Recreation Parks & Tourism

From Polarization to Integration: A New Vision of Health, Activism & Cultural Evolution

The Institute for Holistic Health Studies invites students, faculty and community “Thought Leaders” for a collective “Think Tank” (new type of conference) to explore some of the core issues of our time. 

Welcome to our collective crisis... to an emerging society unable to solve its mounting problems and seemingly incapable of civil discourse. This ultimate crisis is not economic, or environmental, it’s imaginal (mental) and social, fed by unacknowledged assumptions, and polarized beliefs that act as filters shaping what we see and don’t see. This imaginal crisis is also fed by today’s media system — with our gloomy post-truth predicament and its ongoing display of threat and terror in news headlines that contribute to a cycle of helplessness, cynicism and social disengagement.     

This conference will focus on answering a key question:  

Which thoughts, beliefs and conditions bring out the worst in us, and which bring out our best?  

What supports the human mind tilting toward dualistic (polarized) thinking (i.e. narrowed perception, fixated thinking and reactive behavior) vs. integrative thinking, which is associated with the capacity for discovery, creativity, collaboration and well-being?   

The conference will emphasize five reflective topics and practices to foster integrative thinking:   

  1. New Mind, New World—The Life-Changing Shift: Dualistic to Holistic Thinking
  2. Media Awareness: Finding Trustworthy News in an Era of Censorship and Misinformation 
  3. Art, Artists and Awakening Possibility 
  4. Seeking Social Justice: Culture Wars and Cultural Healing 
  5. Cross-Cultural (Community) Dialogue

Join us and explore alternatives in how we think and relate to each other — to create the world we want. 

Also note events leading up to the conference, as part of National Week of Conversation: April 17-23

Participate and help our society transform division and contempt into connection and understanding.   

Host: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies

Faculty contact: Kenn Burrows   

Information: Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism, HSS 307

No cost for this event. Save the date! Speakers, Zoom link and conference details will follow.  

 

Relationships with faculty help students get the most out of their degree

A Recreation, Parks & Tourism major finds an exciting career with professor’s support

Lei Asato

Lei Asato

When students engage with their professors, they get help cultivating their interests into a career path and make networking connections to start their professional life. Lei Asato (B.S., ’17) is a case in point. Asato graduated from SF State with a bachelor of science degree in Recreation, Parks & Tourism Administration. Since leaving SF State, she has worked in tourism, travel and events.

Asato had worked for 10 years in the culinary field with an associate’s degree in Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management before deciding to go back to school. Recreation, Parks & Tourism appealed to her because she saw where some of the skills she already had could be an asset.

“Once I found that degree path, I was enthralled. I learned a lot about outdoor recreation, inclusivity in the outdoors and ecotourism,” Asato said. “I think when I first signed up, I thought it was going to be really heavy in administration, but there was a much broader depth of history and context.”

The in-person engagement and overall energy that professors put into the courses is a big part of what made Asato’s experience at SF State so impactful. “Professors really tried hard to make the classes feel experiential and make it feel like it was applying to real life,” she said.

Every lesson was applicable to the broader concept of a Recreation, Parks & Tourism degree. Asato felt professors made sure that lessons had follow-through, so students could reflect on the meaning of the lesson with questions such as, “What value did the activity bring to your education?” Asato still uses these questions in her career as an events manager, showing that the lessons at SF State truly transcend the classroom.

The major offers an emphasis on learning how to teach about Recreation, Parks & Tourism, as well as getting outdoors and being able to facilitate and participate in activities. The small student-to-teacher ratio in the major allows students to build relationships with professors. In Asato’s experience, professors were always willing to take the time out of their days to talk with students about career paths and classes. She is still in contact with Professor Pavlina Látková, whose support throughout her time at SF State made a big impact on her professional and personal growth. 

