Leisure Studies Commons^™

Prime, Perform, Recover, Patrick Harkin

Theses and Dissertations

This thesis examines the formal and conceptual framework of my artistic practice as it culminated in the installation of my thesis exhibition, Prime, Perform, Recover. My exhibition seeks to operate as an analysis and critique of the separation inherent in media presentation and rhetoric surrounding natural disasters.

I utilize the aesthetics and vocabulary of disaster capitalism and prepping culture in order to pose direct questions about ecological and social change. I examine the role of images within mass media image production as an all encompassing Now-Time. In this paper I describe frameworks that my practice proposes as potential solutions to …

Living The Lake Life: Indiana’S Lake James In The 1950s And 1960s, Warren Travis

Undergraduate Honors Thesis Collection

At over a thousand acres, Lake James has been a staple for entertainment in northern Indiana for years. Lake James has changed significantly over the more than one hundred years of human interaction. This paper captures the scene of Lake James in the 1950s and 1960s.

On Making A Difference: How Photography And Narrative Produce The Short-Term Missions Experience, Joshua Kerby Jennings

Theses and Dissertations--Community & Leadership Development

Short-term missions participants encounter difference in purportedly captivating ways. Current research, however, indicates the practice does not lead to long-lasting, positive change. Brian M. Howell (2012) argues the short-term missions experience is confined to the limitations of the short-term missions narrative. People who engage in short-term missions build assumptions, seek experiences, understand difference, and convey meaning, as a result of this narrative. The process of telling and retelling travel stories is integral to the short-term missions experience. Drawing upon literature on tourism, narrative, development, and photography, this study intends to evaluate the inefficacy of short-term missions through the stories which …

Technological Disruption In Entertainment: Navigating The Film Industry's Dynamic Relationship To The Consumer, Samantha Mea Simon

Scripps Senior Theses

The following thesis acts as a critical cultural progression report surrounding the current technological disruption in the entertainment industry and its impact on consumers. This begins with a study of the history starting in 1910 and covers the urbanization of America during the Industrial Revolution, the developing fan experience, a history of consumer demands in relation to oligopolistic principles and the blockbuster method, the invention and influence of the television, and the current effect of technological advancement in the entertainment industry. Following this historical overview, four chapters will study different methods of analysis covering the intricacies of the current technological …

Behaviors, Knowledge, And Education Of Leave No Trace Principles In The Red River Gorge Rock Climbing Community, Brian Gregory Clark

Online Theses and Dissertations

Rock climbing is becoming a very popular and mainstream outdoor activity. With the growth in rock climbing comes an increase in the number of visitors this sport attracts. The increase in visitor usage undoubtedly leads to an impact on the natural environment surrounding these rock climbing areas. Rock climbers acknowledge the impacts that are being made and are taking initiative to lessen their impact while visiting rock climbing areas such as the Red River Gorge (RRG) in rural southeast Kentucky. We know that rock climbers make a substantial economic impact while visiting and this dissertation looks at the environmental knowledge …

Hard Apple Cider In The New York Hudson Valley Region: A Tourism Study, Meghann Smith, Pankaj Lal

Department of Earth and Environmental Studies Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works

Hard apple cider production is an emerging industry in apple-growing regions of the United States due to the growing popularity of local craft products in the alcoholic beverage industry. This study strives to understand how hard cideries may affect local product promotion, rural tourism, and agriculture’s economic viability in the Hudson Valley region of New York. Tourism is evolving towards travelling for experiential value; the hard cider industry can offer an authentic environmentally and historically significant experience. By identifying the consumers and their expectations, the possibilities for building tourism specifically surrounding products with regional significance expand significantly. In this study, …

Aquatic Exercise For Better Living On Land: Impact Of Shallow-Water Exercise On Older Japanese Women For Performance Of Activities Of Daily Living (Adl), Mary E. Sanders, Mohammod M. Islam, Aiko Naruse, Nobuo Takeshima, Michael E. Rogers

International Journal of Aquatic Research and Education

Twenty-six Japanese women (70.5 yr) self-selected water exercise (WEX) (n=13), or control (CON) (n=13) for 12 weeks. WEX was performed 60-minutes/day, 3 days/week with warm-up, cool-down stretch, ADL exercises, and cardiovascular/muscular endurance in 30°C water at a xiphoid level depth. CON continued their current activity/nutrition patterns. Compared to CON, WEX improved (p<.05) functional fitness and balance measures including arm curl (22%), chair stand (21%), 8-feet up & go (13%), chair sit/reach (50%), and 12-min walk (15%). No significant changes in sway velocity (SV) or limits of stability (LOS) were seen for either group. This shallow water exercise improved land-based ADL for older women but not balance. ADL tasks associated with balance did improve which may have indicated enhanced motor control.

