49 undergraduate courses in the 2024–25 Undergraduate Calendar, and 24 graduate courses in the Spring 2025 Graduate Calendar.
An overview of the broad field of recreation and leisure emphasizing the understanding of various leisure phenomena. As such, it provides the student with an introductory understanding of the nature and scope of leisure, leisure behaviour, and affiliated recreation activity.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
Using a wide variety of leisure service agencies as examples, this course introduces students to the nature and scope of leisure provision. Topics include program components, the classification and management of resources, professionalism, and current managerial trends and future developments.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course emphasizes the application of design thinking principles to develop, implement, and evaluate recreation experiences as solutions to the needs of targeted users. Students will gain relevant and practical skills through hands-on design of outcome-driven experiences in project teams.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to examine models, theories, tools, and techniques required in the design, facilitation, and evaluation of therapeutic recreation services for individuals and groups.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
One or more term courses will be offered from time to time as announced by the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department. Subjects will be dependent upon special research and/or instructional interests of faculty.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
A critical analysis of definitions, concepts and assumptions of classical, recent and modern theories of play with implications for programming, planning and evaluating children's play.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course focuses on how justice, equity, and liberation can be taken up within and promoted through recreation, leisure, and community. Emphasis is placed on just communities that put liberation of all peoples at the forefront of relations including self-care, community care, and environmental care. It explores why social justice matters by introducing issues related to inclusivity, privilege, power, marginalization, identities, and oppression. Topics for critique and resistance may include, but are not limited to gentrification, capitalism, settler colonialisms, environmental injustice, and other systemic barriers at play within our leisure lives and communities.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course considers the historical impact of Western sport. It traces the history from individual play through amateurism to professionalism, big business, and media. It examines sport's social role within local, national, and international communities, and its relationship to class, gender, leisure, race, and politics.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course examines sport in modern societies and the distinctive features of Canadian sport. Attention is directed to the relationship between sport and other institutions, including the economy and political system. Contemporary issues, including racial and gender inequality and controversies over violence and drugs are also considered.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course uses the tools of philosophy to ask important questions about sport, such as: What is sport? What is the value of sport for participants or fans? Are violent sports unethical? Should performance enhancing drugs be banned? What is luck, and how is it different from skill?
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course explores the business of professional sport around the world. Topics may include league policy and governance, strategic growth and development, media, team building, analytics, financial management, and business ethics.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
Exploration of marketing concepts and methods available to public, commercial and private recreation, sport and event organizations. Topics may include the marketing philosophy, market research, market segmentation, and marketing mix strategies related to programming, distributing, pricing and promoting recreation, sport, and event experiences.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course examines social entrepreneurship as a means for improving individual and community well-being. Focus will be placed on learning and implementing tools which businesses, citizens, and consumers can use to address social issues. Students will complete the course with an understanding of their personal responsibilities and roles as community/ global citizens providing opportunities for students to practice their leadership skills and support their career development. Emphasis may be placed on the role of social entrepreneurship in addressing issues related to social justice, inclusion, and sustainability practices.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course will offer students a broad understanding of event studies from theoretical and applied perspectives. Particular emphasis will be placed on exploring issues relevant to event management, defining and categorizing events based on their purposes and outcomes, and understanding and critiquing the role of events in society.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
The course examines human-nature relationships in leisure and tourism contexts from an interdisciplinary perspective. It integrates experiential learning with theoretical and critical inquiry to understand and analyze values, attitudes, cultures, programming, impacts, management, and contemporary issues and trends.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to explore the etiology of disability and the role of therapeutic recreation in the lives of people with developmental and emotional disabilities.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to explore medical, sociocultural, and experiential understandings of physical disability and the role of therapeutic recreation in the lives of people disabled by physical, natural, and social environments and structures within community.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course involves an unpaid practical experience for students in Honours Therapeutic Recreation. The placement supervisor must be approved by the academic supervisor prior to registering for the course. The practicum will require 105 hours interspersed over one academic term (15 weeks).
