University of Southern California - Physical Education Department

http://www.usc.edu/dept/LAS/phed

PHED 120a – Introduction to Yoga

Instructor: Catherine Grace Baker, CYT

Email:

Office hours:

By appointment

Office: PHED 213 (next to South Gym) Tel: 213-740-2488 ext. 06431 Fax: 213-821-1058

Course Description: An introduction to Classical Yoga. The course is structured upon the “eight-limb” (ashtanga) Science of Yoga as it was expounded upon in the highly-revered ancient text called, Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras.

Course Objective: To introduce the student to the fundamentals of a Yoga practice in a safe, supportive and academic environment.

Course Reader: Introduction to Classical Yoga, by Cathie Baker, CYT will be available for purchase at the campus bookstore. The reader is required if you are taking the course for credit. There will be a copy available for loan at Leavey Library. You will also need one Grade Master scantron- skew number 25420 for testing purposes.

Blackboard™: https://blackboard.usc.edu

We will use Blackboard™ in addition to the course booklet. This platform is an essential tool for this course. The student is responsible for logging into the system regularly every week to review material/assignments and to stay informed of any announcements. I will have new information posted by Sunday of each week. Please take the underlined section seriously otherwise you will risk not doing well in the class. Although this is a general Physical Education course worth only one unit, due to the nature of the subject of Yoga, it is not one you can skate by in.

Location: Most sections meet in the Exercise Room next to the Racquetball Courts, located in the sub-basement of the PHED building, with the exception of the 1pm sections (which meet in PHED room 201, next to the North Gym).

Evaluation Criteria:

Mind: 50% Body: 50%

* Testing locations will be announced on Blackboard™

Evaluation Area / Point Value / Weighted Value
Regular & Active Participation / 50 points / 14%
Essay - autobiographical / 50 points / 14%
Self-study (three-part) Journaling Assignment / 50 points / 14%
Midterm
(multiple choice format) / 100 points / 29%
Final
(multiple choice format) / 100 points / 29%
Total / 350 points / 100%
Grade / Point/grade-base cutoffs
A / 327
A- / 315
B+ / 303
B / 291
B- / 279
C+ / 267
C / 255
C- / 243
D+ / 231
D / 219
D- / 207
F / 206

An extra credit project will be announced toward the end of the semester (Week 13). Regular participation throughout the semester is required for this project in order to receive credit. If you miss five or more classes, you may not participate.

Attendance: Because this is a Physical Education course, regular attendance is required for the participation portion of the grade. Each class is worth 2 points. Perfect attendance earns 10 extra credit points. Tardiness and/or leaving early will not be tolerated as it disrupts the class and practice – this is especially true of 50-minute class sections. If you are late or leave early, you will only receive partial credit for attending the class. You will be expected to attend the section for which you are enrolled. Make-ups are not allowed except for emergency situations and then only upon approval from instructor.

Equipment: All props will be provided in class: mats, straps, blankets, bolsters, and blocks. Please bring your own hand towel and water if needed. You may use your own mat or other equipment. The storage cabinets are in the hall next to the Exercise Room.

Lockers are available and recommended since the practice space needs to remain uncluttered and is not large enough to accommodate all of us and our belongings. Please bring your own lock. The lockers will need to be cleared out the week of the PE Dept. (week 15) finals. You must have the lock BEFORE signing up for the locker. Please lock up your valuables and bags – we have had incidents of theft in the building. Locker Rooms are open from 7:30am-2pm M-TH and closed on Fridays. Women: Select an available locker in the Women’s Locker Room and then sign up for it in room 108 (PE Office). Men: Select an available locker in the Men’s Locker Room and then sign up for it in room 108 (PE Office).

General Guidelines for practice

Please notify me of any injuries, illness, or medical conditions - including pregnancy - prior to starting your practice. This is confidential and necessary to avoid complications and to help adapt the practice to your specific needs as best we can.

Please wear clothing that allows freedom of movement. Absorbent, cotton-type material or athletic wear is best.

Practicing on an empty stomach is recommended, but not a rule. Generally we recommend waiting three hours after a meal or one hour after a light snack.

PLEASE:

No cell phones - This is your time for yourself, to step away from the bustle of worldly distractions

No candy or chewing gum during practice – (for obvious reasons - I hope)

No jeans or street clothes (for comfort and hygiene)

No jewelry or watches are to be worn during practice –loss, damage and potential injury.

