Introduction to Parks, Recreation and Tourism

RECM 110 – 3 credits  |  Syllabus(pdf format)

Who should take this course?

Anyone who is interested in learning more about how recreation and leisure improves our lives. By some estimates, we spend a third of lives participating in recreation activities, visiting parks, and travelling to distant places. Have you ever thought about why, and how you might improve your recreation and leisure time? This class is aimed at all majors, but also serves as an introduction to the two options in the Recreation Management degree: Recreation Resource Management, and Nature-based Tourism. This course also counts towards General Education requirements, in Perspective 4: Social Sciences. As such, it looks at leisure and recreation phenomenon from individual, social, and societal viewpoints, describing some of the common social theories that have helped inform our understanding of recreation and tourism.

Why is this class important?

Understanding the nature, structure, and historical development of leisure, recreation, and tourism increases your knowledge of how and why recreation is part of happier lives, stronger families, and healthier communities. The benefits of parks, recreation and tourism are endless! Learning how recreation and park organizations improve our world can help you decide if a career in recreation management is for you.

What will I learn?

• The evolution and historical development of leisure in ancient and modern society.
• How you spend your recreation and leisure time and how you might improve it.
• An introduction to the concepts of parks, wilderness, and adventure, as well as the agencies that manage U.S. outdoor recreation.
• What motivates people to recreate in the outdoors, and how we might define quality recreation experiences and opportunities.
• Why people travel, and some of the issues and impacts surrounding eco-tourism.

Who teaches the class?

The instructor for the course is Bill Borrie, Professor of Park and Recreation Management. He has conducted research in Yellowstone National Park, the Bob Marshall Wilderness, Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. He has worked for the National Park Service in Australia, as well as for Outward Bound in Germany, Australia and the US. Bill also teaches adventurous study abroad courses in Australia, New Zealand and Fiji.