In this course we seek to better understand and analyze in a systematic way the social and geographical dimensions of tourism. Our focus is on spatial relationships, tourism systems and environments. The theme that carries us on this journey is that of tourism as a totalizing social construction of places and identities. We are all tourists. Even at home in our houses, we are tourists.
Tourism organizes much of our lives.
Curiously, the study of tourism is a relatively new topic in social science. Tourism studies demand an interdisciplinary approach. The course draws on anthropology, sociology, political science, economics, natural resources planning, as well as geography. We will be reading widely. We seek to totally re-conceptualize how we think about tourism and ourselves.