Leisure Studies Commons^™

The Chess Players, Gerry A. Wolfson-Grande

Master of Liberal Studies Theses

Originally conducted primarily as a game of war and strategy, chess has evolved to reflect historical developments in Western civilization as well as inspired literary and artistic endeavors in such a fashion as to provide comment, often as metaphor, on the human condition and our place in a cosmos influenced as frequently by chance as by order. The evolution of the game itself, particularly the promotion of a weak and relatively unimportant piece to the most powerful, at a time when a similar shift was taking place in the real world, ensured its survival as it served as an educational …

Crosswords At A Crossroad: The Puzzle Turns 100. What Is The Clue To Its Survival?, Lynn J. Feigenbaum

Institute for the Humanities Theses

Celebrating the 100th anniversary of the crossword on Dec. 21, 2013 will be a dedicated, demanding and outspoken following – an online community that may be the key to its future as a popular American pastime. The crossword puzzle has always had a tight-knit core of fans, even in its earliest years. But, for the most part, doing a crossword was a solitary pursuit. That has changed with the advent of a burgeoning fan community on the internet, a virtual community of crossword enthusiasts. It is not far-fetched to regard the saga of the crossword as a microcosm of modern …

Bowling Green, Kentucky - Parks And Playgrounds (Sc 993), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 993. Ordinance, 1942, establishing a System of Parks and Playgrounds for the City of Bowling Green, Kentucky. The ordinance designates seven parcels of property to constitute the system and sets out the responsibilities of the Board of Parks and Playgrounds.

Meek And Milam - Frankfort, Kentucky (Sc 915), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid and scan (Click on "Additional Files" below) for Manuscripts Small Collection 915. Business form letters used by Meek and Milam, the famous fishing reel company of Frankfort, Kentucky. Also, correspondence and newspaper clippings related to the reels and the men who made them.

Uni's Dance Craze: A Psychological Analysis And Creative Documentary On 'The Interlude Dance' And 'The Dance Party', Ian Goldsmith

Honors Program Theses

The UNI campus has been part of an epidemic: a dance epidemic. “The Interlude Dance” and “The Dance Party” are two recent dance phenomena that have played a major role in my undergraduate experience. I sought to study these phenomena through an analytical approach. I sought to determine the psychosocial factors that lead to the initial and continuing success of “The Interlude Dance” and “The Dance Party”, and to build conceptual connections between both phenomena. This creative-research hybrid project culminated in a documentary short-film.

The Right Call: Baseball Coaches' Attempts To Influence Umpires, Kevin Warneke, David C. Ogden

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

On-field conversations and confrontations between baseball coaches and umpires have long been a part of the game. An umpire's decision can alter the course of the game, but little has been written about the exchanges between a coach or manager and umpire, especially in relation to theoretical considerations. This study applies management and leadership theories in exploring the strategies baseball coaches use to contest an umpire's decision. By using leadership scholar John E. Barbuto's concept of influence tactics and the various types of social power discussed by sociologists John R. French and Bertram Raven, the study also tests the congruence …

Reconsidering National Park Interpretation Of The Great Plains And Trans-Mississippi West, Robert Pahre

Great Plains Research: A Journal of Natural and Social Sciences (through 2013)

The National Park Service has generally interpreted its sites in the Great Plains in terms of a Eurocentric narrative of westward expansion. Though some sites are changing (e.g., Little Bighorn), others are not (e.g., Scotts Bluff). Even those sites that have changed still retain important elements of traditional narratives, which often date to the 1930s or to the Mission 66 period (1956-66). The newest sites, such as Washita Battlefield, tell newer stories that resonate well with today's visitors. These provide a model for revising older sites. Giving greater attention to causes and consequences, aiming for a richer mix of disciplinary …

Muscular Christian Themes In Contemporary American Sport: A Case Study, Andrew R. Meyer

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

Muscular Christianity is often credited as being influential in Western sport ideology but is rarely mentioned in contemporary analysis. This paper identifies instances of muscular Christian ideals, as defined by Thomas Hughes, observable in the contemporary American sport context, addressing the continued religious impact of sport. Muscular Christian themes were identified in various media, including, online videos, magazines, books, and commercials involving American cyclist Lance Armstrong. Two of Hughes’ themes were observable in the media portrayal of Armstrong: a body used for the protection of the weak and a body used for the advancement of all righteous causes. These findings …

