TM9412 - Introduction to Tourism and Events

You will learn through lectures, seminars and independent learning. The two hour weekly lectures will provide you with a theoretical underpinning of the module content, relating theory to practice through case studies. The one hour weekly seminar will give you the opportunity to apply the knowledge you gained in lectures to the analysis of international tourism and to discuss critically some of the key issues in the sector.

The module will include a range of student led activities, local visits and guest speakers, which will help you to appreciate the extent of tourism and events industry and its impacts, both regionally as well as internationally. Through these activities you will be equipped with skills of intellectual autonomy, collaborative working, critical and independent inquiry skills. Self- directed inquiry will be key to engagement and learning in this module

Your directed study will support the work you have undertaken in the contact sessions. You will be expected to keep up-to-date with your workshop activities and readings. To aid with self-assessment on progress, a guide to these activities will be made available to you on the e-learning portal.

Independent learning time is set aside for learning activities, self-identified by you, to gain a deeper and broader knowledge of the subject. You may complete the review exercises, work with the electronic support tools (such as quizzes and recordings of IT applications), and attempt to complete past assignments or undertake further reading.

Support will be provided to you by a member of academic staff leading the module and providing the lecture input. Other academics will contribute to the teaching of the module based on their subject expertise. The activities of the teacher and the learner will be aligned towards the co-creation of knowledge. You will take responsibility for your own learning through active and self-directed learning activities that are supported by academic staff.

Your module is supported by an e-learning portal, which houses lecture materials, seminar exercise, alongside assessment details and various support facilities such as recordings of certain lectures through Panopto and IT applications, alongside other electronic support facilities such as indicated above.

You will be provided with a wide-ranging electronic reading list that comprises academic reports, books sections and journal articles. The readings have been carefully selected to help you better understand the main concepts and ideas in tourism and events.

The module assessment consists of an essay and a group poster presentation. All the necessary information for the assessment will be uploaded to the e-learning portal prior to the deadline. This includes guide and model answers. Specific time will be allocated in class to support the assessment.

All modules at Northumbria include a range of reading materials that students are expected to engage with. The reading list for this module can be found at: http://readinglists.northumbria.ac.uk
(Reading List service online guide for academic staff this containing contact details for the Reading List team – http://library.northumbria.ac.uk/readinglists)

Knowledge & Understanding:
• Understand the nature and defining characteristics of tourism and events as an academic discipline as a sector of the economy and the changing role of tourism and events in the 21st century. (MLO1)

Intellectual / Professional skills & abilities:
• Communicate effectively a reasoned argument informed by theories, concepts and factual information. (MLO2)

Personal Values Attributes (Global / Cultural awareness, Ethics, Curiosity) (PVA):
• You will develop a responsible approach to learning that is underpinned by ethical values. (MLO3)

The module assessment consists of an essay, counting for 75% of the mark and a group poster presentation, counting for 25% of the mark.

The essay assesses your understanding of the key concepts and ideas in tourism and events (MLO 1). You are asked to choose a topic among those offered by the module tutor. Topics will be available in the e-learning portal prior to the deadline.

The group poster presentation should focus on the changing role of tourism and events in contemporary societies assessing MLO 2 and 3. The presentation will explore a contemporary issue of your choice and should be 7 minutes long allowing 3 extra minutes for questions.

Formative assessment will be carried out on a continuous basis within the seminars. This will take place through group work, assignment discussion and reflection together with theory/practice related discussions

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This module is conceived as a travel guide to the increasingly complex and ever exciting world of tourism. Like any guidebook it seeks to stimulate the imagination, point out noteworthy areas of interest and facilitate the learning experience. The module addresses three basic questions. First it asks how we can understand tourism and events both as economic and cultural practices. The second question is concerned with the extent of the tourism and events sector in the twenty first century as well as its impacts on and influences to the wider community. The final question addresses the different components that constitute the tourism and events complexes including, subjectivities, spaces and business. This is an eclectic module that includes perspectives from different disciplines. This eclecticism serves to emphasise the multiple connections and dimensions of tourism and events. With this module you will develop critical, practical, academic study and information literacy skills to enable the full achievement of learning outcomes at the module and programme levels.