RPTS - Rec, Park & Tourism Sci

RPTS 604 Principles of Community and Community Development

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examines different theories about community development as well as the concept of community; explores measurement and other methodological issues in the conduct of basic and applied community research. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

RPTS 605/RWFM 605 Community Organization and Natural Resources Management

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Understand ways communities manage natural resources; understand the roles of collaboration, participation, agency, power, and resilience in solving local resource management problems. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross Listing: RWFM 605/RPTS 605.

RPTS 609 Social, Economic and Cultural Issues in Outdoor Recreation and Natural Resources

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Survey of socio-economic and cultural characteristics impinging on provision 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 Analytic Techniques in Recreation, Parks and Tourism

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Analysis of current research; instruments and analytic techniques used in the selection and formulation of research problems. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.

RPTS 616 Tourism Economics

Credits 3. 2 Lecture Hours. 3 Lab Hours. 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: RPTS 606 and STAT 651 or approval of instructor.

RPTS 620 Interdisciplinary Seminar in Prevention Science

Credit 1. 1 Lecture Hour. Contemporary research programs that represent the interdisciplinary field of prevention science; strengths and limitations of diverse theoretical and conceptual bases of research in prevention science; application of research findings to issues related to the prevention of mental, emotional, and physical health problems and the promotion of well-being. May be taken 3 times for credit. Prerequisite: Graduate standing and either admission to the interdisciplinary graduate certificate in prevention science program or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: COMM 671, HLTH 671 and SPSY 620.

RPTS 626 Social Impacts of Tourism

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. 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 636 Philosophy of Social Research

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Overview of the history and development of the philosophy of social science; Relationships science; issues in social research; Sociology of Knowledge; related debates in various disciplines and fields of study. May be taken 3 times for credit. Prerequisite: Doctoral classification.

RPTS 653/RENR 653 Conservation Psychology

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Theories and methods of psychology applied to conservation behavior for the improvement of relationships between people and natural systems; understand challenges and generate solutions related to the human psyche and wilderness, children and nature, role of culture. Cross Listing: RENR 653/RPTS 653.

RPTS 654

Credits 4. 4 Lecture Hours. Amazon Field School. Investigation of social and ecological complexities of biodiversity conservation in tropical ecosystems; biological and social science approaches to evaluate causes, consequences and solutions to biodiversity loss through ecology, culture and governance. Cross Listing: VTMI 604 and WFSC 654.

RPTS 655/ECCB 655 Applied Biodiversity Science I

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Study in the areas of conservation genetics, metapopulations, landscape ecology, and ecosystem management. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross Listing: ECCB 655/RPTS 655.

RPTS 658 Human-Wildlife Conflict and Coexistence

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Ecological, cultural, and historical dimensions of human-wildlife interactions; root causes of conflict; multidisciplinary frameworks of analysis; lessons learned from practitioners; examples of coexistence; case studies across taxa and continents. Prerequisites: Graduate classification. Cross Listing: RWFM 658 and ECCB 658.

RPTS 666 Parks, Tourism and the Natural Environment

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Parks, Tourism and the Natural and Cultural Environment .   Analysis of natural and cultural resource management in the United States; emphasis on federal policy and the influence by political processes at the national, regional, and local levels; case studies to illustrate conceptual and legal frameworks in real world contexts, including the policy and politics of tourism and recreation, endangered species, contested history, and Native American traditions and sovereignty. Prerequisite: RPTS 602 or approval of instructor.

RPTS 670/ALEC 670 Youth Development Programs and Services

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Principles and practices of youth development supports, opportunities, programs and services; emphasis on the role of out-of-school time settings in youth development; programming considerations related to gender, disability and culture; introduction to evaluation and financing of youth development programs. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross Listing: ALEC 670/RPTS 670.

RPTS 671/ALEC 671 Practice and Development of Effective Skills for Youth Development

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Development of skills and competencies needed to successfully manage paid and volunteer staff, design youth programs, address safety and risk management issues; build community support of public, non-profit, and for profit or commercial youth programs and agencies; history and scope of youth serving organizations; programming and staffing strategies; managing, mentoring and training staff; diverse approaches to program curriculum and design; behavior management and recognition of youth participants; youth protection; relevant laws and legal mandates; safety, health and wellness; youth advocacy and engagement; working with parents and community partners; and issues and innovations in youth development. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross Listing: ALEC 671/RPTS 671.

RPTS 672 Community Based Participatory Research

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Examination of historical and emerging philosophical, ethical and methodological issues; CBPR intersection with race, class, gender and other forms of oppression and critical methodologies; challenges for academics and community members to co-construct knowledge; orientation to democratic processes of social and organizational change; focus on inclusion of youth population in building partnerships; gain practical experience in participatory research methods.

RPTS 673/ALEC 673 Grant Writing and Program Evaluation for Youth Development Organizations

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Development of knowledge and skills to successfully write grant proposals and design program evaluation plans for youth development organizations, including clarifying organization mission and program needs, locating funding opportunities, following grant guidelines and using different methods to evaluation programs. Prerequisite: ALEC 670/RPTS 670 or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: ALEC 673/RPTS 673.

RPTS 674/ALEC 674 Administration, Management and Leadership in Youth Programs

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Organizational behavior, administration and management of public, non-profit and for-profit youth programs and agencies; foundations of management and organizational behavior in the context of youth organizations; organizational culture; strategic planning; capacity building; evaluation; marketing and communication; human resource management; financial resource development; budgeting and fiscal management; contemporary issues facing the youth development field. Prerequisite: Graduate classification. Cross Listing: ALEC 674/RPTS 674.

RPTS 677/ALEC 677 Youth Development Capstone Experience

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Application of recreation and youth development knowledge to a specific project or program of a cooperating youth development organization. Prerequisite: Graduate classification; enrollment in the MRYD program. Cross Listing: ALEC 677/RPTS 677.

RPTS 678 Latent Variable Model Applications

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. Introduction to structural equation modeling (SEM); background on conceptual issues, application of the method, and insight on SEM software; measurement theory, missing data analysis, non-normal data, confirmatory factor analysis, path analysis, multi-group models. Prerequisites: STAT 636, STAT 652, or approval of instructor. Cross Listing: RENR 678 and RWFM 678.

RPTS 679 Research and Analysis of Issues and Trends in Youth Development

Credits 2. 2 Lecture Hours. In-depth examination and analysis of a contemporary issue or trend in youth development from a bioecological sytems approach with applications to research and best practices.