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
One or more term courses will be offered from time to time as announced by the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department. Subjects will be dependent upon special research and/or instructional interests of faculty.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
The scope and nature of tourism as a contemporary leisure experience is examined along with economic, political and social ramifications, research strategies employed, and implications for the future.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course draws on a range of feminist theories and frameworks to examine the interconnections between gender and health in local, national, and international contexts. Topics may include the medicalization of gendered bodies; reproductive experiences, choices, technologies and rights; health care systems and institutions; health policy; and the links with leisure, recreation, and health. Intersections of gender with race, ethnicity, sexual identity, (dis)ability, class, religion, aging, and other axes of oppression will also be addressed.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
REC 312 involves an unpaid placement in an organization related to recreation, sport, business, or tourism. Placement opportunities will be facilitated by the course instructor, in partnership with the supervising organization.The placement will require 105 hours interspersed over one academic term (15 weeks). The completion of these hours will be determined by the placement supervisor, in consultation with the student.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course introduces students to the policies, programming, and management strategies involved in supporting the amateur sport system from early sport and recreation participation to the international stage. Students will learn about key actors, sport policy, long-term athlete development, board governance, fundraising and grants, strategic partnerships, and volunteer management. Specific emphasis will be given to critical thinking related to how effective governance systems can be implemented.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course focuses on the core areas of event planning and design including logistics, risk management, human resources, sponsorship and financial management, marketing and assessments. Students will learn through lectures and collaboration with community partners how to conceptualize and design events to achieve important outcomes such as social justice, inclusion, economic development, environmental sustainability, tourism development, sport development, and community well-being.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to examine the scope of modalities and facilitation techniques used by therapeutic recreation professions in the facilitation of therapeutic recreation interventions for individuals and groups in a variety of therapeutic recreation settings.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course covers concepts, theories, models, and issues relevant to understanding relationships between leisure and community. Areas of discussion may include the roles of leisure as a context for community building and development, critical understandings of relationships between community and leisure, as well as approaches to community building through leisure. Opportunities for experiential and collaborative learning will form major components of the course and a volunteer placement may be required.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to examine theories, concepts, and evidence informing the design and facilitation of therapeutic recreation practice.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to familiarize the student with the characteristics of the aging population, particularly as related to recreation, leisure, and lifestyle. It focuses both on the theoretical aspects of aging and their implications for leisure and on the practical aspects of recreation and leisure program development, delivery, and facilitation for all older adults.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
An introduction to individual and population aging. Topics discussed include: aging from a historical and comparative perspective; aging in subcultures; aging and the social structure; aging and social processes; aging and the environment; work and retirement; and aging and leisure patterns.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course provides students with skills to collect, organize, visualize, analyze, interpret, and communicate quantitative data. Students will develop their analytic and problem-solving skills and develop solutions with the use of statistical analysis. Students will learn to use data management software tools.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
One or more term courses will be offered from time to time as announced by the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department. Subjects will be dependent upon special research and/or instructional interests of faculty.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
An exploration of qualitative methodologies used in the fields of leisure. Philosophies, theoretical orientations, and ethical considerations will be emphasized as students discuss and participate in various approaches to research design, data collection, analysis, and representation.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
The course examines the nature, significance, and costs and benefits of tourism in the context of tourism destinations in developed and developing countries. It employs an international perspective to assess the economic, environmental, social, and cultural impacts of tourism in diverse settings.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed for senior students who are interested in the social sciences as a way of understanding factors that influence leisure behaviour and the role of leisure in the lives of individuals and their communities and social institutions. Students will have an opportunity to expand their understanding of leisure issues and problems facing society, thereby building on previous course work, personal experience and media. The small group setting of the seminar will provide students with the opportunity to explore their leisure research interests.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course examines relationships between various aspects of leisure and well-being from a holistic perspective. Both positive and negative implications of leisure and recreational pursuits for well-being are considered for individuals, communities, and environments.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This seminar course focuses on recent theoretical and empirical research on the relationships between gender and leisure. Topics will include analysis of men's and women's leisure experiences, attitudes, constraints, challenges, and behaviours. Gendered aspects of leisure will be explored in a variety of social and cultural contexts, including families, informal and social settings, organized leisure, and the media.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This capstone course allows students to reflect upon and integrate insights and skills they have gathered during their studies. Specifically, students will draw upon knowledge gained in previous courses and relevant work experience to identify and address complex managerial challenges. These challenges may be social and/or organizational in scope, and approaches used may be multi-sectorial in nature. Students will develop plans and measures that confront those challenges in innovative ways that best achieve stated goals and objectives.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course explores the effective implementation and leverage of events to achieve event impacts. Students will also examine various quantitative and/or qualitative event evaluation methods.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
Students will acquire knowledge and skills to plan and conduct evaluations of leisure services and programs. The course will cover pre-evaluation, needs assessment, goals and outcomes, evaluation designs, process and outcome evaluation, report preparation, evaluation politics, and ethics.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course examines the employment of recreation, sport, and tourism to transform, enliven, and/or alter community spaces. In doing so, it explores the potential of (re)shaping, (re)territorializing, and (re)making the built environment with the intent of interpreting, narrating, and imagining places to inscribe them with meaning and value. With an emphasis on principles of transformative placemaking, students are encouraged to envision meaningful alterations of places to better meet the needs of communities.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course will examine the role of cultural heritage resources in urban and regional planning. Students will discuss different types of cultural heritage resources, including their identification, evaluation, promotion, protection, and role in community identity. Students will also consider the legislative and policy frameworks for heritage conservation and learn how to apply key tools for inventorying and evaluating cultural heritage resources.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This blended course includes a field and online learning experience and focuses on the philosophical, socio-cultural, health, and ecological dimensions of ecotourism, and the skills and practices necessary for planning and managing ecotourism for community development and well-being. The course will involve one or more overnight excursions to ecotourism destinations in Ontario (e.g., Muskoka or Haliburton region).
