RTM 530 Cultural Aspects and Global Perspectives in Tourism (3 units)
CALIFORNIA STATE UNIVERSITY, NORTHRIDGE
Department of Recreation and Tourism Management
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Preparatory: RTM 314 or RTM 480. Addresses issues culture as it is affected by tourism. We will examine issues of authenticity, commodification of culture and the interaction of hosts and guests in different contexts, ranging from the industrialized world to developing countries.
DEPARTMENTAL STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES:
- Students will demonstrate critical thinking including analysis, synthesis, and evaluation within the recreational sport management and/or tourism industry(ies) through a variety of pedagogies.
- Students will demonstrate both a broad and in-depth application of knowledge of the economic, environmental, cultural and social impacts of recreational sport management and/or tourism.
- Students will obtain theoretical knowledge and practical skills in preparation for a career in the recreational sport management and/or tourism industry(ies) as demonstrated by satisfactory completion of research projects, course work, and internships.
COURSE OBJECTIVES:
1. To be able to recommend strategies for tourism operations in different geographic areas and identify sensitive issues for the host community (SLO 1, 2, 3).
2. To understand the interplay of hosts and guests in the tourism dynamic and the effect each group has on the other (SLO 2).
3. To understand and be able to discuss the concepts of commodification and authenticity within the tourism context (SLO 2).
4. Identify trends within the global tourism industry and be able to project future global issues (SLO 1, 2, 3).
5. Be able to discuss international case studies regarding the various perspectives of tourism, not limited to cultural, economic and environmental aspects (SLO 2).
COURSE CONTENT and ORGANIZATION:
Week 1: Introduction to the course, introduction to and definitions of tourism
Week 2: Understanding tourism from a sociological perspective
Week 3: Understanding tourism from a sociological perspective –continued-
Week 4: Tourist roles and tourist types
Week 5: Authenticity
Week 6: Understanding tourist motivation
Week 7: Understanding tourist motivation –cont-
Week 8: Mid-term exam
Week 9: Case studies: Tourism and socio-cultural change
Week 10: Case studies: Tourism and socio-cultural change –cont-
Week 11: Tourism and the industrial world
Week 12: Tourism and the industrial world –cont-
Week 13: Tourism and the developing world
Week 14: The homogenization of international experience
Week 15: Tourism’s role with regions in transition:
Week 16: Student research presentations
GRADING:
Mid-term Exam 25%
Final Exam 25%
Topic Presentation 15% Multi-media presentation of an approved topic related to
the study of cultural aspects and global perspectives of
tourism
Research Project 35% Comprehensive analysis, synthesis and evaluation of an
approved topic involving course content
91-100% =A
89-90% = A-
87-88% = B+
81-86% = B
79-80% = B-
77-78% = C+
71-76% = C
69-70% = C-
67-68% = D+
61-66% = D
59-60% = D-
<59% = F
ASSESSMENT
Course assessment will be accomplished through ongoing review of imbedded questions in examinations and an evaluation rubric related to the research project.
POSSIBLE TEXT:
MacCannell, D. (1999). The tourist: A new theory of the leisure class. University of California Press: Berkeley.
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
Bishop, R. & Robinson, L.S. (1998). Night market: Sexual cultures and the Thai economic miracle. Routledge: New York.
Chambers, E.N. (2000). Tours: The anthropology of travel and tourism. Waveland.
Clifford, J. R. (1997). Routes: Travel and translation in the late Twentieth Century. Harvard.
Smith, V. (Ed.) (1989). Hosts and guests: The anthropology of tourism. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Van Wynsberghe, R. (2002). Alternatives: Community, identity, and environmental justice on Walpole Island. Allyn & Bacon.