Department of Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences

Graduate Courses

Recreation, Park & Tourism Sciences (RPTS)

RPTS 601. Interrelationship of Recreation and Leisure Concepts.: History, philosophy and interrelationships underlying the development of the recreation, park, conservation, natural resource and tourism movements with broad treatment of the role of these movements in contemporary society.
RPTS 602. Social Science Foundations of Recreation and Resource Development.: Sociological and social psychological dimensions of leisure, recreation and related behavior; nature and function of leisure for individuals and for society; implications for development and management of recreation resources. Prerequisite: RPTS 601 or previous academic background in recreation and parks.
RPTS 603. Acquiring and Allocating Park and Recreation Resources.: Positioning park and recreation services; traditional and non-traditional sources for acquisition and development of facilities; tools and techniques for allocating operating resources.
RPTS 606. Overview of Tourism.: Introduction to the field of tourism sciences, and an overview of the scale and scope of the industry and business of tourism; the cooperative and dynamic nature of decision-making in tourism; the contributions made by various disciplines towards understanding the consequences of tourism trade and activity; and identification of critical issues in the study of travel and tourism.
RPTS 609. Social, Economic and Cultural Issues in Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources.: Survey of socio-economic and cultural characteristics impinging on provisions of outdoor recreation opportunities in urban and non-urban settings. Implications of social and cultural factors on recreation resource use patterns, resource development, and policy issues.
RPTS 615. Analytical Techniques in Recreation, Park and Tourism.: Analysis of current research; instruments and adaptive techniques used in the selection and formulation of research problems.

RPTS 616. Tourism Economics.: Introduction to tourism economics including: tourism consumption and demand analysis; operating and capital budgeting; measurement of economic impacts through input/output analysis; forecasting; project management through PERT/CPM; decision making under uncertainty; benefit/cost analysis. Prerequisites: STAT 651, PRTS 606 or approval of instructor.

RPTS 626. Social Impacts of Tourism.: Analysis of social, cultural, and political impacts associated with travel behavior and tourism development, emphasizing a case study approach; theories and methods for assessing individual, community, and organization impacts at local and regional levels; host/guest interactions; evaluation of processes of tourism planning and decision-making; and qualitative and quantitative measures for assessing social impacts. Prerequisite: RPTS 606 or approval of instructor.

RPTS 646. Heritage Tourism.: Comprises a transdisciplinary examination of contemporary research and practice in heritage tourism and public culture; students encouraged to deploy a variety of disciplinary outlooks to explore the representation of peoples, places and pasts in a range of settings from the indigenous/sacred to the post industrial/post colonial.

RPTS 666. Tourism and the Natural Environment.: Environmental and natural resource issues in tourism development and travel activity; philosophical issues in nature based- and eco-tourism; sustainable development and tourism; assessment of environmental impacts at macro and micro scales; integrating values into allocation, planning, and management of tourism use of natural resources; the role of tourism in the stewardship of ecosystems. Prerequisite: RPTS 606 or approval of instructor.

RPTS 681. Seminar.: Preparation and discussion by students of special reports, topics and research data in recreation and parks; presentation of subjects of professional significance by staff members and invited speakers.
RPTS 684. Professional Internship.: Survey and application of principles of recreation and resource development; selected aspects of park and recreation management in professional settings within approved recreation/park agencies under supervision of a member of the graduate faculty; required of all students in the Master of Natural Resources Development (MNRD) and the Master of Recreation Resources Development (MRRD) degree programs.

RPTS 685. Directed Studies.: Investigations not included in student's research for thesis or dissertation; problems selected in administration or management, recreation or planning.

RPTS 689. Special Topics in....: Selected topics in an identified area of recreation, park and tourism. May be repeated for credit. Prerequisite: Approval of department head.

RPTS 691. Research.: Research in recreation and resource development for thesis or dissertation.

RPTS 693. Professional Study.: Approved research or professional paper undertaken as the terminal requirement for the MRRD and MNRD degree programs. May be taken more than once, but not to exceed 3 hours credit toward a degree. Approval of instructor required.

Renewable Natural Resources (RENR)

RENR 621. Agroforestry.: Study of land management that uses woody perennials to enhance productivity, stability and sustainability of agricultural and pastoral land use systems; emphasizing current research and literature of agroforestry systems and their role in natural resource management. Prerequisite: Graduate classification or approval of instructor.

RENR 651. Forest and Range Soils.: Properties and management of forest and rangeland soils; soil-vegetation relationships; effects of perennial woody plants on soil properties; soil aspects of agroforestry; impact of global change on wildland soils. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.
RENR 659. Ecological Economics.: Study of the relationships between ecosystems and economic systems; understanding the effects of human economic endeavors on ecological systems and how the ecological benefits and costs of such activities can be quantified and internalized. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross-listed with AGED 659.

RENR 660. Environmental Impact Analysis for Renewable Natural Resources.: Analysis and critique of contemporary environmental analysis methods in current use; environmental impact statements; national policies; political, social and legal ramifications as related to development and use of renewable natural resources.
RENR 662. Environmental Law and Policy Resources Law.: Analysis of the legal theories used to allocate and protect environmental resources; common law, federal and state statutes, and international treaties dealing with the environment; policies and laws for controlling air, water, solid waste, toxic waste and water pollution; species protection and natural resource use.
RENR 664. Coastal Zone Management.: Major issues of coastal management in the United States; relationships between natural environments of the coastal zone and public policies affecting the development, use and conservation of natural resources. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.
RENR 689. Special Topics in Renewable Natural Resources.: Selected topics in an identified area of renewable natural resources. May be repeated for credit.