Recreation and Leisure Studies Courses

The course offerings in each major are designed to provide practical “hands-on” learning experiences with local agencies. By combining the concepts, skills, and perspectives of recreation and leisure studies courses with carefully selected courses, students may expect both to become focused in their chosen major and receive practical experience. Each major culminates in a semester-long internship, allowing students to continue their learning while applying their knowledge to “real-life” practice in a recreation agency of their choice.

Health Education Courses

HE 201 Safety and First Aid (4)
Provides the general public with the knowledge and skills necessary to meet and handle most emergency situations when first-aid care is needed. Incorporates personal safety and accident prevention information and acquaints students with the many causes of accidents so care can be taken to eliminate or minimize such causes. Offered fall and spring of odd-numbered years.

Physical Education Courses (PE)

The following courses are offered intermittently:

106   Basic Pocket Billiards (1)
109   Ballet (1)
114   Archery and Badminton (1)
115   Beginning Tennis (1)
116   Personal Fitness Training (1)
118   Creative Movement (1)
120   Aerobics (1)
122   Coed Softball/Basketball (1)
123   Ballroom Dancing (1)
124   Coed Volleyball/Soccer (1)
126   Beginning Golf and Bowling (1)
127   Introduction to Fencing (1)
128   Dance Aerobics (1)

129   Beginning Swimming (1)
130   Martial Arts (1)
131   Jazz Movement (1)
132   Sailing (1)
133   Handball/Racquetball (1)
134   Windsurfing (1)
145   Beginning Scuba Diving (1)
146   Yoga (1)
152   Beginning Mat Pilates (1)
166   Israeli Self-Defense (1)
177   Lifeguard Training (1)
188   Indoor Climbing (1)

223  Intermediate Ballroom Dance (1)
Designed to develop the technical skills and abilities necessary to become proficient in partnership dancing. Dances studied include swing, rumba, cha cha, mambo, and tango. Students study dances and rhythms based on the dynamics of natural body movement and the expression of the special character of each dance. May be repeated once for credit. Prerequisite: PE 123. Offered spring of odd-numbered years.

230  Intermediate Martial Arts (1)
An advanced martial arts course in karate for students who have mastered beginning martial arts skills and now desire to work on their advanced belts. Prerequisite: PE 130. Offered every semester.

Activity fees apply to some PE courses.

Recreation Courses (REC)

101  Introduction to Sport, Recreation, and Leisure Services (4)
Designed for all students who desire to explore the varied professions of recreation/leisure services as a possible career goal or for personal growth and development. Recreation and leisure in historical development and today’s contemporary society and leisure education are the major areas of concentration. Includes a practicum in which students are required to investigate local recreation/leisure agencies. Prerequisite: first years/sophomores only; juniors/seniors by consent. Offered every semester.

207   Leadership and Management of Sport, Recreation and Leisure Services (4)
This course is designed to cover the principles of leadership and management found in agencies providing sport, recreation, and leisure experiences.  Emphasis is upon practical application and a “hands-on” focus is provided. Course requires a weekly lab section for practical application of content to participant and agency experiences. Offered fall and spring semesters.

219  Disability in the Media (4)
Explores various disabling conditions and related challenges/prejudices experienced by individuals with disabilities and how these individuals are portrayed in popular film and other media. Examines physical, psychological, emotional, and social life- conditions and allows students to examine their own attitudes and perceptions regarding disabilities. Offered January Term on demand.

305  Teaching Assistant (1)
Provides recreation/leisure service majors or other students who qualify the opportunity, under supervision, to organize and lead recreation, physical education activity courses, and selected introductory content courses. Students are required to prepare lesson plans. Prerequisites: REC 207, or prior teaching experience. Students must be interviewed and accepted by the course instructor. Offered every semester.

325  Race, Gender, and Leisure (4)
Investigates the past, present and future roles of leisure in the lives of individuals within the context of gender, race, and ethnicity. Leisure patterns and pursuits will be examined through a review and analysis of ideals on equity, empowerment and social values. The course will also incorporate a personal examination of leisure philosophy, behavior and constraints related to one’s identity. Offered intermittently.

