syllabus

REC 3202 Women and Leisure

WHAT TO DO IF YOU NEED HELP:

1. If you have problems with BlackBoard, call the help desk at 510-885-HELP.

2. General course questions (due dates, clarification of instructions, etc.) post your question on discussion board named “Water Cooler.”

3. If you have personal questions (question about a grade you received etc.), contact the instructor directly via email (fastest), by leaving a voice message, or by setting up an in-person office hours meeting.

4. To contact instructor (You may have one of two instructors: Cyndi Eppler or Lisa Smusz)

a. Cyndi Eppler: Phone: 510-885-3043 Lisa Smusz: 510-381-4395

b. Office Hours By telephone appointment only: Hayward Campus, AE 246

c. Student to email instructor requesting telephone appt.

About the Course:

This course is organized by Modules. Module: Monday through Sunday. Within each module folder are the assignments that need to be completed for that week.

Classroom time = discussion boards postings are due each Thursday and Saturday by 11:59 pm.

Homework = all other assignments, are usually due on Sundays by 11:59 pm.

Final Exam=due by 11:59 pm on the Wednesday of finals week

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course explores women and their leisure and recreation pursuits from creative, historical, and cultural perspectives. Students will examine the factors that influence leisure opportunities, effects of positive and negative leisure behaviors, and leisure’s role in contributing to the quality of life of women. Women’s leisure expression is a reflection of societal change. Social and cultural mores, values, beliefs, and self-concepts that shape these changes are among the social and personal forces that will be researched and explored.

COURSE REQUIRED READING/CONTENT:

1. Leisure Women & Gender (2013)

a. Edited by Valeria J. Freysinger, M. Deborah Bialeschki, Susan M. Shaw, Karla A. Henderson

b. ISBN 1-892132-98-2/ISBN-13 978-1-892132-98-7

c. Venture Publishing

2. Assessments/additional reading as distributed online by instructor.

3. Movies (Films with a * denote that students are given the choice of movie (they don’t watch all of them)

a. Movies can be streamed from iTunes, Amazon, Google Play. The movies cost about $3-4 to rent. You might also try RedBox. You can order movies to be reserved at redbox.com. You can also have movies mailed to your home from Netflix or Amazon. Also, some are free if you are a member of Amazon Prime.

COURSE CONTENT AND REQUIREMENTS:

Through assigned reading, on-line discussion boards, research, and student participation in experiential activities this course will assist students in understanding the many factors that influence the leisure choices and behaviors of women.

Course Content Informed Consent

This course discusses potentially controversial topics which may be considered offensive to some individuals. Potentially controversial material may include, but is not limited to, reading/video/audio material that contains references to religion, culture, race, politics, adult language, incest, euthanasia, sex, sexual orientation, birth control and gender identity.

At no time will any individual be required to disclose his or her personal opinions, approval, or disapproval related to his or her personal values on any topic, nor will the opinions and/or beliefs of any individual be evaluated on the basis of agreement or disagreement therewith. Rather, students will be evaluated on his or her thoughtful review, assessment and use of class materials in discussing women’s leisure choices, constraints on women’s leisure, or as otherwise related to the goals of this course.

Attendance and/or Class Participation

Class participation is a requirement of this course and the quality/quantity of student participation will be reflected in your final grade. Students will be expected to complete both individual assignments, and contribute to class discussions online.  Students are expected to complete all assignments. Students are responsible for all the information covered in this course.

This is an internet only course and attendance is measured by time spent online.  You have total control over when you learn in this class.  It can be at 2:00 a.m. in your pajamas but you have to attend to this course.  If you think about it in terms that if you were in class for 4 hours a week (regular 4 unit course) you need to spend a minimum of 4 hours a week online.  Each of your courses at the University requires homework.  Homework for an online class involves research, interviews and other learning activities.  The rule of thumb for homework is @2-3 hours a week per class hour.  Therefore, you should plan on 4 hours + 8 hours (homework) = 12 hours per week. The good thing about online learning is that your online hours can be divided up over many days.  The most critical aspect is reading all the discussion boards so you can communicate with your classmates.  If you only show up once a week, it is likely you will not pass this class. I strongly recommend that you log onto this class every day.  The students that do well in this class are on every day.  If you want to earn an A or B you need to log on often. An online class requires self-discipline.  No one will be taking roll and you don't need to show up a specific time.  You do however need to complete assignments on time.  Often times it only takes 5-10 minutes to check the discussion board and respond to others.  At other times it will take much longer time to do the assignments for class.  Online is not easier, it is just more efficient. We have the ability to track how much time students are logged on to each specific part of the course.  I check it frequently. If we could do away with grades we would but it has been our experience that you all need them to keep you motivated.  You must be self-motivated.  Learning will be fun and will not involve lectures (oh, darn!).  You will be doing research and reading, discussion and writing, online presentations, and more.  You will spend time learning about yourself and what makes you tick.

Required Computer software and hardware and Internet Access

· If you are traveling without internet access for more than a week, you should drop this class. 

