Parks,Recreation,andLeisureStudies(PRLS)

Graduate School of Education

210 Introduction to Recreation and Leisure (3:3:0). Open to nonmajors. Traces the development of current concepts of recreation and leisure and their implications and consequences. Covers the influences of philosophy, religion, science, economics, sociology, and politics on discretionary time and its uses.

300 People with Nature (3:3:0). Traces the philosophical evolution of perceptions of and attitudes toward nature. Examines the role of philosophers, scientists, nature-writers, and artists in the shaping of environmental thought. Includes extensive reading of Emerson, Thoreau, Muir, Leopold, Carson, Wilson, and others.

302 Park Management and Operations (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PRLS 300. Focuses on management and operations of park resources, including the management of visitors and recreation development. Emphasizes understanding of contemporary threats to park integrity and preservation of resources. Also covers maintenance management systems.

310 Program Planning and Design (3:3:0). Corequisite: PRLS 210. Covers fundamental principles and techniques of the planning process for health, fitness, and recreation programs. Covers specifying an area of need; goals, objectives, and a mission statement; generating solutions; and selecting a program design for implementation.

316 Outdoor Education and Leadership (3:3:0). Focuses on promotion of lifelong health and fitness via noncompetitive and informal outdoor activities. Introduces safety, skills, and leadership techniques. Covers sustainable use, conservation, and stewardship of natural resources.

317 Social Psychology of Play and Recreation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PRLS 210 or permission of instructor. Applies social psychological theories and research to the study of leisure, play, and recreation behavior, including correlates, antecedents, and consequences of and constraints to these concepts.

327 Foundations of Therapeutic Recreation (3:3:0). Covers the nature and perceptions of disability and their consequences; the problems of stigma, stereotype, and labeling; and principles of normalization and inclusion. Introduces the therapeutic recreation model and activity assessment.

402 Human Behavior in Natural Environments (3:3:0). Prerequisites: PRLS 210, 300, or permission of instructor and 60 credits. Applies social and behavioral theories to management for recreational users of land and water resources. Examines deterioriation and pollution of land and water, noise, crowding, and conflicts among users. Discusses strategies for mitigation of deleterious impacts and depreciative behaviors, as well as attitudes toward resource conservation, preservation, and use.

405 Planning, Design, and Maintenance of HFRR Facilities (3:3:0). Prerequisites: PRLS 310 or POI and 60 credits. Covers quantity, location, and design standards for facilities. Includes safety, functionality, durability, and maintenance demand criteria in planning and design; programmatic and operational objectives to be met, including user comfort and convenience, crowd management, and traffic flow; and space relationships. Includes field study of local facilities.

410 Administration of HFRR Organizations I (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 60 hours. Focuses on the operation and management of health, fitness, and recreation services organizations. Covers management and leadership theories and techniques, problem solving and decision making, organizational communications, design of organizational structures, and budgeting.

411 Administration of HFRR Organizations II (3:3:0). Prerequisites: PRLS 410 and 60 hours. Focuses on planning techniques for community-based health, fitness, and recreation services organizations. Covers program and organizational marketing principles and strategies; service quality assessment and organizational evaluation techniques; and organizational financing.

416 Issues and Trends in Therapeutic Recreation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PRLS 325. Explores the role of leisure in human development with a specific focus on the leisure needs, demands, and services for people with disabilities in community settings. Presents basic concepts associated with leisure, aging, physical challenge, targeting leisure services, research, and public policy. Field experience is required.

418 Assessment in Therapeutic Recreation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PRLS 325. Covers methods of assessment, development of treatment program plans, and evaluation of all components. The course extends program design by developing competencies in the planning approaches, individual and group assessment techniques, program evaluation, and documentation strategies for people with disabilities in community settings. Field experience required.

450 Research Methods (3:3:0). Prerequisites: SOCI 313 or permission of instructor and 60 credits. Covers the development of empirical research designs for both practical and theoretical problems in health, fitness, and recreation resources management. Includes literature review of hypothesized relationships and formulation of research proposals.

460 Sport and Recreation Law (3:3:0). Prerequisite: 60 hours. Emphasizes safety, liability, and risk. Covers current law and liability issues for administrators of HFRR facilities and programs.

480 Special Topics in Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies (3:3:0). Covers selected topics reflecting interest in specialized areas of parks and outdoor recreation or therapeutic recreation.

