GEO-30306 Concepts & Approaches to Tourism Society and Environment

Course

Credits 6.00

Language of instruction:

English

Continuation courses:

Tourism & Sustainable Development (GEO-31806); Research Methodologies for Tourism, Society and Environment (GEO 30806)

Contents:

This course provides an overview of social science approaches that inform theory and practice in the academic study of tourism. The course critically examines key social and philosophical issues that actively shape the production of (tourism) knowledge by looking at a range of epistemological perspectives and their influence on this field of study.

Learning outcomes:

After successful completion of this course students are expected to be able to:
- explain the ways in which broader societal, economic and environmental conditions shape both tourism practices and diverse approaches to knowledge production about tourism;
- analyse the similarities and differences between diverse approaches to knowledge production about tourism;
- evaluate the subject-object problem in diverse approaches to knowledge production;
- analyse how diverse approaches to knowledge production are used in scholarly research to address a specific subject or problem in the field of tourism.

Activities:

- lectures;
- required reading;
- group preparation of weekly academic journal article analyses;
- in-class group discussions;
- essay identifying and evaluating academic contributions in the field of tourism studies that represent different approaches used in the social sciences

Examination:

- weekly academic journal article analyses (40%);
- epistemological approaches essay (60%).
An average mark of 5.5 or higher for each component constitutes a pass.

Literature:

Course outline with an indication of required readings is available on Blackboard.