· At home, if you don't have access to a computer, go to the library, computer lab (hours of availability are listed on the home page of BlackBoard), go to Kinko's or a friend's home.  YOU NEED TO HAVE A “PLAN B” FOR THIS COURSE IN CASE YOU HAVE COMPUTER PROBLEMS. I will not grant ANY extensions for assignments due to computer problems. This applies especially to technical difficulties and time that it takes to upload large files. If an assignment is due at midnight, DO NOT wait until the last minute to do it. Do not take quizzes with a phone or iPad or similar device. Use a computer.

· You should have high speed Internet.

· Let me know if you have a family emergency before you leave. 

· You will need the ability to use power point or other presentation software, and a camera in your lap top/computer to record yourself giving a brief presentation. You will need to upload the video to Black Board.

Disabilities and Accommodations

If you have a documented disability and wish to discuss your approved academic accommodations, or if you would need assistance in the event of an emergency, please make an appointment to meet with me as soon as possible.

Online Etiquette and Appropriate Use of Discussion Forums

This class intends to make you think deeply about yourself and your views and experiences regarding personal wellness and the role of leisure. You are encouraged to use personal experiences to support your arguments in your discussion board posts. However, discussions must remain academic in nature (e.g. responding to an intellectual question). At no time should the forums include inappropriate language or be used to proselytize your beliefs (political, religious, moral, sexual, etc.).

Plagiarism Policy

Plagiarism is taken very seriously in this course. The assignments and discussion boards were created to provoke thought within you about the topics being discussed; therefore it is important that you submit original work.

This course utilizes plagiarism prevention software (turnitin), which will compare your assignments with other papers submitted across the US, other students in this course, and articles available on the internet.

If you submit someone else’s work without proper citation, you will receive a grade of zero for the assignment and the incident will be reported to the department and student judicial affairs. If a second act of plagiarism occurs, you will be subject to further action as determined by the instructor and Student Judicial Affairs. Potential consequences of a second offense may include failing the course and potential suspension or expulsion from the university.

Make sure you post your own work.  Last quarter a student copied another student's postings from a previous course and posted them as her own. Another student submitted portions of a movie review and tried to pass this off as her opinions about a movie. Both of these incidents are cheating and both students received zero credit on those assignments. If a student submits work that is not his/her own – at minimum, the student will receive 1) an academic dishonesty report submitted to the department; 2) a zero for the assignment; and 3) may receive an F for the course.

Some students are not sure what constitutes plagiarism or how to properly cite references. If you need assistance, please contact the instructor or visit the Student Center for Academic Achievement on the Hayward campus for more information.

I use a lot of films in this course. DO NOT COPY FILM REVIEWS AND POST THEM AS YOUR OWN WORK. This is plagiarism. At a minimum, students will fail if this occurs. Properly cite your work.

Late Assignment Policy

The class discussions and assignments are designed to incorporate and build on learning gained from recently completed assignments and readings. It is therefore critical for students to complete all reading and assignments in a timely manner.

Late work WILL NOT be accepted for the following assignments:

· Weekly Quizzes

· Discussion Board Posts (applies to both initial posts and response posts)

· Extra Credit Assignments (unless otherwise noted)

· The final essay

Class Assignments may be submitted by the following means:

Via the Black Board site (required unless special arrangements are made)

As a docx or pdf attachment to the professor’s email (special arrangement needed)

In person to the LHLS Department Office (special arrangement needed)

Other than the work listed above, late assignments will be accepted, unless otherwise noted below; however, they will be penalized 10% for each day the paper is late (including weekends). Assignments that are more than 7 days late will NOT be accepted. No exceptions. For example, for an assignment worth a maximum of 100 points, students submitting late assignments should expect the following penalties:

· Day Paper is Submitted On: Points Deducted: Highest Grade Possible:

· Due Date or Prior 0 100 (A)

· 1 Day Late 10 90 (A-)

· 2 Days Late 20 80 (B-)

· 3 Days Late 30 70 (C-)

· 4 Days Late 40 60 (D-)

· 5 Days Late 50 50 (Failing Grade)

Make-up Assignment Policy

· Students will not be allowed to make-up late assignments under any circumstances after the assignment is more than 7 days past due. However, I am aware that life circumstances sometimes prevent you from completing assignments. To offset the effects of unexpected events, students may choose to participate in extra credit opportunities. Details will be announced online. Additionally, your lowest weekly quiz score during the quarter will be dropped. Contact the professor for more information about these policies.

Assignments and Points Possible

Video Presentation 100

Discussion Boards 9 x 50= 450

Syllabus Quiz 10

Weekly Quizzes 6 x 40 = 240

Final Paper = 200

Total Points Possible: 1000

Extra credit assignments:

Extra Credit Assignment#1: Quiz Question Creation (50 points)

Extra Credit Assignment#2: Compare Contrast Mini Essay On Disney Princesses: Then & Now (100 points)

Total points possible does not include extra credit points. Extra credit opportunity(s) will be available as announced in class/on-line.

Final Grades are assigned as follows:  

A= 93-100%

A-= 90-92%

B+ = 88-89%

B = 83-87 %

B- = 80-82%

C+ = 78-79 %

C = 73-77%

C- = 70-72%

D = 60-70%

F = 60 or Below