Tourism is an important aspect of globalisation involving the global creation and consumption of 'tourist spaces'. These spaces are characterised by complex interactions between tourists, local communities, state and corporate agencies, cultural institutions, and international organisations.
This course aims to equip students with key theoretical approaches and concepts in the sociological study of tourism, teaching them how to apply these to analyse key issues such as place-making, the tourist gaze and counter-gaze, authenticity, cultural change, power relations, heritage tourism, 'alternative' tourism, and gender relations in tourism.
By the end of the course, students should be able to:
1. apply key sociological approaches to the study of tourism;
2. Analyse social and cultural issues related to tourism development in different settings.
3. Present the results of this analysis orally in class and in written work.
4. Investigate tourism-related social and cultural issues using the theoretical frameworks and concepts acquired on the course.
None
Lectures involving discussion of case studies and examples of social research. Active and critical student participation is particularly valued.
The written test consists of multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank and open-ended questions. The assessment criteria are relevance, comprehension and argumentation. Please note that if your handwriting is illegible, your answers will not be considered when marking the test. The final mark will be calculated in thirtieths.
Tourism: a sociological approach
The evolution of tourism
Tourists: Roles and typologies
Tourism and tourist motivation
Tourism and authenticity
The tourist-host relationship
The programme is the same for both attending and non-attending students.