Látková has connections at the San Francisco Travel Association, which is where Asato was able to do her internship. Látková was an integral part of helping Asato find and secure an internship that fit her specific interests. From that internship, she was hired on as a senior associate at the San Francisco Travel Association, where she worked in visitor experience.

She went on to work at Olivia Travel, where she was a program manager in charge of building experiences for the charters. She currently works as an event team lead at Maritz Events.

Asato said, “If you’re thinking about joining Recreation, Parks & Tourism but you’re worried that there is not a trajectory after, that’s absolutely not true. A piece of advice if you are already a major, is get as much out of it as possible with the professors. The professors are an incredible resource and are well-connected in the city.”

Holistic Health Workshop: There is hope for tight neck and shoulders, and tired, irritated eyes

For staff, faculty, students and members of the university community

Join us in-person and learn ways to reduce discomfort and improve health

Are your eyes tired, irritated and sometimes dry or do you have neck and shoulder discomfort at the end of the day? If yes, come to the two-session workshop and learn skills to reduce symptoms and increase health. Learn pragmatic techniques that you can integrate immediately at work and at home.

Instructor: Erik Peper, Ph.D., Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

The Holistic Health Workshop Series is sponsored by the Institute for Holistic Health Studies and Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism and is open to staff, faculty, students and members of the university community,

For information and classes offered in Holistic Health Studies contact:

Richard Harvey, Ph.D., rharvey@sfsu.edu
Institute for Holistic Health Studies
Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Holistic Health Workshop: There is hope for tight neck and shoulders, and tired, irritated eyes

For staff, faculty, students and members of the university community

Join us in-person and learn ways to reduce discomfort and improve health

Are your eyes tired, irritated and sometimes dry or do you have neck and shoulder discomfort at the end of the day? If yes, come to the two-session workshop and learn skills to reduce symptoms and increase health. Learn pragmatic techniques that you can integrate immediately at work and at home.

Instructor: Erik Peper, Ph.D., Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

The Holistic Health Workshop Series is sponsored by the Institute for Holistic Health Studies and Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism and is open to staff, faculty, students and members of the university community,

For information and classes offered in Holistic Health Studies contact:

Richard Harvey, Ph.D., rharvey@sfsu.edu
Institute for Holistic Health Studies
Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Trick or Treat — The Health Impact of Sugar & Alternative Sweeteners

The Holistic Health Learning Center presents

Food Awareness Month
October 2022

Join us to explore concerns about our modern food supply, the Standard American Diet (SAD) and poor dietary habits. We will use evidence-based nutrition, recipes, cooking demos and expert advice geared toward the prevention and reversal of disease, and the achievement of resilient health — with weekly educational activities and a variety of food experts: authors, dietitians, naturopathic physicians, etc.— exploring good food as medicine — for self and society.

Mondays, 5 - 6:45 pm, HSS 306 and Online: Zoom link Passcode: 985622

Host: HH Studies Faculty member, Kenn Burrows, and the HH Internship group.

For further information or topical readings contact: kburrows@sfsu.edu

Sponsor: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Food Awareness Month flyer

Diets, Culture & Health — A Critical Look at Popular & Traditional Diets

The Holistic Health Learning Center presents

Food Awareness Month
October 2022

Join us to explore concerns about our modern food supply, the Standard American Diet (SAD) and poor dietary habits. We will use evidence-based nutrition, recipes, cooking demos and expert advice geared toward the prevention and reversal of disease, and the achievement of resilient health — with weekly educational activities and a variety of food experts: authors, dietitians, naturopathic physicians, etc.— exploring good food as medicine — for self and society.

Mondays, 5 - 6:45 pm, HSS 306 and Online: Zoom link Passcode: 985622

Host: HH Studies Faculty member, Kenn Burrows, and the HH Internship group.

