This course prepares students for leadership and management activities in recreational settings. Students will become familiar with professional standards in applied recreation contexts, examine risk management principles, and pursue certifications in areas such as: defensive driving, child protection, wilderness first aid, and CPR. At the end of the course students will be equipped to lead various campus-based and off campus recreational programs.

Presents and discusses the concepts of diversity, equity, inclusion and justice of marginalized groups for recreation services (e.g., disability, gender, race, LGBTQ+, etc.). Students will learn and apply these concepts to recreation policies, planning, programming, implementation, and evaluation practices. Emphasis on service learning, classroom activities, lectures, discussions, and hands-on, experiential learning.

Introduces mental health principles and recreational therapy interventions to improve functioning for people with emotional, social, and behavioral impairments. Students will learn and apply fundamental processes of clinical reasoning and treatment program planning to improve quality of life for persons with emotional, social, and behavioral impairments. Restricted to RMP majors.

Provides students with an overview of the evolving relationship between wilderness/nature and American society. Examines the philosophy, ethics, and societal values in American society and its relationship to our natural wilderness. Recent issues are used as case studies in order for students to articulate, defend, and critique the ethical issues presented. Students are responsible for understanding and applying philosophical approaches developed by philosophers, writers, and activists associated with the wilderness, sustainability, biodiversity, hunting, suburban sprawl, environmental activism, endangered species, organic foods, and genetic engineering.