Course Syllabus

The goals of this course are to (1) introduce or increase students' understanding of leisure as an important life domain; (2)empower students to make purposeful choices about how to use their leisure time, and (3) equip students with the knowledge and tools they need to design meaningful leisure experiences that support their physical, mental, and social health across the lifespan.

At the end of this course, students will be able to:

• Define and describe principles of leisure and positive psychology as they relate to self, family, community, and diverse populations.
• Compare and articulate differences in leisure and "the good life" (i.e., increased subjective well-being and happiness) across diverse populations and cultures
• Apply and analyze the role of leisure in creating "the good life".
• Design personally meaningful leisure experiences using principles of leisure and positive psychology.

Materials required for this course are:

• Burnett, B., & Evans, D. (2016). Designing your life: How to build a well-lived, joyful life. New York, NY: Borzoi Book.
• Webcam & microphone

Ensure you have these ahead of time as they will be required to complete assignments and activities throughout the course.

Please review the communication methods and requirements for this course:

Preferred Contact Methods

The easiest way to contact your instructor directly is to use the    Inbox, located in the far left Canvas menu.

You can also contact your instructor in the following ways:

• Email: sasha.mader@utah.edu

Your instructor will generally respond within 2 business days, which excludes evenings, weekends, and holidays. If you reach out to your instructor after 4pm on Friday, you likely won't hear back from them until the following Monday. 

Office Hours

By appointment on Zoom.

Your performance in this course will be evaluated by:

• Class Introductions - a brief video introducing yourself to the instructor and your classmates.
• Syllabus Quiz - a low-stakes quiz to incentivize reading the syllabus
• Reading Quizzes - weekly quizzes to assess reading comprehension
• Imagine U Plan - written plan that identifies intentional experiences each student will design throughout the semester
• Imagine U Discussion Posts & Final Reflection - reflections on the intentional leisure experience completed each week and their connection to class concepts
• Designing Your Life - Using the required textbook, students will complete several components of the life design process
• Various Assignments and Discussion Boards related to the week's content.
• There is no final exam in this class; there is a final reflection 

Assignments are due by 11:59 p.m. on the day they are due.

It is the student's responsibility to ensure they have submitted the correct assignment and that the submission has gone through. If an incorrect assignment is submitted, the student will be graded on that assignment, often resulting in a zero. If the student catches this error during the 3-day grace period (see below) and re-submits, the assignment is subject to the appropriate late penalty. If a student submits an assignment but does not receive confirmation from Canvas, it may not have gone through, and the student is expected to ensure that the submission is complete. 

Students will be asked to produce original writing in this class. Students will be held to the highest ethical research standards, including zero plagiarism tolerance. Plagiarism is the inaccurate or undocumented use of another person’s words and ideas, or claiming another person’s words and ideas as one’s own (APA, 2010, p. 15). Quotations should be used sparingly in a supportive fashion. All quotes must be in quotation marks and properly referenced. Try to summarize ideas into your own words and include your own reactions, thoughts, and interpretations of what you have read. Violation of any research ethics will be officially sanctioned. This course does NOT allow you to use AI to generate your answers (i.e., ChatGPT). 

Unless otherwise announced, all assignments must be submitted to the designated area of Canvas. Do not submit assignments via email. Microsoft Office files or PDFs are required. Do not submit Google links or Mac-only files such as .pages files.

Assignments may be submitted up to TWO days late. Assignments will NOT be accepted more than two days (including weekends and holidays) after the due date. However, each day the assignment is late will result in a 10% point deduction. For instance, a 50 point assignment submitted 2 days late would result in an automatic 20 point deduction. 

This late policy may not apply to final assignments due at the end of the session/semester. Please pay attention to announcements for clarification. 

Note: Requests for extensions after the due date are not granted. You are encouraged to be proactive. In the case of an emergency, such as an unexpected illness, injury, or death in the family, accommodations may be granted. If you are in this situation, contact me as soon as possible.  