No shoes or socks are worn during practice as we practice Yoga barefoot. No shoes will be worn in the practice space; leave them outside the room. We want to keep our practice area clean – as the environment directly affects our state of mind and body.

Academic Accommodations


Students requesting academic accommodations based on a disability are required to register with Disability Services and Programs (DSP) each semester. A letter of verification for approved accommodations can be obtained from DSP when adequate documentation is filed. Please be sure the letter is delivered to the instructor or TA as early in the semester as possible. DSP is open Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm. The office is in Student Union 301 and the phone number is (213) 740-0776.

Academic Integrity

Students who violate University standards of academic integrity are subject to disciplinary sanctions, including failure in the course and suspension from the University. Since dishonesty in any form harms the individual, other students and the University, academic integrity policies will be strictly enforced.

Acknowledgment of Syllabus

I have received and read through the syllabus for PHED 120 (Yoga). I understand the requirements and expectations of the course.

______

Print Name Date

______

Signature

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Class Section/Time

Notes (for instructor’s use only):

Academic Calendar/Exam Dates

Fall Semester 2010 - 72 instructional days

Open Registration
Move-In
Classes Begin
Labor Day
Thanksgiving
*Classes End
Study Days
*Exams
Winter Recess / Mon-Fri
Wed
Mon
Mon
Thu-Sat
Fri
Sat-Tue
Wed-Wed
Thu-Sun / August 16-20
August 18
August 23
September 6
November 25-27
December 3
December 4-7
December 8-15
December 16-January 9

Physical Education Department’s Exam Dates:

Midterms (Week 8) – Location TBA

·  Mon/Wed Sections:, Wed, Oct 13, 2010

·  Tues/Thurs Sections: Thurs, Oct 14, 2010

[(] Finals (Week 15) – Location TBA

·  Mon/Wed Sections: Wed, Dec 1, 2010

·  Tues/Thurs Sections: Thurs, Dec 2, 2010

USC PHED 120a - Introduction to Yoga

Tentative Course Outline*

Week 1 (8/23-27) / Introduction/Orientation
The Use of Props
Week 2 (8/30-9/3) / Lecture: General History and
Overview of Philosophy - Four Systems of Yoga
Week 3 (9/6-9/10)
Labor Day – please note: we will not be having classes on Tues, 9/7.
Last day to add/drop or change registration status is Friday 9/10 / Lecture: Intro to Classical Yoga
Assignment 1: personal essay due by the second class meeting of the week (Wed or Thurs respectively)
Week 4 (9/13-9/17) / Lecture: The Yama
Week 5 (9/20 – 9/24) / Lecture: Niyama
Assignment 2: part 1 food journal for one week (due day of Midterm)
Week 6 (9/27-10/1) / Lecture: Asana (fundamentals)
Assignment 2 (cont.): part 2 food pyramid guideline journal for one week (due day of Midterm).
Week 7 (10/4-10/8) / Lecture: Asana continued (Anatomy & Physiology overview)
Assignment 2 (cont.): part 3 short essay questions (due day of Midterm)
Week 8 (10/11-10/15)
MIDTERM on W/TH / Review & MIDTERM - Location TBA
The 2nd assignment (all 3-parts) is due the day of Midterm
Week 9 (10/18-10/22) / Lecture: Vinyasa
Week 10 (10/25-10/29) / Lecture: Vinyasa (continued) and
Intro to Pranayama
Week 11 (11/1-11/5) / Lecture: Muscles of Respiration
Week 12 (11/8-11/12)
Last day to drop class with a “W” is
Friday 11/12 / Lecture: Pranayama techniques
Week 13 (11/15-11/19) / Lecture: Pratyahara and Yoga Nidra
Extra Credit Assignment posted
on Blackboard™
Week 14 (11/22-11/26) / Lecture: Samyama (meditation)
Week 15 (11/29-12/3)
FINAL ON W/TH
(P.E finals are held a week earlier than core classes) / Review and Final - Location TBA

*Please note this is a tentative outline and may be subject to change. Any changes will be announced via email and/or posted on Blackboard™.

[(]* PE Dept finals are held the 15th week of classes (when the week core classes end) in order to free up students’ time to focus on their studies.