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This internship course provides an opportunity for students to use the therapeutic recreation process and demonstrate core competencies of professional and ethical conduct in an approved therapeutic recreation setting. The student must engage in minimum 560-hour (typically completed over a minimum of 14 consecutive weeks) internship at or with an approved organization under the shared supervision of a qualified Therapeutic Recreation professional and an academic supervisor. The student has one opportunity to attempt the internship and must achieve a minimum grade of 70% to obtain the course credit.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course is designed to facilitate an in-depth exploration and analysis of philosophical issues and interdisciplinary theories to discuss how they relate to therapeutic recreation practice and research.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
The honours recreation and leisure studies undergraduate thesis is an independent research project on an approved topic supervised by a faculty member. To complete the honours thesis, students are expected to complete both REC 471A and REC 471B. REC 471A includes an approved design and completion of the research proposal.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
The honours recreation and leisure studies undergraduate thesis is an independent research project on an approved topic supervised by a faculty member. The thesis is comprised of REC 471A and REC 471B. Enrolment in REC 471B requires the approval of the academic supervisor.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
One or more term courses will be offered from time to time as announced by the Recreation and Leisure Studies Department. Subjects will be dependent upon special research and/or instructional interests of faculty.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This course allows students to pursue a particular topic in depth through guided independent study. Students will be encouraged to synthesize evidence and/or scholarship from a number of sources to mobilize knowledge in a way that makes information accessible, relevant, and actionable for the needs of a particular audience, including academia, community, organization, or sector.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
This seminar-type course provides students an opportunity to situate their past learning and work experience with broader contemporary and critical issues associated with tourism development, sustainability, society, and both individual and community well-being.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Fall 2024Course outlines
From the Spring 2025 Graduate Calendar. Also this year: Fall 2024, Winter 2025.
An examination and discussion of the definitions, concepts and theories used in recreation and leisure studies. The seminar seeks to identify and discuss current theories, methods, and issues, and to examine the concepts of professionalism and scientific inquiry as they apply to the field of recreation.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
A structured experience in a specified community agency to provide the student with the opportunity to relate theory and practice. A minimum of 50 hours per term will be required. Approval of Faculty Supervisor and Field Supervisor; Faculty Supervisor to assign grade via final written report, in consultation with Field Supervisor.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This elective course will examine contemporary issues related to one of the five thematic areas of the Recreation and Leisure graduate curriculum, specifically leisure services, organizations and policy.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
Students work in teams to develop and apply their theoretical knowledge and research skills to an evaluation project. Projects may include, but are not limited to, evaluability studies, needs assessments, outcome evaluations or process evaluations. Teams work with existing organizations to identify relevant projects, carry them out, and ensure the utilization of findings.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This elective course will examine contemporary issues related to one of the five thematic areas of the Recreation and Leisure Studies graduate curriculum, specifically leisure and social justice.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
The elective course will examine contemporary issues related to one of the five thematic areas of the Recreation and Leisure Studies graduate curriculum, specifically leisure, place and space.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This elective course will examine contemporary issues related to one of the five thematic areas of Recreation and Leisure Studies graduate curriculum, specifically leisure and community.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This elective course will examine contemporary issues related to one of the five thematic areas of Recreation and Leisure Studies graduate curriculum, specifically leisure, health and well-being.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
An examination of epistemological, methodological, and analytical issues in quantitative approaches to research. Emphasis is placed on diverse forms of research design, data collection, and statistical analysis. Topics may include diverse forms of measurement, scale development, sampling, survey design, statistical methods and interpretation, and applications of theory in quantitative research. The course includes discussions of the implications of empirical research in the field and ethical issues in the research process.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
An examination of various qualitative research processes including ontological and epistemological underpinnings, theoretical frameworks, methodologies, methods, analysis, and both traditional and creative analytic representations. Students will investigate methodological possibilities and ways of navigating philosophical, political, and ethical considerations related to undertaking qualitative inquiry.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
