpatt@radford.edu Web Page: svanpatt.asp.radford.edu

TEXTBOOKS:
     Goodale, T., & Godbey, G. (1988). The evolution of leisure. State College, PA: Venture.
     Turner, J. (1996). The abstract wild. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press
     Johnson, S. (1998). Who moved my cheese? New York, NY: Putnam.
     Supplemental Readings (Check for links in the reading section).

COURSE DESCRIPTION:  Discussion of selected philosophies, theories, issues, problems, trends, and principles as foundations for the development of a philosophy of recreation and leisure. Emphasis is also given to the evolutionary and cross-cultural survey of the development of leisure. 3 credits.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:

At the completion of this course, the student will be able to:

  1. Discuss the conceptual foundations of play, recreation and leisure (8.01).

  2. Understand philosophical, professional, and ethical issues related to the administration and provision of leisure services in contemporary society (8.02).

  3. Analyze the history and development of the recreation profession (8.06:01).

  4. Discuss current issues and trends in the profession (8.06:03).

  5. Utilize the tools of professional communication (8.23).

COURSE PROCEDURES:  This course is taught in a lecture and discussion format consisting of two meetings per week. Students are expected and required to ask questions and participate in class discussions. Consequently, being up-to-date on both reading assignments and class attendance is necessary. Students are responsible for all material covered in class and any changes in the schedule.

GRADING PROCEDURES:

  1. Scholastic integrity and the honor code will be enforced. No cheating, copying, or plagiarism will be tolerated. If such an act occurs, it will be handled in accordance with Radford University governing policies. Depending upon the severity of the offense, you will receive an F for the assignment/exam or an F in the class.
  2. Since this class is based upon readings and class discussion, attendance and participation are extremely important. 
  3. There will be a large number of readings for this class. In order to effectively participate in class discussions, you will need to read the assigned material before the class it is to be covered.

 

ASSIGNMENTS & RESPONSIBILITIES

  1. Familiarity Quizzes. The purpose of these quizzes is to encourage students to complete the readings and foster class discussion. At random times throughout the semester, you will be asked to take a familiarity quiz over the assigned readings. You can score up to seven points on each quiz although five points is considered full credit. (In other words, you can get extra credit on each quiz). The lowest quiz score will be dropped. The quizzes will occur at the beginning of class and you cannot make up the quizzes for any reason.    

  2. Oral Reports. Each student will give a 3-5 minute report on a recreation visionary. A list of possible topics can be found here or you may choose a topic not among the ones listed with prior permission from the instructor. Each student will also give a 2-3 minute presentation on a recent newspaper or magazine article. The article must relate to current trends or issues in recreation, parks, and tourism and be published within one week of the presentation date. Presentations will be made at the beginning of class throughout the semester. If you are not prepared to present on your assigned day, the most you can earn is 50%. You will NOT be allowed to use visual aids (like PowerPoint or video clips) with the exception of a single photo of your visionary. If you give a boring presentation, you will have to repeat the assignment at half-credit!

  3. Take Home Exams. The midterm and final exams will be take home essays covering lectures, discussions, and visionary reports.

 

ASSIGNMENT

PERCENTAGE

GRADING SCALE:

A (90-100%), B (89-80%), C (79-70%), D (69-60%), F (59% or below).

Familiarity Quizzes

5 points each

Visionary Report

15 points
Article Report 10 points
Midterm Exam 50 points

Final Exam

50 points

 

WEEK "LECTURE TUESDAYS" "DISCUSSION THURSDAYS"
Sep 2/4 Introduction Estes, C., & Henderson, K. (2003). Enjoyment and the good life. Parks and Recreation, 38(2), 22-30. [Link] [Discussion Questions]
Sep 9/11 Chapter 1: Leisure, Philosophy and I Watson, B. (2002). Sounding the alarm: Forty years ago, Rachel Carson's silent spring forever changed our view of the environment. Smithsonian, 33(6), 115-119. [Link]   [Discussion Questions]
Sep 16/18 Chapter 2: Roots of the Leisure Ideal Giffiths, J. (2001). Playing for time. The Ecologist, 31(4), 52-53. [Link] [Discussion Questions]
Sep 23/25 Chapter 3: Work - Do Not Despair Johnson, S. (1998). Who moved my cheese? New York, NY: Putnam.
Sep 30/Oct 2 Chapter 5: Homo Economous Conlin, M. (2006). Best Buy smashes the clock: Inside Best Buy's radical reshaping of the workplace. Business Week,  [Link]  [Discussion Questions]
Oct 7/9 Materialism Video Where bluebirds fly: Movie tourism in America's mid-west. (1999, October 30). The Economist, 353(8143), 97-98. [Link]  & 'Blair Witch' website  [Link 2] [Discussion Questions]
Oct 14/16 No Class - NRPA Conference Midterm Exam Due
Oct 21/23 Chapter 6: Industrialism, Recreation and Leisure Lennon, J.J. & Foley, M. (1999). Interpretation of the unimaginable: The U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum and 'dark tourism.' Journal of Travel Research, 38(1), 46-51. [Link]   [Discussion Questions]
Oct 28/30 Chapter 7: Collective Responses Turner, J. (1996). The abstract wild. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. [Chapters 1-4]  [Discussion Questions]
Nov 4/6 Chapter 9: Education, Free-Time and Leisure Turner, J. (1996). The abstract wild. Tucson, AZ: University of Arizona Press. [Chapters 5-8]   [Discussion Questions]
Nov 11/13 Chapter 10: Being at Play Bedini, L. (1995). The play ladies. JOPERD, 66(8), 32-35. [Link]  [Discussion Questions]
Nov 18/20 Chapter 12: Wanderlust or Leisure? Austin, D.R. (2004). Therapeutic recreation: A long past, but a brief history. Palaestra, 20(1), 37-43. [Link] [Discussion Questions]
Nov 25/27 THANKSGIVING BREAK THANKSGIVING BREAK
Dec 2/4 Recreation Therapy Video Recreation Therapy Video
Dec 9/11 Chapter 14: Can the World be Trusted with Leisure? TBA
Final Exam:  Due by 10:15 a.m. on Wednesday, December 17             Updated 11/17/2008                                              

Recommended Readings:

Pieper, J. (1963). Leisure: The basis of culture. New York: Random House.
deGrazia, S. (1964). Of time, work, and leisure. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.
Kelly, J. R. (1987). Freedom to be: A new sociology of leisure. New York: Macmillan.
Huizinga, J. (1955). Homo ludens. Boston, MA: Beacon Press.
Dumazedier, J. (1974). Sociology of leisure. New York: Elsevier North-Holland.