490 Internship (12:0:0). Prerequisites: 90 hours, HEAL 205, HEAL 323, HEAL 350, PHED 303, PRLS 210, PRLS 310, PRLS 316, PRLS 317, and PRLS 410 (pass/fail basis). Provides paid or voluntary work experience in a park and recreation agency for a minimum period of 10-12 weeks of full-time employment. Applies course work, theories, and research to work settings. Work sites are chosen by students after approval of faculty supervisors. Includes meetings and assignments before as well as during the internship.

499 Independent Study (1-3:0:0). Provides individual study of topic area in leisure research, theory, or practice under the direction of faculty.

501 Introduction to Natural Resources Law (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PRLS 460 or graduate status or permission of instructor. Examines selected legal issues involving conflicting use and preservation demands on our nation's limited natural resource base, particularly those involving public lands, open space, and recreation resources. Uses case studies of recent court decisions.

503 Disability Rights Law in Sport and Recreation (3:3:0). Prerequisite: PRLS 460 or graduate status or permission of instructor. Provides an overview of several major law and policy issues related to the provision of community recreation services to special populations. The primary focus is the Americans with Disabilities Act and related federal legislation.

526 Environmental Education and Resource Interpretation (3:3:0). Prerequisites: PRLS 402 or permission of instructor and 90 credits. Covers methods for communicating and disseminating information pertaining to the use of natural recreation resources. Covers the design and implementation of educational materials and programs to enhance understanding and appreciation of cultural, historical, and natural resources.

535 Evaluating Recreation Outcomes (3:3:0). Applies quantitative and qualitative research methods to the evaluation of programs provided to visitors and users of public lands for outdoor recreation. Includes needs assessment; application of meaningful measures for formative and summative evaluations; and exceeding requirements of the Government Performance and Results Act.

National Forest Lands Management Courses

542 Foundations of Federal Land Management (1 credit). Covers the history of national land policy and the nature of management activities on federal lands. Examines policies, trends, and management needs. Covers intra- and interagency integration of land management programs. This course is available on the Internet (http://dlp.gmu.edu) without charge. Registration and payment is required for academic or agency credit.

643 Special Uses Management on Federal Lands (4 credits). Covers special use authority and authorizations, and policies, regulations, and directives in processing applications. Covers coordination and administration of special uses and integration with land and resource management plans. Includes agriculture, industry, community, aviation, water, treasure trove, and cultural uses.

644 Linear Uses and FERC Licenses on Federal Lands (3 credits). Covers legislation, regulation policies, and directives governing linear uses. Covers FERC licensing of hydroelectric power generation and distribution; rights-of-way for oil, gas, and electric transmission and railroads, communication, trams, conveyors, roads, and trails; and FERC consultation, exemption, and licensing.

645 Valuation and Land Ownership Adjustment (5 credits). Covers land ownership authority, coordination, and adjustment processes; land valuation and rules; and processes of appraisal, title exchange, purchase, donation, transfer, sale, and condemnation of properties.

646 Right-of-Way Acquisition (3 credits). Covers authorities and procedures for right-of-way acquisition from public agencies and private landowners. Covers planning coordination and project scheduling requirements, steps in the acquisition process, and cooperative development and use of roads.

647 Land Status, Boundaries, Claims, and Withdrawals (3 credits). Covers land survey and status records systems; programs for maintaining and managing boundaries; the handling of claims and encroachments; and the land status record system and Bureau of Land Management master title plat system.

648 American Indian Rights and Claims (3 credits). Covers American Indian sovereignty, Alaska Native corporations, and colonization; treaties, rights, and claims; cultural resources and Indian laws; and consultation with tribal governments. This course is available on the Internet at http://dlp.gmu.edu.

Natural Resource Recreation Management Courses

531 Natural Resources Recreation Planning (3 credits). Covers the origins and evolution of recreation use philosophy, policies, and service of public estate management. Covers planning for a spectrum of opportunities, from wilderness to developed sites, with attention to financial consideration and to sustainable use of cultural and visual resources.

533 Visitor Services (3 credits). Covers the motivation of resource-based recreation participants. Covers visitors' expectations and percaptions, with emphasis on implication for service quality, staff training, and other management responsibilities. Also covers use and user conflicts and placement, information and interpretive service, and human and other interpretive service resources.

560 Liability and Risk Management (3 credits). Covers facility and program design to prevent accidents and injuries and to minimize health hazards for visitors and employees. Covers liability and risk; jurisdictions, legal apparatus, and decision making; and analysis of resource-based recreation caselaw.

635 Recreation Special Uses and Appeals (3 credits). Covers the management of extensive and varied commercial and noncommercial demands on federal lands. Covers policies and procedures used by federal land managers; implementation, effects, and problems of permit systems; and appeal provisions.