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Experiential Assignment RTM 251 - Introduction to Recreation and the Natural Environment |
Field Education Experience - Outdoor Discovery: In addition to the on-line learning there is a required field learning experience that will be self-initiated. Several options are possible and are outlined below. Please consult the experiences page early as some of the opportunities require early action in the semester. The field experience could range from overnight outdoor adventure experiences to participation in more passive environmental education programs. The experience will be fun and a great compliment to the issues discussed in the class. A brief journal of your observations and learning will be submitted electronically. DUE by date given at Assignments page. (Grade value of 20%.)
Introduction:
One of the challenges of on-line instruction is to try to re-create experiences that would be scheduled as a field trip in a conventional classroom. The goal of this assignment is to move the student from just an intellectual discussion of outdoor recreation and the care for natural environments to a first hand exposure to the natural environment. Three broad options are listed for you to meet this requirement. You will select one of them. In each case you will do three things.
First, you will notify the instructor of your choice by email and will make that decision by the second week of the semester.
Second, you will participate in the experience. Participation can be alone or feel free to network with fellow classmates and to arrange a small group experience.
Third, you will complete a journal (typed) and submit that journal to receive credit for the assignment. The journal should be both descriptive and reflective; descriptive of the experience detailing the where, when, what, who questions surrounding the experience. Reflective means to ask the next level of questions, why and so what, to extract the meanings of the experience and its relationship to the course objectives. In what ways did this experience reinforce material you had already been learning or what new insights did the event provide related to outdoor recreation and the natural environment.
Options:
1. The simplest and perhaps the most fun would be to sign up for an 'experiential style class' offered by the Recreation an Tourism Management Department this semester and use that experience to satisfy this assignment. The RTM 151 Backcountry series of classes would be an easy way to satisfy this experience and they are only two unit classes and are offered over a weekend time frame. Find out more at this page. There are also several other outdoor oriented classes that offer trips to the outdoors; RTM 351, RTM 310, and RTM 353 are other options which can be tracked down through the dept home page.
2. Another option to get you to the outdoors and to see first hand the impact issues that come in conflict with the benefits of outdoor recreation is to sign up with another recreation provider and join them for a day or multi-day experience. The university is explicitly clear that going with any third part provider is strictly at your own risk and the university does not provide any endorsement of the safety of any outing provided by any other organization or self-initiated group of individuals. The information here is only a link to service providers in Southern CA and are offered for informational purposes only. Go to Google and type in one of these names: Get lost adventures, sierra club southern CA, Santa Monica Mountains Recreation area user guide.
3. A third option is to participate in a more passive outdoor recreation experience by visiting a local interpretative center that focuses on an environmental impact issue. One may need to do some digging in your local area but here are some general ideas. The local natural history museum (e.g. LA County Natural History Museum) will have numerous displays on the environment and frequently has several special exhibits that focus on impact issues. Another option in this category is to volunteer for a day that involves environmental impact. Many local outdoor or environmental clubs (e.g. Sierra Club, Save the Bay, Tree People) offer a clean-up day and are looking for volunteers and your participation in the event of a community clean-up would be a great idea. Local nature centers operated by National Parks, State or County Parks, or local non-profits would provide a program for visitors at their center which would introduce you to new information on the outdoors and the care for the environment.
Please remember to check into these options early because the event you may find of greatest interest may be happening next weekend. Option 1 would need to be decided in week one or two of the semester and options 2 & 3 all tend to offer more programs in the early part of the semester rather than the later part.
Please remember the general rules for submitting assignments.
Key Links
Guide to Success in this class
FAQ about RTM 251