Inclusive Leisure Services

Catalog description

The course provides a review of leisure services and programs designed to be inclusive of individuals from underrepresented groups and an overview of professional, legal, and ethical issues. Students receive information about the history of social movements toward inclusive leisure services and acquire knowledge about people who experience oppression, marginalization, and are disenfranchised as well as strategies to enhance their leisure. The course highlights information about the psychological and sociological significance of discretionary time, recreation, and leisure for all people. In addition, the course provides details on social, psychological and physical circumstances that create barriers to leisure engagement. The course addresses current issues related to inclusive leisure services and ethical and professional behavior in the reduction of barriers and subsequent delivery of such services. The course focuses on increasing students' awareness of the needs and interests of diverse populations as well as promotes understanding of principles and procedures for effective social, cultural and environmental design of leisure services, areas, and facilities that facilitate inclusion. Students learn about legal foundations and responsibilities of leisure service providers in serving all people and develop an understanding of ways to comply with professional, legal, and regulatory standards. The course provides students with guidelines to follow so that they help people experience the psychological, social, and physical benefits of leisure. Students receive information on ways to endorse people's culture, with culture used broadly to include characteristics such as ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, and race. In this course, students explore various characteristics such as people's abilities, age, gender, economic resources, and family and the influence that these aspects of their lives have on their leisure and how to design community leisure services that address challenges in any of these areas. The course is based on ethical principles including the belief that everyone is deserving of respect and has right to be self-determined and that no one can be reduced to a single characteristic. Another cluster of ethical principles focus on the notion that inclusion is good and diversity enriches our world. Finally, since service providers have substantial power and responsibility, they are encouraged to have ethical beliefs drive their behaviors as they consider perspectives other than their own and engage in critical and constructive thinking to contribute to a more just society. Students are exposed to the historical background, development, and current configurations of various groups in our pluralistic American culture. Such exposure will promote an understanding of complex issues of inter-group relations and many kinds of cultural contributions that have shaped our nation. The course strives to increase students' understanding of contemporary United States society.