78366 - European Cultural Routes and Tourism Systems

Learning outcomes

At the end of the module students shall be familiar with the concepts of both local development and cultural tourism with a focus on cultural routes as a tool for local development. The course will also provide students with the definition of creative industries, tangible and intangible cultural heritage, tourism clusters and local systems of tourism supply. The international charts and conventions (UNESCO, ICOMOS, CoE, etc.) concerning tourism and cultural heritage as well as the cultural values underpinning them (Outstanding Universal Value/OUV, European Shared Identity) will allow students to deal with territorial/local and regional labels for tourism promotion. Particular attention will be paid to the capability of students in analyzing cultural tourism based products and in designing projects aiming at local development in a transnational perspective.

Course contents

During the course, the following themes will be presented and discussed:

Basic concepts in human geography – place, space, territory; geographical imaginary; borders; scales; local community; globalization.

Basic concepts in tourism studies – tourism; tourist; tourist destination; mass tourism, cultural tourism, experience tourism, sustainable tourism

Tourism systems – definition and evolution

Cultural heritage – definitions

Connecting global and local – International organisations (mission, tourism strategies and policies), European transnational networks (mission, strategies, activities, projects)

Education and training for the tourism sector

Methodology, methods

Programmes connecting culture and tourism at the European level – European Capitals of Culture, European heritage label, Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe,…

Focus on the Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme

Part 1: institutional context, definition, criteria, dynamics and dimensions

Part 2: planning tools, management, communication and territorial marketing

Readings/Bibliography

The following literature is indicative.

Updated bibliography will be published before the beginning of the module.

Agnew, J. A. & Duncan, J. S. (2011), The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to Human Geography. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Barnes, T. J. & Cristophers, B. (2017), Economic geography: A critical introduction. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Boniface, B. G., & Cooper, C. (2005) World Destinations: The geography of travel and Tourism. Oxford: Elsevier Butterwoth.

Cresswell, T. (2013) Geographic thought: A critical introduction. Chichester: John Wiley & Sons.

Hall C. M. & Page S. (2014) The geography of tourism and recreation: environment, place, and space. 3.ed.: Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge.

Fair, L. S. (2015) An Introduction to the Geography of Tourism: Velvet Nelson Lanham, Maryland: Rowman and Littlefield.

Lew, A.A., Hall, C.M., Williams, A.M. (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell companion to tourism. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Russo A. P., Richards G. (Eds.) (2016). Reinventing the local in tourism: Producing, consuming and negotiating place, Channel View Publications, BuffaloWilson, J. (2012) The Routledge handbook of tourism geographies. London: Routledge.

Wilson, J. & Clavé, S. A., (Eds.). (2013) Geographies of Tourism: European Research Perspectives: European Research Perspectives (Vol. 19). UK: Emerald Group Publishing.

 

Focus on Cultural Routes of the Council of Europe Programme

Berti E., Penelope D., Mariotti A. (eds) (2015), Cultural Routes management from Theory to Pratice. Step by Step guide to the Council of Europe Cultural Routes, Strasbourg, Council of Europe Publishing (also in French). ISBN 978-92-871-7691-2

--> Please read carefully: 1.1, 1.2, 2.2, 2.3, 3.2, 3.4
--> Please study the following: 1.3, 1.4, 2.1, 2.4, 2.5, 2.7

Mariotti, (2013), “Tourism and Cultural Heritage Management: tools, tips and “good to know” for students and practitioners”, in S. Santoro (eds) Skills and tools to the Cultural Heritage and Cultural Tourism Management, Ed. D’Errico, www.chtmbal.com/publications (ISBN: 978-88-97017-06-6).

Robinson M. e Picard D., Tourism, culture and sustainable development, UNESCO, 2006. (DOC n° CLT/CPD/CAD - 06/13)

Teaching methods

The first part (30hrs) will be used for making the students comfortable with concepts, issues, approaches and methods of human geography and tourism studies, providing them with knowledge on global and European tourism based policies and strategies.

The second part of the course (15 hrs) will be dedicated to explore the connection between cultural heritage and tourism, and the existing initiatives in particular at the Europena level.

European Cultural Routes and their relationship with local sustainable development will be the focus of this part.

A different set of learning activities, including webinar, fieldwork, will be intertwined with traditional lectures in both parts of the course. In particular, students will be engaged in reading groups, and project-based exercises.

The fieldwork could include a visit to a tourist destination and the meeting with the stakeholders.

International researchers and professionals will be invited during the meetings to present their expertise, allowing students to acquire new perspectives.

Assessment methods

Due to the Covid-19 emergency, the exam methods have been modified.

• Students attending the lectures.

Evaluation will be articulated into three main assignments, proposed by the teacher during the course, and related to the subjects discussed during the lectures and seminars.

Each assignment will be graded from 1 to 30 and will contribute to the final grade.

Assignments have to be submitted by the deadline.

The active participation during lectures and seminars will be also taken into account for the final assessment.

• Students not attending the lectures.

Exams will take place on the dates published on the website.

Any changes will be communicated on the website.

The exam will include a written assignment related to the subjects part of the program carried out during the course.

• Criteria for grading the essays.

Essays submitted on time will be graded according to the following criteria:

1. Relevance: the essay directly answers the questions;
2. Understanding of the topic;
3. Evidence of the use of appropriate material (e.g. books, journal articles, websites, etc.);
4. Organisation of material into a coherent structure: introduction, argument and evidence, conclusion;
5. Clear style, including accurate spelling, clear sentence construction and punctuation;
6. References;
7. Bibliography;
8. Use of own words, except where directly quoting from other sources;
9. Language: appropriate language, making use of specific words and concepts.

• The following elements will be considered as evidence of quality:

1. Evaluation and analysis of a wide range of material and sources
2. Ability to understand, to critically discuss and re-elaborate abstract ideas, theories and concepts
3. Argument: well formulated, substantiated, and with evidence of critical and independent thought.

Teaching tools

A reference list will be distributed at the beginning of the course in order to foster the scientific debate among the students.

Papers and documents related to specific topics will be suggested and used during the meetings.

Open Educational Resources, Massive Open Online Courses and Cooperative Platforms might be suggested to support teachings, to involve students in active learning, and to manage project-work.

Office hours

See the website of Eleonora Berti