Leisure studies is a branch of the

social sciences Social science (often rendered in the plural as the social sciences) is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of society, societies and the Social relation, relationships among members within those societies. The term was former ...

that focuses on understanding and analyzing

leisure Leisure (, ) has often been defined as a quality of experience or as free time. Free time is time spent away from business, Employment, work, job hunting, Housekeeping, domestic chores, and education, as well as necessary activities such as ...

Recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

are common topics of leisure research. The National Recreation and Park Association is the national organization in the United States for leisure studies, and offers

accreditation Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

to many universities to offer courses of study ( degree programs) in leisure studies. The ''Journal of Leisure Research'' and ''Journal of Park and Recreation Administration'' are some scholarly US

academic journal An academic journal (or scholarly journal or scientific journal) is a periodical publication in which Scholarly method, scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. They serve as permanent and transparent forums for the ...

s of leisure studies.

History

While leisure studies has existed for much longer, a first centralized organization for directing leisure studies was established in Birmingham, England, in May 1975, and is known as the Leisure Studies Association. In 1984, the first international conference was held by the LSA at the

University of Sussex The University of Sussex is a public university, public research university, research university located in Falmer, East Sussex, England. It lies mostly within the city boundaries of Brighton and Hove. Its large campus site is surrounded by the ...

in Brighton, which also set the record as the largest LSA event held to date with over 275 attendees. LSA conferences are widely regarded as some of the most attended events for leisure researchers in the world.

Education

Pursuing a degree in leisure studies will give students the opportunity to learn how to incorporate leisure into recreational activities and

. Students take a wide variety of classes ranging from

psychology Psychology is the scientific study of mind and behavior. Its subject matter includes the behavior of humans and nonhumans, both consciousness, conscious and Unconscious mind, unconscious phenomena, and mental processes such as thoughts, feel ...

and

biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...

and

anatomy Anatomy () is the branch of morphology concerned with the study of the internal structure of organisms and their parts. Anatomy is a branch of natural science that deals with the structural organization of living things. It is an old scien ...

. Students learn how to improve and foster a healthy life through leisure.

Leisure activities

The leisure activities that people who work in leisure studies deal with include a very broad range of activities. Most of the activities can be separated into 3 sub-categories: sport and recreation, tourism, and general leisure.

Sport Sport is a physical activity or game, often Competition, competitive and organization, organized, that maintains or improves physical ability and skills. Sport may provide enjoyment to participants and entertainment to spectators. The numbe ...

and

recreation Recreation is an activity of leisure, leisure being discretionary time. The "need to do something for recreation" is an essential element of human biology and psychology. Recreational activities are often done for happiness, enjoyment, amusement, ...

activities is one of the broadest categories in leisure studies. This includes sports, both traditional and non-traditional, and any indoor or outdoor physical activities done for recreational purposes. Sport and recreation activities includes, but is not limited to,

swimming Swimming is the self-propulsion of a person through water, such as saltwater or freshwater environments, usually for recreation, sport, exercise, or survival. Swimmers achieve locomotion by coordinating limb and body movements to achieve hydrody ...

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walkin ...

hiking A hike is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century. Long hikes as part of a religious pilgrimage have existed for a much longer time. "Hi ...

, weight lifting, playing

games A game is a Structure, structured type of play (activity), play usually undertaken for entertainment or fun, and sometimes used as an Educational game, educational tool. Many games are also considered to be Work (human activity), work (such as p ...

and other

outdoor recreation Outdoor recreation or outdoor activity refers to recreation done outside, most commonly in natural settings. The activities that encompass outdoor recreation vary depending on the physical environment they are being carried out in. These activitie ...

Tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

describes the traveling for leisure purposes. Destinations include parks and

national parks A national park is a nature park designated for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that is protecte ...

, hikes, and domestic and foreign

cities A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

. All other activities that are not considered to be a part of sport and recreation or tourism are included general leisure activities. This category is quite vast, and includes, but are not limited to,

yoga Yoga (UK: , US: ; 'yoga' ; ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines that originated with its own philosophy in ancient India, aimed at controlling body and mind to attain various salvation goals, as pra ...

the arts The arts or creative arts are a vast range of human practices involving creative expression, storytelling, and cultural participation. The arts encompass diverse and plural modes of thought, deeds, and existence in an extensive range of m ...

nature conservation Nature conservation is the ethic/moral philosophy and conservation movement focused on protecting species from extinction, maintaining and restoring habitats, enhancing ecosystem services, and protecting biological diversity. A range of values ...

, and other hobbies.

Career opportunities

A bachelor's degree in leisure studies qualifies graduates for a wide range of entry level recreational occupations in the private and public sectors. Leisure Service jobs involve a variety of leisure, recreational and sport settings for all age groups, populations, and diverse geographical locations. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics report that 345,400 recreation worker jobs existed in the U.S. as of 2012 and the mean annual wage for a recreation worker was $25,430. The leisure studies field is expected to grow 14% from 2012–2022. This is growing as fast as the average of all jobs and is potentially due to increasing

childhood obesity Childhood obesity is a condition where excess adipose tissue, body fat negatively affects a child's health or well-being. As methods to determine body fat directly are difficult, the diagnosis of obesity is often based on Body mass index, BMI. ...

rates and the aging baby-boomers generation. Work settings include: *Rehabilitation centers *State and municipal parks *Schools *Camps *Coaching *Athletic programs *Fitness centers *Sporting organizations and businesses *Correctional facilities *Non-profit organizations *Community centers *Hospitality services *Nursing homes Industries that employed the most recreation/leisure workers in 2012 and average annual salary:

References

{{Reflist, 30em ;Bibliography * Blackshaw, Tony & Crawford, Garry (2009) ''The Sage Dictionary of Leisure Studies'', Sage, London * Blackshaw, Tony (2010) ''Leisure'' (Key Ideas), Routledge, London *

History

Education

Leisure activities

Career opportunities

See also

References