GEOGRAPHY AND SOCIOLOGY OF TOURISM

Single discipline educational activity

Course Sheet

Academic Year of enrolment:

2017/2018

Academic Year of provision:

2019/2020

Degree:

Bachelor's Degree Programme in BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

Language:

Italian

Grouping:

SOCIOLOGY OF TOURISM
Credits: 4 - Related/Supplementary
GEOGRAPHY OF TOURISM
Credits: 4 - Related/Supplementary

Grouping credits:

Grouping type:

Attendance grouping

Programme Year:

Cycle:

Second four months

MODULE I
None

MODULO II
None

Educational Goals

MODULE I
Knowledge and understanding (and
(applying knowledge and understanding)

After studying this module students should be able to:
a) Understand the basic mechanisms and conclusions of models regarding geography of tourism.
b) Develop critical perspectives on sustainable tourism.
c) Reflect on actions and behaviors to improve the competitiveness of the company operating in the tourism sector.
d) Examine the role of the company operating in the tourism sector in supporting local development.

Learning skills, qualities and attributes, communication skills, making judgements
After studying this module students should be able to:
e) Apply the principal techniques of geography of tourism and sustainable tourism analysis and discuss their utility in a local context.
f) Demonstrate enhanced analytical skills, oral and written communication skills in address the improvement of the competitiveness of the company operating in the tourism sector according to an integrated approach based on a systemic view and on long term objectives.
g) Demonstrate enhanced analytical skills in creating synergies between the company operating in the tourism sector and the local stakeholders.

MODULE II
The course aims to provide the skills for an advanced understanding of the most relevant social phenomena related to tourism processes. In more detail:
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The course aims to: provide the general picture of the role that sociology of tourism plays in investigating tourist phenomena with respect to socio-economic factors; define the fundamentals of the demand for tourist goods as evolution of social status and cultural belonging; investigate the main institutional arrangements that support the meeting between supply and demand of tourist goods.
APPLIED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
The student must be able to identify the key explanatory factors of turistic experiences of consumption and touristic industry offer.
AUTONOMY OF JUDGMENT
At the end of the course the students are expected to assimilate the ability to critically evaluate the main types of contemporary and past tourist experiences.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
The students are expected to develop the ability to communicate appropriately with various types of actors: policy makers, operators of the turistic industry and potential customers.
ABILITY TO LEARN
At the end of the course, students are expectet to be able to:
- focus on the relationships between the tourist and the other relevant socio-economic figures in different scenarios;
- elaborate interpretation models able to capture the relationships between touristic dynamics and socio-economic systems
- deal adequately with various potential critical factors that may arise in touristic experiences.

Content

MODULE I
The module is focused on sustainable tourism as a guiding principle to improve the competitiveness of the company operating in the tourism sector. Starting from the increasing competition among tourism destinations the module also highlights the vital role of the company in supporting local development.
The module offers a systemic view based on an integrated and multidimensional approach and on long term objectives.

PART I – INTRODUCTION
1) Course description
2) Proper and Improper tourism
3) Tourist-receiving regions. Configurations
4) Models to interpret touristic territories
5) Geographical tools applied to tourism: Geographic Information Systems. Big data and GIS

PART II – SUSTAINABLE TOURISM
1) The debate on sustainable tourism
2) International resolutions
3) EU sustainable tourism policies
4) The substitutability between economy and environment
5) Strategies to improve competitiveness:
- The role of stakeholders in favouring local development
- The role of the company operating in the tourism sector in favouring local development
- Tourist-receiving activities, environment and sustainability. Strategies for improving attractiveness
6) Proactive tools for the company:
- EMAS
- Ecolabel
- ISO 14001
- FEE tools
- Sharing economy: startup cases
7) Climate change and tourism
8) Case studies:
- Lake Garda
- European Green Capital Award

MODULE II
In general, the course will be focused on a socio-economic analysis of touristic processes, from a micro and macro-social perspective. From the one hand, the course will focus on the analysis of the tourist behaviour and needs. From the other hand, the socio-economical macro-factors related to the tranformation of the touristical sector will be investigated.
The course will be in Italian.
In more detail, the course will cover the following topics:

Module 1: “proto-turistic” actors from a sociological perspective
1) The figure of tourist in social science
2) “Proto-tourism”: a sociological approach

Module 2: socio-economic aspects of tourism and evolution of touristic behaviour
1) Socio-economic-tranformations in tourism
2) The tourism within the industrial society: part 1
3) The tourism within the industrial society: part 2
4) The post-modern society
5) Tourism within the post-industrial society