Spirituality And The Therapeutic Recreation Practitioner: Exploring The Implications For Practice And Research, Angela Wozencroft, Phd, Steven N. Waller Ph.D., Gene A. Hayes, Larry Brown

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

There is a growing body of literature that relates to spirituality and leisure. Within this corpus, several scholars continue to address the relationship between spirituality and therapeutic recreation. Much of the available literature chronicles the health and wellness benefits that accrue to the client/participant but little attention has been devoted to understanding the relationship between the personal spirituality of the therapeutic recreation (TR) professional and its influence on service delivery. The purpose of this essay was three-fold: (1) to examine the influence of spirituality in the work lives of TR practitioners; and (2) to chronicle existing literature that relates to …

Christian Reflections On The Relationship Of Leisure And Work, Paul Heintzman

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

A Christian understanding of leisure cannot be developed in isolation from the other dimensions of life. In the creation account of Genesis we learn that both rest and work are basic to the created nature of humanity. The purpose of this paper is to explore a Christian understanding of the relationship between leisure and work. The paper begins with a brief review of biblical teaching on work and leisure. This teaching is then applied to a critique of five more recent perceptions of the relationship of leisure and work: work-oriented unilateral; leisure-oriented unilateral; split; integrated; and identity. It is argued …

Wrench Yourself, Luca W. Cintolo

Senior Honors Projects

Wrench Yourself

Luca Cintolo

Faculty Sponsor: Cheryl Foster, Philosophy

Wrench Yourself was originally conceived as a three part project. Part one, learning about the writing life, came to fruition through reading books on the craft. Part two involved producing a body of original, creative, non-fiction. Part three culminated in binding the polished pieces of writing in limited production, hand made, leather bound books.

At the completion of this project I have created a hand-made book containing two essays. The first essay, Driven to Distraction, focuses on inattention behind the wheel and the pervasiveness of multi-tasking as a societal norm. …

Leisure In The Life Of The 21st Century Black Church: Re-Thinking The Gift, Steven N. Waller Ph.D.

Movement and Being: The Journal of the Christian Society for Kinesiology, Leisure and Sports Studies

Scholarship devoted to examining the role that leisure plays in the life of the Black Church is lacking. Leisure is an important facet of congregational life in African American churches and permeates congregational dynamics on multiple levels. The purpose of this essay is to examine leisure in the life of the Black Church and posit how a healthy, theologically accurate understanding of the value of leisure can help with health and wellness promotion, community-economic development and church growth. The Black Church is defined as the eight historically Black denominations: African Methodist Episcopal, African Methodist Episcopal Zion, Christian Methodist Episcopal, Church …

Russellville Gun Club - Russellville, Kentucky (Sc 1788), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid for Manuscripts Small Collection 1788. Ledger for the Russellville Gun Club containing the constitution and bylaws; membership list and list of honorary members; lists of scores, April-May 1886, April 27, 1887; and accounts Feb. 1886-June 1887. Also includes typescript of constitution and membership list (Click on "Additional Files" below).

A History Of The Tara Winds Community Band, Jonesboro, Georgia, 1988-2008, Myra King Rhoden

Dissertations

The Tara Winds Community Band is an all-adult symphonic band based in Jonesboro, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta. In its short twenty-year history, the ensemble has gained national recognition and has performed for a variety of audiences at regional and national conventions. Over seventy percent of the members are active or retired band directors from the metropolitan Atlanta area or are in the music profession as an elementary music teacher or private instructor. The ensemble contributes to the wind band repertoire through its commissioning project, and supports the community through its scholarship foundation. The information provided about this ensemble may …

Cover To Cover: Contemporary Issues In Popular Women’S Magazines, Debbie Danowski

Communication, Media & The Arts Faculty Publications

Exposure to popular magazine covers is widespread among even those choosing not to read a particular magazine. With news racks in all grocery and convenience stores, the American public cannot escape at least a quick glance at the material presented on the cover. Because of this, it is vital that we analyze the messages being disseminated each month through these publications.