Marketing The Magic In A Nature-Based Experience: A Case Study On The Walt Disney Company, Kristen L. Byron

Recreation, Parks, and Tourism Administration

Customers focus on different values when looking for a travel experience. Experiential marketing is able to connect customers with companies and experiences that match their values, including ecotourism and nature-based experiences. The Walt Disney Company is an international brand of entertainment features and is able to provide guests with customized experiences. The purpose of this study was to examine experiential marketing techniques in relation to the Walt Disney Company’s ecotourism and nature focused experiences. The researcher used a best practices matrix on the Walt Disney Company, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, and Disney’s Aulani Resort and Spa. This study found that the …

University Fundraising Through Special Events: An Application Of The Theory Of Planned Behavior, Megan Elizabeth Hobbs

Master's Theses

The purpose of this study was to apply the Revised Theory of Planned Behavior and EVENTQUAL models to explore (1) event qualities that significantly impact guests’ satisfaction with a university event that they attend, (2) significant factors influencing university loyalty as a result of an event, and (3) willingness to make a charitable donation to a university as a result of attending an event. An online survey was sent to attendees of an annual Cal Poly auction event between 2002 and 2016 that directly benefits Cal Poly students. The data were used to test a series of hypotheses to determine …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Scotts Bluff National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Molly B. Davis, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Scotts Bluff National Monument (SCBL) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN) and Northern Great Plains Fire Ecology Program (NGPFire).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited eight long-term monitoring plots on May 23-25, 2016 to collect data on the plant communities at SCBL. This is part of a long-term monitoring effort to better understand the condition of the vegetation at SCBL. NGPN staff captured data relating to species richness, herb-layer height, abundance of individual native and non-native …

Plant Community Composition And Structure Monitoring For Agate Fossil Beds National Monument, 2016 Data Report, Aaron T. Rasor, Daniel J. Swanson

United States National Park Service: Publications

Abstract

This report presents the results of vegetation monitoring efforts in 2016 at Agate Fossil Beds National Monument (AGFO) by the Northern Great Plains Inventory and Monitoring Network (NGPN).

During the sixth full year of field work, crew members from NGPN visited six long-term plant community monitoring (PCM) plots and the Northern Great Plains Fire Effects Crew (NGPFire) visited nine fire plant community monitoring (FPCM) plots to collect data on the plant communities at AGFO. This effort is part of a long-term monitoring program established to better understand the condition of the mixed-grass prairie, riparian, and upland regions in AGFO. …

Montana Dragon Boat Festival 2016, Megan Schultz

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This study was conducted for the Kalispell Conventions and Visitor Bureau, to provide insight into the characteristics of attendees of the 2016 Montana Dragon Boat Festival. Paper surveys on site and a post-event web survey were completed by 479 attendees and/or participants of the event. Results show that 58% of respondents were residents of Montana and of those Montana residents, 69% were from Flathead County. Out-of-county respondents spent an average of 3.72 nights away from home. Of those nights, an average of 2.42 of those nights were in the city of Kalispell and 2.89 nights in other Flathead Valley locations …

Is Group Therapy Democratic? Enduring Consequences Of Outward Bound’S Alignment With The Human Potential Movement. A Response To “How To Be Nice And Get What You Want: Structural Referents Of 'Self’ And ‘Other’ In Experiential Education As (Un)Democratic Practice.", Jayson Seaman

Democracy & Education

Franklin Vernon provided an example of how programs viewing themselves as “cultural islands” are in fact embedded within historical capitalist relations, through the discourses of self that they promote. In this response, I expand on Vernon’s argument to situate the quasi-therapeutic practices he identified in the history of the human potential movement, which effectively merged with Outward Bound starting in the 1960s and continues to define outdoor experiential education. Where Vernon sought the structural referents to different models of self, this response seeks their historical origins. The response concludes by linking Vernon’s argument with existing critiques and parallel efforts in …

