Høst 2023

REI-3011 Tourism theory and the tourist experience - 10 stp

The course is administrated by

Institutt for reiseliv og nordlige studier

Type of course

The course is mandatory for the achievement of a Master's of Tourism Studies. It is open for other students with a Bachelor's degree.

Course contents

This introductory course will focus on deep insights into social science perspectives on tourism and the tourist experience. It will consist of seminal and contemporary theoretical approaches, and how earlier conceptualisations informs and are critiqued by more recent understandings. Central consepts will be tourist roles and identities, host-guest encounters and place performances, authenticity and social and cultural change, the tourist gaze and embodiment, and tourism and everyday life.

Admission requirements

Applicants must have a bachelor's degree (180 ECTS), or an equivalent qualification, with a minimum of 80 ECTS within theoretically founded tourism, hospitality, out-door recreation or event studies, or within marketing and communication, social sciences, humanities or education. Applicants must have a minimum of 5 ECTS in research methods to fulfil the admission requirements.

Applicants must have a minimum grade average comparable to a Norwegian strong C (3,0) in the ECTS scale.

The average grade is calculated from the entire bachelor´s degree.

The maximum number of students accepted per year is 15.

Objective of the course

The students have the following outcomes:

Knowledge The student

has in-depth understanding of seminal and contemporary tourism theories from social science perspectives
has advanced knowledge of the tourist experience
has specialized insight into place performances in tourism

Skills The student

can discuss tourism social science theories
can critically analyse the tourist experience
can discuss tourism as place performances

Competence The student

can contribute to critical thinking in relation to theoretical debates on tourism theories from social science perspectives
can convey knowledge of tourism theories to academic peers and the public
can contribute to new thinking in innovation processes related to the tourist experience and tourism place performances

Language of instruction

English

Teaching methods

The lectures will be given in an intensive mode (classes given in blocks) in autumn semester only. The students are expected to work 280 hours. The teaching will consist of eight lectures (3x45 min) which also include student involvement through class room discussions, group and individual tasks. The students, alone or in smaller groups, will give one oral presentation and one feedback on student presentation.

All courses will be evaluated in accordance with the quality systems of UiT - The Arctic University of Norway.