For further information or topical readings contact: kburrows@sfsu.edu

Sponsor: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Food Awareness Month flyer

Biochemical Individuality: The Gut Microbiome & Digestive Health

The Holistic Health Learning Center presents

Food Awareness Month
October 2022

Join us to explore concerns about our modern food supply, the Standard American Diet (SAD) and poor dietary habits. We will use evidence-based nutrition, recipes, cooking demos and expert advice geared toward the prevention and reversal of disease, and the achievement of resilient health — with weekly educational activities and a variety of food experts: authors, dietitians, naturopathic physicians, etc.— exploring good food as medicine — for self and society.

Mondays, 5 - 6:45 pm, HSS 306 and Online: Zoom link Passcode: 985622

Host: HH Studies Faculty member, Kenn Burrows, and the HH Internship group.

For further information or topical readings contact: kburrows@sfsu.edu

Sponsor: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Food Awareness Month flyer

Reducing Risk for Viral Illness with Nutrition, Supplements & Medicinal Herbs

The Holistic Health Learning Center presents

Food Awareness Month
October 2022

Join us to explore concerns about our modern food supply, the Standard American Diet (SAD) and poor dietary habits. We will use evidence-based nutrition, recipes, cooking demos and expert advice geared toward the prevention and reversal of disease, and the achievement of resilient health — with weekly educational activities and a variety of food experts: authors, dietitians, naturopathic physicians, etc.— exploring good food as medicine — for self and society.

Mondays, 5 - 6:45 pm, HSS 306 and Online: Zoom link Passcode: 985622

Host: HH Studies Faculty member, Kenn Burrows, and the HH Internship group.

For further information or topical readings contact: kburrows@sfsu.edu

Sponsor: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Food Awareness Month flyer

Risks of Industrial Ag, Food Security & Two Paths to the Future of Food

The Holistic Health Learning Center presents

Food Awareness Month
October 2022

Join us to explore concerns about our modern food supply, the Standard American Diet (SAD) and poor dietary habits. We will use evidence-based nutrition, recipes, cooking demos and expert advice geared toward the prevention and reversal of disease, and the achievement of resilient health — with weekly educational activities and a variety of food experts: authors, dietitians, naturopathic physicians, etc.— exploring good food as medicine — for self and society.

Mondays, 5 - 6:45 pm, HSS 306 and Online: Zoom link Passcode: 985622

Host: HH Studies Faculty member, Kenn Burrows, and the HH Internship group.

For further information or topical readings contact: kburrows@sfsu.edu

Sponsor: The Institute for Holistic Health Studies, Department of Recreation, Parks & Tourism

Food Awareness Month flyer

Problem-solving course helps boost student success, study finds

Adam Burke

A study of students who successfully completed an academic success course showed that the students benefited academically from what they learned. Professor of Recreation, Parks & Tourism and Holistic Health Studies Adam Burke published the findings in the journal Active Learning in Higher Education on July 24.

Colleges and universities have implemented a broad range of initiatives to support student success, including classroom-based approaches. Given the important role of teaching at SF State a novel general education academic success course was developed and tested. The course integrated a comprehensive problem-solving model into lectures and assignments. Students were taught the model along with relevant academic skills content. They then applied the model to a personal challenge affecting their success in school and life.

Using a matched cohort design, 826 course participants were compared with a campus-wide sample matched on key variables. Results showed that students who successfully completed the course achieved higher cumulative GPAs overall compared with matched peers. Highest GPAs for students who took the course as freshmen suggested a transfer of knowledge over time. Results also showed that the course significantly benefited students from historically at-risk populations. Lower SES, first generation, and underrepresented minority course participants earned more units, were more likely to remain in school or graduate, and graduate sooner. For example, first generation students earned more units (3 courses), were 10% more likely to still be in school, or 12% more likely to have graduated, and 16% more likely to have graduated sooner. Course participants also showed positive changes in academic self-efficacy and use of effective learning strategies.

The study shows that a well designed problem-solving course can help students, especially those who struggle academically, to more effectively meet the challenges of college and daily life.

Subscribe to Recreation Parks & Tourism