This study will attempt to analyze and categorize the messages sent out via the covers of the five most popular general interest women's magazines with the highest circulation during the year 2000: Family Circle, Good Housekeeping, Ladies' Home Journal, …

Leisure Constraints Ethnic Factors And Recreation Participation: A Case Study Of The Latino Population In Manassas Park, Virginia, Gregory T. Jones

Human Movement Studies & Special Education Theses & Dissertations

The purpose of this research was to study the leisure constraints and ethnic factors that affect recreational use among Latinos in the City of Manassas Park. Respondents were mailed a questionnaire to the City of Manassas Park. The questionnaires were composed of questions pertaining to acculturation, values, discrimination, subcultural identity, perceived recreation benefits, constraints to park use, constraints to desired leisure activities, socio-economic status, program usage, and park usage. Confirmatory factor analyses identified six factors for recreational use: acculturation, discrimination, subcultural identity, derived benefits, park use constraints, and individual activity constraints. A t-test confirmed that there was no difference …

Can Developing Women Create Primitive Art? And Other Questions Of Value, Meaning And Identity In The Circulation Of Janakpur Art, Coralynn V. Davis

Faculty Journal Articles

In this article, I examine the values and meanings that adhere to objects made by Maithil women at a development project in Janakpur, Nepal – objects collectors have called ‘Janakpur Art’. I seek to explain how and why changes in pictorial content in Janakpur Art – shifts that took place over a period of five or six years in the 1990s – occurred, and what such a change might indicate about the link between Maithil women’s lives, development, and tourism. As I will demonstrate, part of the appeal for consumers of Janakpur Art has been that it is produced at …

Motorized Obsessions: Life, Liberty, And The Small-Bore Engine, Paul R. Josephson

Faculty Books

From dirt bikes and jet skis to weed wackers and snowblowers, machines powered by small gas engines have become a permanent—and loud—fixture in American culture. But fifty years of high-speed fun and pristine lawns have not come without cost.

In the first comprehensive history of the small-bore engine and the technology it powers, Paul R. Josephson explores the political, environmental, and public health issues surrounding one of America's most dangerous pastimes. Each chapter tells the story of an ecosystem within the United States and the devices that wreak havoc on it—personal watercraft (PWCs) on inland lakes and rivers; all-terrain vehicles …

You Need Love And Friendship For This Mission!: The Final Fantasy Series As Social Education For Japanese Youth, Ben Hourigan

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

From the mid to late 1990s, popular and academic discourse on video games, particularly in the United States, has focused on their supposed capacity to engender violent and otherwise anti-social behavior in youth. Much like ludologists' recent claims that video games are not a narrative medium, at least one reason for this is that commentators have too narrow an understanding of the diverse range of games that exist. In addition to this, game demonizers have demonstrated an inadequate understanding of the ways games are related to real life. In order to combat these misunderstandings, this chapter analyzes the role of …

The Everyday Life Of Playing Cards, Ruralism, And The Case Of Russian Peasantry, Anna N. Kushkova

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

This chapter addresses the issue of card playing in the Russian village of the second half of the nineteenth century. The author challenges a widely spread stereotype that Russian peasants did not play in any other way that merely for fun or for entertainment, but rather shows that this view is inconsistent with historical reality, which places card play at the center of daily social life. Social changes of village life after peasants' emancipation (1861) brought about systematic contacts of rural and urban population in many provinces of the country. As a result, a number of city habits and practices …

More Than Girlfriends, Geekettes, And Gladiatixes: Women, Feminism, And Fantasy Role-Playing Games, Rebecca Borah, Inez Schaechterle

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

[First paragraph]

The only function women have in D&D is to serve cookies. Gary Gygax, the most well known of the creators of Dungeons & Dragons, claims he did not make this remark (Gel214th). That he did or not is perhaps, some thirty years after the introduction of the first fantasy role-playing game, of concern only to him. The problematic position of women players is a secure feature of the RPG zeitgeist. While few male gamers may openly challenge the assumption that women can or should play fantasy role games such as Dungeons & Dragons, the function of …

Body Matters In Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games, C. Jason Smith

Reconstruction: Studies in Contemporary Culture

The virtual body is already here. Though not as “seamless” as the virtual body envisioned in cyberpunk literature and made popular in films like The Lawnmower Man (1992), hundreds of thousands of people in over 114 countries (“Visitor Center”) daily log into massively multiplayer online role-playing games like Everquest, Ultima Online, Anarchy Online, and Earth and Beyond. These massively multi-player online role-playing games (MMORPGs or MMOs for short) [1] combine the extensive rule systems of traditional role-playing games (or RPGs) such as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons with computer graphic technology and online chat. In these computer …

Chelf, Owen Ross, 1918-1997 (Mss 151), Manuscripts & Folklife Archives

Manuscript Collection Finding Aids

Finding aid only for Manuscripts Collection 151. Papers chiefly of Owen Ross Chelf, a native of Lebanon, Kentucky, with most of the collection focusing on his World War II army service in Europe and his avid interest in muskie fishing.

