Independent Studies | University of Waterloo

Mark Havitz is professor of Recreation and Leisure Studies at the University of Waterloo. His research interests involve the study of marketing and finance in community services contexts, particularly parks and recreation. His research applies this subject matter most often to public sector and not-for-profit sector delivery systems, which provide special challenges related to social and environmental issues, equity, and efforts to reach and engage "underserved" segments of society. Mark is particularly interested in unresponsive/disenfranchised people vis-à-vis traditional recreation programming, especially unemployed and low income groups.

Over the past 20 years he has also developed lines of research related to the study of ego involvement with recreation, sport and touristic activities and the development of psychological commitment and loyalty to specific organizations and places. In addition, he has been actively studying the social construction of family and community in diverse contexts includingthat related to family vacations, team and "individual" sports (especially cross country and track and field) and temporary deliberate communities such as at Habitat for Humanity builds.

His interest in the Independent Studies program is a natural outgrowth of the multidisciplinary approaches to understanding used by his colleagues at the University of Waterloo and in the broader leisure studies academy.

http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~mhavitz/index.html

Mark Havitz
Recreation and Leisure Studies
Mail: mhavitz@healthy.uwaterloo.ca
Phone: +1 519-888-4567 x33013
Office: BMH 2206

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Mark Havitz This page was last reviewed on March 20, 2009