Extended Syllabus

MODULE II
The course is focused on a socio-economic analysis of touristic processes, from a twofoald perspective: from a micro-social point of view, the course will focus on the analysis of the tourist behaviour and needs. From the macro-social point of view, the course will investigate the institutional and cultural factors related to the tranformation of tourism within modern societies. The main aim of the course is providing an overall introduction on the contemporary sociology of tourism, from a multi-disciplinary perspective. In more detail, the course will cover the following topics:

Module 1: “proto-turistic” actors from a sciological perspective
1) The figure of tourist in social science: general definitions of tourism and tourists; tourism and trip; micro and macro-factors and touristic behaviour
2) “Proto-tourism”: a sociological approach: the trip within the archaic societies; ancient societies and trip as “total social fact”; trips in Middle Ages and Renaiisance; the “Grand Tour”- the origin, the precursory elements of modern tourism, the end of Grand Tour

Module 2: socio-economic aspects of tourism and evolution of touristic behaviour
1) Socio-economic-tranformations in tourism: liberal societies and industrial revolution; the origins of capitalism: M. Weber and G. Simmel
2) The tourism within the industrial society: part 1- “romantic” tourism; tourism and nobilty; scientific explorations; consumption, ostentation and tourism; status factors and “conspicuous consumption”
3) The tourism wihin the industrial society: part 2 – the case of US, Germany and Italy; “etero-directed tourism” and mass tourism; social stratification and tourism;
4) The post-modern society: cultural and macro-social context; new forms of consumptions; functional disgregation; social relations and identity;
5) Tourism within the post-industrial society: “interstitial tourism”; the Cohen’s model; experiential tourism; the theatre metaphor and the MacCannell’s model; the “flaneur” tourist.

Recommended Bibliography

MODULE I
Attendant students:
1. Materials made available during the course (Slide)
2. lectures notes
Further complementary reading will be suggested during the classes.

Non attendant students:
Handbooks:
- Dino Gavinelli, Giacomo Zanolin, Geografia del turismo contemporaneo, Carocci, 2019. ISBN 9788843095247
- Patrizia Romei (a cura di), Turismo sostenibile e sviluppo locale, Cedam, 2008, ISBN 9788813295943

For Erasmus students:
- Piero Innocenti, Tourism studies. The emergence of a new systemic approach. Examples from the United States and Europe, Lulu, 2011, SBN 9781446617564

MODULE II
Yiorgos Apostolopoulos, Stella Leivadi, Andrew Yiannakis (2001), The Sociology of Tourism: Theoretical and Empirical Investigations (Routledge Advances in Tourism), Routledge, New York,[ISBN] 0-415-13508-7 (except for chapters 6,7,11,12,13)

Methods of Provision

Conventional

Teaching Methods

MODULE I
Front classes will be given by the lecturer and special seminars devoted to particular topics will be given by external experts (35 hours – 14 meetings). Exercises (15 hours – 8 meetings)

MODULE II
Face-to-face lectures (30 hours) and team work (optional).

Assessment Methods

MODULE I
Students will be asked to answer three open written questions (lasting 1 hour). The examination can be integrated with an optional research previously defined. The research will be presented in the classroom. The “Mid-term test” is allowed both for attendant and for non attendant students.

MODULE II
The exam aims to ascertain the knowledge of the topics listed in the official program of the course and the ability to formulate interdisciplinary links between them. The exam will consist of a written test. The evaluation is expressed in thirtieths. The exam will consist in a mix of multiple choice questions and open questions (1 hour duration). For the not-attendant students, the exam will be focused on the arguments included in the textbook. For the attendant students, the exam will be focused on the arguments discussed during the classes. Furthermore, the attendant students will have the chance to develop an optional research carried out in small groups (maximum 2 people) and previously agreed with the teacher. The research objectives are: (i) to verify the ability to argue and discuss the topics related to the course program and (ii) stimulate learning and in-depth study of the topics covered in the classroom in a context of team-working. The research must be presented and discussed in the classroom. The research will give the access to a maximum of 2 points, which will be added to the final grade.

Assessment:

Final Mark

Programme of Educational Activities

Start date of teaching period:

Monday, February 10, 2020

End date of teaching period:

Friday, May 22, 2020

Other Information

MODULE I
Tutorship is available in English.
Non-compulsory attendance.

MODULE II
Attendance is not compulsory

Login HP

Portale di Ateneo - En.Unibs.it

Struttura

Servizi

Menu Target

Academic Years

Borrowed courses

Other Courses in the Curriculum

Course year: 1

Course year: 2

Course year: 3

Footer