Date of Award
12-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management (MPRTM)
Department
Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management
Committee Chair/Advisor
Dr. A. Stefanie Ruiz S.
Committee Member
Dr. Aby Sène-Harper
Committee Member
Dr. Čedomir Stanojević
Abstract
This thesis explores how individuals engage with specialty coffee as a leisure practice in Upstate South Carolina. Drawing on Flow Theory and Craft Consumption Theory, it examines how meaning is constructed through everyday interaction. Using semi-structured interviews with 15 self-identified enthusiasts in South Carolina, the study analyzes how participants describe their involvement with specialty coffee, reflect on its value, and situate it within local contexts. Findings suggest that specialty coffee encourages sustained engagement in which well- being is created through personal investment, community involvement, and awareness of global contexts. The research contributes to scholarly discourse by conceptualizing leisure as a site of meaning-making, and offers insight into how specialized forms of crafting and consuming can support sustainable individual and collective well-being.
Recommended Citation
Dodge, Leah C., "Crafting Well-being: Specialty Coffee as Leisure" (2025). All Theses. 4662.
https://open.clemson.edu/all_theses/4662