Grading for this course

It is unfair and against university policy for a professor to offer one student an opportunity to improve a grade without providing the same opportunity to all other students. Therefore, I cannot do anything to help your grade, especially your final grade, without offering the same chance to all other students in the class. So please, do not request individual grade rounding or regrading of any assignments. Any inquiries regarding grades must be made within one week of receiving the posted grade on Canvas.

Disclaimer

Accommodations will be considered on an individual basis and may require documentation.

Please contact your instructor and/or teaching assistant as soon as possible (preferably shortly before the semester begins) to request accommodations of any kind.

Content Warnings

Please be aware that some materials and discussions within this course may contain challenging content. Your instructor may notify students of potentially difficult content (e.g. explicit language, graphic images, violent themes, etc.) throughout the course.

If there are specific subjects that you need advanced notice for, please contact your instructor at the beginning of the semester.

Extreme personal circumstances

Please contact me as soon as possible if an extreme personal circumstance (hospitalization, death of a close relative, natural disaster, etc.) is interfering with your ability to complete your work.

Religious Practice

To request an accommodation for religious practices, contact me at the beginning of the semester.

Active Duty Military

If you are a student on active duty with the military and experience issues that prevent you from participating in the course because of deployment or service responsibilities, contact me as soon as possible to discuss appropriate accommodations.

Disability Access

All written information in this course can be made available in an alternative format with prior notification to the Center for Disability Services (CDS). CDS will work with you and the instructor to make arrangements for accommodations. Prior notice is appreciated. To read the full accommodations policy for the University of Utah, please see Section Q of the Instruction & Evaluation regulations.

If you will need accommodations in this class, contact:

Center for Disability Services
  801-581-5020
  disability.utah.edu
  162 Union Building
    200 S. Central Campus Dr.
     Salt Lake City, UT 84112

This syllabus is not a contract. It is meant to serve as an outline and guide for your course. Please note that your instructor may modify it to accommodate the needs of your class.

You will be notified of any changes to the Syllabus.

The following is expected of all students in this class:

• Students must be self-motivated, organized, and willing to stay on top of their schedule.
• Students are expected to follow the Core Rules of Netiquette at all times while participating in the class and communicating with others.
• Students may be expected to work with classmates via online communication options like Canvas Discussions, video conferencing, or another communication technologies of choice (Groupme, FaceTime, Google Hangouts, etc).
• Students will regularly check for course updates and will update their Canvas notification settings to ensure they receive timely notifications from the course.
• Students will contact their instructor or teaching assistant in a timely manner if they have any questions, are struggling with course materials, or need further assistance from their instructor.
  • If you do not hear back within 3 days after sending a message, please contact your instructor/TA again.
• Students will follow all official University of Utah policies regarding interpersonal conduct, academic dishonesty, and other rights and responsibilities of students outlined in the University of Utah Student Handbook and Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities.
  • If you have any questions about this, please contact the Dean of Students.

Your course instructor is an expert in the topics you will learn about this semester. Your instructor is your mentor and facilitator of the classroom experience, aided by teaching assistants. Instructors are committed to:

• The instructor will design the course to include lectures, learning materials, and assignments that are accessible and provide students with opportunities to learn and practice course content.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will ensure that the course remains a safe space where students can engage with difficult content thoughtfully and respectfully.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will interact with the class regularly via announcements, virtual office hours (one-on-one video conferencing), emails/the Canvas Inbox, feedback on assignments, and comments on Discussions, among other methods.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will respond to students in a timely manner: within 48 hours, not including weekends and holidays.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will be available for an individual consultation via virtual office hours (one-on-one video conferencing), email, or phone and will not require students to meet in person.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will provide relevant feedback in a timely manner if a student requests feedback on a particular assignment.
• The instructor and teaching assistants will follow all official University of Utah policies regarding interpersonal conduct, accommodations, and other important duties.