406  Historical, Cultural, and Professional Dimensions of Sport, Recreation, and Leisure (4)
Provides students with knowledge of the history, philosophy, development, purposes, values, and interrelationships of
recreation delivery systems from both the private and public sectors. Focuses on the professional dimensions of recreation and leisure as they relate to diverse cultures served in contemporary practice. Prerequisites: ENG 105 with a grade of C or higher and junior/senior status. Offered every fall.

408  Research Methods in Sport and Recreation (4)
This course is designed to cover the various methods employed in research related to sport and recreation. Focus is upon
descriptive methods, sampling, surveying, participant observation, and data interpretation in agencies providing sport and recreation experiences.  While introduced, this course does not concentrate on experimental research design. Corequisite: RT
409 or SRM 409. Offered spring semester or on demand.

Recreational Therapy Courses (RT)

210  Introduction to Recreational Therapy (4)
Provides an overview of the profession of recreational therapy, including the philosophy, practice, procedures, and foundation of services for individuals with disabilities. Students develop an understanding of professional preparation, service settings,
and consumer groups that utilize recreational therapy services. Fieldwork required. Prerequisite: first-year or sophomore status only; juniors and seniors by consent. Offered every semester.

217  Topics in Recreational Therapy (4)
An in-depth study of a Recreation Therapy focused topic, including the study and investigation of related themes of interest. A sophomore-level topics course to provide those students who possess an understanding of the foundations of recreational therapy an opportunity to delve into more diverse and related themes of interest. Prerequisites: Sophomore/Junior/Senior Status. Course may be repeated as topics change. Offered intermittently.

309  Junior Internship in Recreational Therapy (4)
Offers the opportunity to investigate the leader ship, programming, operation, and management of leisure service agencies while gaining paid or volunteer experience. Through a comprehensive focus on individual areas of administration, the course is tailored to the individual needs of the student and agency to maximize experience and reflection. Prerequisites: REC 207. Offered every semester and summer.

310: Physical & Neurological Conditions: Disabilities & Recreational Therapy  Introduces students to various physical and neurological conditions that typically receive recreational therapy services.  Adaptive, corrective and progressive recreational therapy techniques are explored for various chronic conditions.  The course focuses on treatment interventions and life skills as they relate to specific disorders and the habilitative or rehabilitative goals for each.

311  Disabilities and Recreational Therapy (4)
Introduces students to the various disabling conditions that typically receive recreational therapy services. Explores adaptive, corrective and progressive recreational therapy techniques for a variety of disabling conditions. Emphasizes treatment interventions and leisure skills as they relate to specific disorders and habilitative or rehabilitative goals. Offered every spring.

312  Recreational Therapy Management and Organization (4)
Provides students with the knowledge and skills needed to organize, conduct, and evaluate recreational therapy programs in healthcare agencies.  Students develop a written plan of operation for an agency providing recreational therapy services. Field experience is required. Prerequisite: RT 210. Offered every spring.

313  Recreational Therapy Analysis and Assessment (4)
Provides the rationale, procedural methods for, and applications of assessment in recreational therapy. Students examine and use standardized instruments and develop a functional assessment based on the use of activity/task analysis. They learn methods of clinical assessment, establishing client rapport, and interpretation and documentation of assessment results. Prerequisite: RT 210. Offered every fall.

314  Planning, Implementing, and Evaluating Recreational Therapy (4)
Prepares students in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of recreational therapy services. Includes the selection of appropriate treatment techniques and clinical skills to be used with various client populations, intervention strategies, and methods of evaluating client and program outcomes. Prerequisite: REC 210.

407  Internship Preparation in Recreational Therapy (2)
Provides guidance and direction in all phases of internship procurement for all students majoring in Sport and Recreation Professions and enrolling in REC 409 the following semester. Emphasizes each student’s self-assessment, documentation of personal/professional goals, strengths, and areas for improvement in relation to the agency’s attributes and compatibility with the student’s goals. Graded pass/fail. Prerequisite: senior and eligible to complete REC 409 the following semester. Offered every semester.