Tourism Planning In The Northern Bahamas, Joshua Carroll Ph.D., Emily Farmer, Shannon Saa

Journal of Tourism Insights

The Abaco region of the northern Bahamas is developing its niche as a nature-based tourism destination with a wealth of natural and cultural attractions such as beaches, snorkel and dive sites, blue holes, cultural features, vibrant history, and colorful towns and artistry. Part of this effort is the development of the Abaco Trail, which will highlight regional attractions and link them together for visitors to follow on their own, fulfilling their own interests as their visit allows. In this study, the Tourism Opportunity Spectrum (TOS) was used to gather information to aid in the process of assembling tourism site conditions …

An Assessment Of The Resort Tax: Collections And Usage In Montana Communities, Kara Grau

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

This report focuses on ten Montana communities that have been designated resort areas by the Montana Department of Commerce and voters in those communities have approved a local Resort Tax. The Resort Tax, according to state statute, cannot exceed three percent, and can be collected on luxury items and on goods and services sold at establishments that cater to travelers, such as hotels and restaurants. The intent of the Resort Tax is to provide revenue to aid the communities in maintenance or improvements to infrastructure as well as having the potential to fund other community improvements or programs. Resort tax …

The Proteus Effect And Gaming: The Impact Of Digital Actors And Race In A Virtual Environment, Christopher M. Via

Doctoral Dissertations and Master's Theses

Race and racial identity is a frequently discussed topic in the media today. This topic is driven by what oftentimes amounts to culture clashes, and a system that claims impartiality yet is rampant with implicit bias demonstrating favorable treatment of one race over another. An example of this favoritism resides within video game design, where over 50% of player-controlled game characters are White, and less than 40% are Black (Leonard, 2007). Leonard also wrote that Black game characters are more likely to conform to Black stereotypes (e.g. play sports, or involved in gangs) than Whites (e.g. middle class citizen or …

Do Africans Support English Football Teams And Neglect Local African Teams: An Interrogation Of Eight Black African Men In Cape Town, Eddie Mungai

Independent Study Project (ISP) Collection

This project unravels the various reasons why black African men have such a strong attachment to English football teams belonging to the English Premier League. It works to find the answer to the hypothesis, which states that black African men exhibit greater fan support for English football teams and neglect the support of the local African teams.

Eight black African men from East, West, Southern, and Central Africa, describe the manifestation of their soccer fandom for the English team they support as well as their favorite local African club team. Based on the observations gathered through participant observations and interviews, …

Economic Contributions Of The Yellowstone River To Park County, Montana, Jeremy L. Sage

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

On August 19, 2016, Montana’s Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks (FWP) instituted a temporary emergency closure on a large extent of the Yellowstone River and its tributaries between the northern Yellowstone National Park boundary near Gardiner, MT and Laurel, MT, about 183 miles downriver. The closure applied to all water based recreation uses on the affected rivers and streams. FWP’s actions followed the identification of the presence of an invasive parasite known to cause proliferative kidney disease in mountain whitefish. FWP’s decision to institute the temporary closure was based not only on the observed presence of the parasite, but …

The Montana Expression 2016: Vacation Planning, Norma P. Nickerson

Institute for Tourism and Recreation Research Publications

The Montana Tourism Advisory Council, Office of Tourism and Business Development, and individuals in the tourism industry are interested in learning more about visitor behavior for a Montana vacation, namely their use of Montana airports and their advanced reservations and purchasing. This “snapshot” of Montana residents and visitors highlight these behaviors.

Virgil In Virginia: Eighteenth-Century Pastoralism And The Novus Ordo Seclorum, Alley Jordan

Theses

This work examines classical reception in early America. Specifically, it addresses the role of classical ideas on pastoralism in the thought of one of America’s founders, Thomas Jefferson. Jefferson is best known for his role in the forming of United States government, but he was also influential on developing the idea of “America.” As such, his political theory on agrarian republicanism has strong ties to how the classical poets, such as Virgil and Theocritus, likewise thought about the relationship between land and government.