I’ve long lamented the low esteem that Outdoor Recreation has nowadays, including the Cultural Appreciation side. Outdoor centers have mostly closed up, tho some are still kickin’. I’ve looked at Univ/Coll offerings of courses/degrees in such areas and see that they are out there, so that’s cool — though I also hear that the market is supertight (less need for such people).
At the same time, considering both Outdoor/Nat-Sci depts and Literary depts around the whole USA, there is only one school that offers a Literature and History of Outdoor Activity. (Idaho State — where guru Ron Watters developed the program. I like posting the link to his whitepaper that suggests outdoor rec goes in cycles: www.isu.edu/outdoor/Generations.html.)
(He says kids react to their parents, but also that there are cycles of Idealism and Realism, plus others. So maybe this generation is staying indoors and on the couch because their parents were active in the fresh air. Their parents were mellow so the kids are efficient. They train for careers in reaction. But then the next generation might desire Outdoor Culture again only there will be no one to show them, and the then-current generation will be flummoxed as to why their kids don’t agree that money and jobs are everything…)
I’d think that people getting into these fields would want to learn about where it all came from, and the other forms it has taken, so they can better see where it might be going. Awareness of history being what lets us lead into the future, right? But because such courses aren’t offered there must not be any demand.
I often tend to think that it’s a problem from the top: the hollowing-out of education by its leaders. But they’re just reacting to their customer base. (Making “leaders” an awkward term.) If students wanted such a course, it would be offered.
Today’s students want jobs, not leadership. Jobs, not awareness. Jobs, not the future. So there ya have it. Reading is passe’. So is knowledge. Function is king! No need to back it up with anything. It stands alone. …That and meds.
https://www.isu.edu/outdoor/Generations.html.
