Geography of Tourism – GEOG 300

Section 6741

Spring 2016

Time/Place: TTh 11:20AM - 12:35PM - FH 142A

Professor: Dr. Scott S. Brown

Office Hours: MWF: 11:30am-12:30pm, 2:00-3:30pm

TTH: 10:30-11:20am, 1:00-3:30pm

Office: FH 130

Office Phone: 661-1611

E-mail:

REQUIRED READINGS:

An Introduction to the Geography of Tourismby Velvet Nelson. Rowman and Littlefield, 2013.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Travel is an experience that is both enlightening and entertaining. Tourism in particular also has its implications for the destinations involved. This class will explore the different types of destinations to which tourists and travelers visit and the reasons for which they visit them. In other words it will examine the different categories of tourism that are known in the industry, such as environmental, social, and economic. It will also examine both positive and negative impacts of the tourism industry on culture, society, and the environment. The course will encourage you to travel in your mind and to explore the world.
ASSESSMENT (100% total)
Students’ performance will be evaluated based on the following components:

  • 4 non-cumulative exams
  • 4 current event reports
  • Final project

Examinations (60% total – 20% each)

  • These will assess your knowledge of any material covered in lectures, readings, and video material.
  • Exams consist of multiple-choice, matching, fill-in, short answer, essay, and map questions.
  • There will be 4 non-cumulative exams - each worth 20 points.
  • The lowest exam grade is dropped automatically.
  • The Final Exam (Exam IV) cannot be dropped, however.
  • If you miss an exam or arrive more than 5 minutes late, you must present official documentation in order to justify a make-up exam. Such an allowance is made in the case of a death in the family, personal medical emergency or if you are part of a sports or an academic team and will be out of town on that day. In that case, please contact the instructor and schedule a make-up within one week.
  • Non-acceptable excuses include over sleeping, alarm failing to go-off, computer crashing and printer not working, car breaking down, and leaving early for vacation.

Current Event Reports (20%)
These will consist of 4 printed or typed reports – at least 1 page in length. The purpose of these exercises is to acquaint you with current issues related to tourism. You are required to turn in a one-page review of the article that states clearly and simply how the article relates to the topics covered in lectures and in the readings.

Please use only newspaper articles published within the last 3 months, or scholarly journal articles published with the last year. Any late assignment will be penalized with a 10-point deduction for every class period after the date due.

In addition to your written report and a complete bibliographic reference of the article, for each assignment you are to turn in a MAP of the country in which the news event took place.

Formatand length ofCurrent Event Reports

All written assignments must be in printed format. They must be double-spaced with 11 or 12-point font. They must contain your name, the assignment # (1, 2, 3, etc.), and the class (GEOG 300) in the top left cornerof the first page. Please staple all assignments before turning them in.

**Important! Always remember to cite any direct quotations or paraphrased information that you took from the article, otherwise it is considered plagiarism! See note below on policies regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty.

Final Project (20%)
Controversial Impacts of Tourism Assignment

We will be exploring a number of controversies in this course. For this paper, select one of these and make the argument either for or against a position. Possible options you could support or oppose are given below, but I encourage you to come up with your own controversy. Please check with me in advance for suitability. In your paper, provide examples of places, programs and policies where possible. You must have at least three references from a) books b) journals, and c) WWW. Government Docs are also possible sources and, of course, newspapers.

  1. Tourism is an appropriate route to economic growth in most developing countries.
  2. Disney theme parks and “Disneyfication” promote global cultural homogeneity and placelessness.
  3. Enclave resorts in the Caribbean are preferable (or non-preferable) from both residents’ and tourists’ viewpoints.
  4. Environmental impacts of tourism (even ecotourism) are considerable.
  5. Significance of tourism in South Carolina and its positive/negative impacts.
  6. Analyze and compare/contrast at least 2 travel writers’ perspectives on the effects of tourism.

Project length: 5-10 pages.

**Important! Always remember to cite any direct quotations or paraphrased information that you took from the source, otherwise it is considered plagiarism! See note below on policies regarding plagiarism and academic dishonesty.
FORMAT OF WRITTEN ASSIGNMENTS
All written assignments must be in printed format. They must be double-spaced with a 12 point font. They must contain a cover page which includes the title of the article reviewed or title of final paper, assignment # for current events, name, and the class.

DEADLINES

Any late assignment will be penalized with a 10-point deduction for every class period after the date due. An exception will only be made in case of an official, written document of a death in the family, personal medical emergency, or travel due to academic reasons or being part of a sports team.

EXTRA CREDIT
There are no extra credit assignments. Please don’t ask!

ATTENDANCE

Attendance will be taken on a regular basis. You will be held responsible for any material covered in class. If you accumulate more than 6 unexcused absences, you will be dropped from the class with a grade of “F”! I will take attendance at the beginning of class. Please come to class on time. You will not be allowed to enter the classroom once class has begun.

CLASSROOM CONDUCT!

The professor reserves the right to remove,at any time, any student from the class who acts in a disruptive or disrespectful manner or engages in the use of a cell phone or other unauthorized device, in which case the student will receive an unexcused absence for that class meeting. If any further incident occurs, the professor also reserves the right to withdraw the student from the class with a grade of “F”.

Disruptive or disrespectful behavior includes anything that disrupts the professor or fellow students, such as talking, whispering, or giggling amongsteach other as well as eating, texting, checking emails, Facebook, etc., etc…Whining or complaining about course material or grades also fits into this realm of unacceptable behavior. Please see the FMU Student Handbook 2015-2016 for further details.

Discrimination, harassment, and retaliation also constitute behaviors that will NOT be tolerated in any form whatsoever (see FMU Student Handbook 2015-2016). BE AWARE that I will strictly enforce these norms in accordance with the FMU Honor Code and the FMU Student Handbook. Cases regarding violation of any of these norms of conduct will be reported to the Dean of Students.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES – Use of any and all electronic devices is PROHIBITED in class.

** Cell Phone – Please keep cell phones powered off and please NO TEXTING in class!

** iPhone, iPad, iPod, earphones, etc. – Please do NOT use these devices in class at all!

** Laptop –You must seekpermissionfrom the professor before using this to take notes.

ACADEMIC DISHONESTY!

In accord with the FMU Honor Code, any evidence of cheating or plagiarism will result in the loss of all points on that exam or assignment and appropriate disciplinary action, and may result in suspension or expulsion from the University. Please see the FMU Student Handbook 2015-2016.BE WARNED THAT I WILL STRICTLY ENFORCE THESE GUIDELINES!!! Cases regarding cheating or plagiarism will be reported to the Associate Provost.

COURSE OUTLINE

Topic / Readings/Assignments / Important Dates
Geography of Tourism / PartI
EXAM I / Thu – Feb. 4
Geographic Foundation of Tourism / PartII
EXAMII / Thu – March 3
Abstract for final project DUE / Thu – March 10
Geography of Tourism Effects / PartIII
EXAMIII (Take-home) / Due Tue – April 5 / Tue – March 29
Geography of Space, Place and Tourism / Part IV
Final Project DUE / Thu – April 21
EXAM IV (Final) / Fri – April 29 3:00 - 5:00PM

**Current Events are due on the following dates: 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, and 3/8

***The last day to withdraw from the course with a grade of “W” isApril 11th. It is your responsibility to gather the appropriate paperwork and present a request to the instructor for a withdrawal without failure from the course.

GRADING SCALE
A = 90 – 100
B+ = 87 – 89
B = 80 – 86
C+ = 77 – 79
C = 70 – 76
D+ = 67 – 69
D = 60 – 66
F = 0 – 59