A New Regulatory Environment For The Telecommunication Industry, Jerome Lavigne Delville

LLM Theses and Essays

The idea of information superhighways has been spurred by consumer demand, technological development and political institutions. These advancements and interests require a regulatory framework to control the operation of, and competition within the telecommunications industry. This paper focuses on government regulation of telecommunication carriers, information services (internet), video-programming and wireless telecommunication (spectrum). This paper also highlights the roles of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) under the Telecommunications Act of 1996 as compared to previous laws prior to the 1996 Act.

Adolescents' Use Of Discretionary Time: A Time Use Study Of The Central Utah Area, Rebecca Hirschi

Theses and Dissertations

This study provides Central Utah school and recreation leaders with local data on which to base their program development by collecting and analyzing data on adolescents' use of time, and to compare local statistics with national data. The research included participants from Nephi, Spanish Fork, and Provo schools. Each participant completed 7 days of a leisure time diary, which detailed daily activities. Single sample t-tests on the data revealed that Central Utah adolescents' time use is significantly different from national statistics. The differences in the statistics indicate that school and recreation leaders need local data on which to base adolescent …

Ua12/2/1 Breakin' Away, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

Special magazine edition of the College Heights Herald:

• Edwards, Don. Tanning: Despite the Risks, Students Take the Chance
• Hankins, Tammy. Some Students Plan to Have a Non-Traditional Spring Break
• Flener, Arnold. Religious Groups Plan to Help Others During the Break
• Osborne, Sherri. Pumping Iron: Some Students Shaping Up Before They Ship Out
• Kemp, Bill. Professors: Work & Fun Are On the Spring Break Syllabus
• Provano, Jennifer. Travelers Should Play It Safe On the Road While Driving
• Madison, Ann. Spring Break: It Only Happens in America
• Allen, Craig. Snowy Memories Keeping Some Students Home
• Grundy, Julie. There Are a Few …

Ua12/2/1 College Heights Herald, Vol. 66, No. 13, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

WKU campus newspaper reporting campus, athletic and Bowling Green, Kentucky news. This issue contains articles:

• Phillips, Noelle. Students Seeking Regents’ Attention – Western XXI
• Bricking, Tanya. Climbs Peak His Interest – William Kummer aka Biff
• Hoover, Amy. Nurses’ Salaries Increasing
• Officers Have Lead in Killing of Co-ed – Kristi Hedden
• Survey Measures Students’ Concerns – Campus Crusade for Christ
• Homecoming Rally Gets New Location – Big Red’s Roar
• Humanities Fellowships to be Offered
• Meetings’ Legality Questioned - Regents
• Alpha Gamma Rho Charter Temporarily Suspended
• Board Shouldn’t Vote on Draft Monday – Western XXI
• Bradley, Jim. Editorial Cartoon Students Chasing Western …

Sojourn: A Time In Egypt, Deborah L. Miller

Institute for the Humanities Theses

This work is a chronicle of events and ideas experienced by the author while traveling in the Arab Republic of Egypt in December, 1986 and January, 1987. The illustrations at each chapter head were drawn to help the reader understand the nature of the story of each chapter.

Ua12/2/2 Talisman: Image In The Making, Wku Student Affairs

WKU Administration Documents

1989 Talisman yearbook.

• Image in the Making
• Student Life
• Black, Samuel. Do the Party a Favor – Ronald Reagan
• Carmack, Jody. One In a Million – Kentucky Lottery
• Adams, Jeanie. It’s An Uphill Battle – Cary White, Handicapped Persons
• Devaney, Mike & Jody Carmack. Coming to America – Mike Devaney, International Students, Soccer
• Hadley, Kim. Higher Education – Churches, Religion
• Black, Samuel. Better Late Than Never – Greg Frasier, Cycling
• Burton, Marsha. Geared for Speed – Lynn Ellison, Drag Racing
• Hadley, Kim. The Church Service – Concerts
• Black, Sam. Making Moo-La – Spring Female Sale, Cattle, Kentucky Charolais Association
• Image …

Ua64/10/5 Scrapbook, 1977-1989, Wku Recreation Majors' Club

Student Organizations

Scrapbook created by the WKU Recreation Majors' Club for 1977-1989. Book includes photographs of events and outings, invitations, correspondence and clippings.