409  Senior Internship in Recreational Therapy (12)
Field placement in an approved recreation or therapeutic recreation setting. Students intern under a trained recreation professional and participate in all phases of agency operation. Prerequisite: RT407. Offered every semester on request.

Sport and Recreation Management Courses (SRM)

250  Sport and Society (4)
Introduces and investigates key issues found in sport that impact society. By looking at the forces that impact individual
sports, students will study how sport as a whole has mirrored our society and continues to do so today. Connections between sport and under-represented groups, social equity, ethics, values and politics are some areas to be addressed. Film, podcasts, and other popular media will be used to promote discussion. Students will be required to have a Netflix account and the Netflix “Party” plug-in for Chrome. Offered every January Term.

309  Junior Internship in Sport and Recreation Management (4)
Offers the opportunity to investigate the leadership, programming, operation, and management of leisure service agencies while gaining paid or volunteer experience. Through a comprehensive focus on individual areas of administration, the course is tailored to the individual needs of the student and agency to maximize experience and reflection. Prerequisites: REC 207. Offered every semester and summer.

340  Sport, Recreation, and Facility Management Principles (4)
Provides students majoring in Sport and Recreation Professions with an extensive knowledge of effective management in a variety of sports settings. Covers specific skills needed to plan and maintain recreation facilities. Private and public schools and sport club environments are explored. Prerequisite: REC 101. Offered every spring.

341  Sport and Recreation Program and Event Principles (4)
Provides students with an understanding of recreation program practices, including planning objectives, programming principles, organization, group work, promotion supervision, and program evaluation. In addition to the study of programming theory, students plan, organize, and evaluate a variety of recreation programs. Suggested prerequisites: REC 207. Offered every fall.

343  Administration of Campus Recreation (4)
Covers the planning, organization, administration, and evaluation of recreational sports programs in colleges and universities. Emphasizes practical experiences designed to acquaint the student with contemporary administration practices in the field. Offered every fall.

344  Outdoor Recreation and Education (4)
A series of experiences, discussions, and readings about current issues and practices in outdoor recreation and education. Students plan, prepare, and implement an overnight backcountry experience. Requires an overnight field experience outside of regularly scheduled class meetings. Lab fee. Offered every spring.

345  Ropes Course and Group Facilitation Methods (4)
Prepares students to become ropes course leaders and facilitate the ability of groups to better achieve their goals. Through coverage of the factors connected to initial group processes, conflict, goal deliberation, and the role of the facilitator, the course provides hands-on activities, enabling the student to experience the responsibilities needed to become a useful group facilitator. Lab fee. Offered every fall.

346   Commercial Sport and Recreation (4)
Analyzes the principles of organizing commercial recreation agencies and the factors affecting their success. Emphasizes field evaluation and case studies of specific agencies currently in operation. Offered every spring.

347  Fitness Instructor Training (4)
This course is designed to cover the principles and skills and required to become a personal trainer and manage a fitness facility. Includes the principles of individual fitness. the skills necessary for the creation of a fitness program, and the application of recreation management principles to fitness settings. Offered January Term. Prerequisite: REC 207 or Consent. Offered every fall.

348  Maui Sea to Sky: The Impact of Adventure Travel on Culture and the Environment (4)
This course examines the impact that adventure travel has on culture and the environment. To study the impact, students
travel to Maui and local Hampton Roads destinations. These trips help students to understand how tourist activities (such as snorkeling, hiking, surfing, luau, and agri-tourism) have an effect on culture, the economy, and preservation of the environment. Offered January Terms.

409  Senior Internship in Sport and Recreation Management (12)
Field placement in an approved sport and/or recreation setting. Students intern under a trained recreation professional and participate in all phases of agency operation. Prerequisite: RT407. Offered every semester on request.