Examines and applies a variety of statistical techniques used in the analysis of leisure research data. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation and implications of empirical research in the field. Note: An undergraduate statistics course and permission of the instructor is required.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This course provides a scholarly environment for graduate students working on individual qualitative research projects. It builds on foundational knowledge of onto-epistemological perspectives, theoretical frameworks, and qualitative methodologies explored in REC 663 by examining how these aspects inform and guide individual research designs. Students will be expected to spend considerable time working on research ethics, theoretical perspective, literature review, methodology, data collection techniques, analysis styles, and various forms of representation.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
Topic(s) to be negotiated on an individual or small group basis with members of the faculty.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
An examination of the different paradigmatic perspective that influence the multidisciplinary field of Leisure Studies. The interrelationships among paradigms, theories, epistemologies, and methodologies are explored, with particular attention to their application to current research in the field. Graded on a Cr/NCr basis.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This course will provide an overview of current thinking on work and health by introducing students to major substantive topics in the area from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The course will critically examine a variety of topics that may be investigated from different disciplinary perspectives. Classes will include presentations by faculty members representing different disciplines in the collaborative program. Examples of topics discussed in a given term may include work-stress relationships, healthy workplaces, and vulnerable populations.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to different ways of designing and implementing research within the topic area of work and health as well as some of the practical, political and ethical challenges. The course content will include an examination of the epistemological positions associated with different types of research questions, analysis of case studies of research in work and health, and discussions of proposed research questions and proposals that examine problems from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The course will also include presentations by researchers and practitioners from the work and health domain, who will facilitate discussions on the challenges and opportunities of conducting and applying research in this area.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This seminar is a forum for student presentations about results of or proposals for research. Invited speakers will also present results of research from time to time. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., during the candidates' first two years in the program). Attendance beyond that is encouraged. The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of investigation in the collaborative program. Grading will be on a credit/no credit basis.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This seminar is a forum for student presentations about results of or proposals for research. Invited speakers will also present results of research from time to time. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., during the candidates' first two years in the program). Attendance beyond that is encouraged. The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of investigation in the collaborative program. Grading will be on a credit/no credit basis.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This survey course will be team-taught by members of the collaborative program and will serve to introduce students to major sub-areas of aging, health and well-being research. Topics will be covered from each Department within the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This seminar is a forum for Aging, Health and Well-Being students to present about their research. Invited speakers will also discuss relevant research or professional development. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., through completion of HLTH/KIN/REC 751A and HLTH/KIN/REC 751B, respectively, over the students' first two years in the program). The topics addressed in the seminar cross all disciplines of the Collaborative Aging, Health and Well-Being Program.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This seminar is a forum for Aging, Health and Well-Being students to present about their research. Invited speakers will also discuss relevant research or professional development. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., through completion of HLTH/KIN/REC 751A and HLTH/KIN/REC 751B, respectively, over the students' first two years in the program). The topics addressed in the seminar cross all disciplines of the Collaborative Aging, Health and Well-Being Program.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
Examines and applies a variety of statistical techniques used in the analysis of leisure research data. Emphasis is placed on the interpretation and implications of empirical research in the field. Note: An undergraduate statistics course and permission of the instructor is required.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
This course provides a scholarly environment for graduate students working on individual qualitative research projects. It builds on foundational knowledge of onto-epistemological perspectives, theoretical frameworks, and qualitative methodologies explored in REC 663 by examining how these aspects inform and guide individual research designs. Students will be expected to spend considerable time working on research ethics, theoretical perspective, literature review, methodology, data collection techniques, analysis styles, and various forms of representation.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines
An in-depth analysis of specific topics of interest. The particular topics for a given term will be determined by the interests of the faculty and participating students. The form of the study may include a literature review or the planning and execution of an independent research study leading to a major paper.
Archived calendar entryRequirements, Spring 2025Course outlines