Instructor

Mr.  Donnie Turner

Office Location: Waldron 302

Phone: 276/730/3100

E-mail: dgturner@radford.edu

Office Hours

Wednesday 5:00-6:00 PM

Other times available by appointment

Course Description

RCPT 200. Leisure in Contemporary Society. (3) Prerequisite: Freshman or sophomore standing; or permission of chairperson. Examines the growth and development of leisure as an industry and the importance of leisure experiences in the lives of individuals. Emphasis is on understanding the physical, psychosocial, economic, political, and experiential aspects of leisure. General Education Credit – Health and Wellness

Course Texts

Russell, R.  (2005).  Pastimes:  The context of contemporary leisure.  [3^rd ed.]  Champaign, IL:  Sagamore

Activity Fee

This course requires an activity fee in the amount of $5.00 to cover the cost of participation in the RU-ABLE adventure challenge course.

Assignments and Evaluation Descriptions

Attendance

Attendance in this class is mandatory and will be taken each class period.  The penalty for unexcused absences beyond 2, during the semester, will be 10 percentage points off of the final grade for each absence. (e.g., your work grades indicate a grad of “A” but you have 3 unexcused absences; this results in a final grade of “B”).  Please refer to the next section for additional penalties related to quiz days.

Quizzes

There will be individual quizzes that will cover the lecture and reading content covered up to the date of the test.  No make-ups for missed exams or weekly quizzes will be given without "legitimate" reason. If you anticipate that you will be absent for one of these reasons, you should make every effort to coordinate with the instructor in advance as far as is practicable. Missed exams or quizzes will result in a zero score for that evaluation event.

Legitimate reasons are defined as follows: Absences are excused for (a) documented illnesses that would prevent you from being in class (b) official representation of the College, (c) death of a close relative, (d) religious holiday, and (e) other circumstances beyond the control of the student. Excuses for official representation of the College must be obtained from the official supervising that activity or event.

Time Diary

You will keep a log of all of your activities for one week (Monday –Sunday).  Students will create pie charts that will include: sums of money spent, where and with whom the time was spent with, and will include a 2-3page reflection paper.  Details and grading criteria will be presented in class.

Go-N-Do Assignment

Each team of students will “Go-n-Do” at least four (4) new leisure experiences. Three (3) of the Go-n-Do’s will be of the following domains: physical, cognitive, and social.  And one (1) experience will be with RU Outdoors.  Each team will write a 3-5page report reflecting on the Go-n-Do experiences.  A detailed grading sheet will be provided in class.

Go-N-Do Presentation

The Go-n-Do presentation will be a compilation of the experiences engaged in by the assigned team and will include an oral and visual presentation.  Details and grading criteria will be presented in class.

General Classroom Policies

Academic Integrity

By registering for, and attending this class, each student agrees to abide by the Honor Code and the RU Student Handbook as follows:

“I do hereby resolve to uphold the Honor Code of Radford University by refraining from lying, from the stealing or unauthorized possession of property, and from violating the standards of student Academic Integrity.” 

Related to this class, the unauthorized recording and/or distribution of course materials, including test materials, lectures, or electronic media is expressly prohibited and will be treated as the theft of intellectual property.

See pp.51-53 of the RU Student Handbook for a detailed explanation of the standards for Student Academic Integrity.

Accommodations

Every effort will be made to accommodate students who have special physical or learning needs documented through the Disability Resource Office (831-6350). Please contact the instructor with requests for any required assistance during the first two weeks of class.

Late Assignments

Late assignments will be penalized one letter grade for each 24-hour period (including weekends and holidays). Assignments not turned in during the class period due will automatically be penalized one letter grade.

Group Work

Group work may be required as part of this class.  In reality, it is a rare situation in which recreation professionals work in isolation.  Given the nature of human interaction, you may find that there are people in your group that you may feel are “not pulling their weight” or you may find that you are one of those people.  The fact that we may have to work with difficult people and juggle schedules is a fact of professional life, and one that you must be prepared to face when you enter the work world.  Therefore, it is the policy of this instructor that each group should contract with each other for tasks that will be accomplished and any group may fire a member for non-performance of the contract.  However, this termination also demonstrates an inability of the other members of the group to be proactive in managing conflict.  As a result of this deficiency, if the group decides to “fire” one of its members, the entire group must first meet with the instructor and if the decision remains firm the project grade for the entire group will be lowered by one letter grade.  The fired group member has the option to either withdraw from the course, or complete a project on his or her own with a maximum possible grade of 89%.

Information Dissemination

Students will be required to provide the instructor with a current e-mail address, and must check e-mail on a minimum weekly basis. Class announcements and information may be disseminated through e-mail at the discretion of the instructor. Students are responsible for all information disseminated through e-mail

Supplementary Instruction

Students are encouraged to take advantage of the instructor's posted office hours. Course material can be difficult at times and often additional help is needed. If the instructor deems that your needs warrant additional assistance beyond that available through office hours, or to correct serious writing competency deficiencies, you may be asked to seek individual tutoring. The instructor will assist you with identifying a tutor if requested.

Attendance

Attendance in class is required. Excused absences are defined by as follows: Absences are excused for (a) documented illnesses, (b) official representation of the College, (c) death of a close relative, (d) religious holiday, and (e) other circumstances beyond the control of the student. Excuses for official representation of the College must be obtained from the official supervising that activity or event.

In the interests of academic decorum:

·         Contested assignments and/or grades will not be discussed in the classroom or during the class period. Please visit the instructor during office hours or make an appointment to discuss your disagreement.

·         Disruptive behavior in class will not be tolerated. This is to include but is not limited to sleeping, casual conversation during lecture, the wearing of hats in class, etc. You are future professionals and will please conduct yourselves as such in this environment.

·         Cellular telephone, instant messenger, and two-way pager use during the class period is prohibited. Cellular telephones, instant messengers, and pagers must be turned off prior to the beginning of class. Exceptions to this rule will be made only for emergency and healthcare workers who are on-call.

·         The use of electronic devices (i.e., laptops, PDA’s, cell phones, instant messengers, etc.) during exams, beyond the uses approved by the instructor, is prohibited and will be treated as a violation of the Honor Code.

·         Any behavior that is deemed disruptive by the instructor will be addressed first by a verbal warning. Following the verbal warning, if the behavior is not corrected, the student will be issued a written warning. If the disruptive behavior continues following the written warning, 10 points will be deducted from the final grade for each occurrence.