UArctic Masters Focus on Northern Tourism
Northern Tourism in Practice (10 ECTS graduate field course)
Objectives: The course will expand, deepen and integrate knowledge of tourism and tourism development in the north through the planning and implementation of a project in a Circumpolar north destination. At the end of the course, students will be able to:
Knowledge: Explain the significance of context in the tourism development process, including the historical development of tourism, its cultural, industrial, social, political and natural aspects. Identify stakeholders and networks engaged in tourism development in a Circumpolar north context.
Skills: Identify research themes relevant to the field school destination. Collect data required to fulfill the requirements of the field school project. Design and conduct a small-scale tourism development research project. Conduct information and data collecting relevant to the topics of the course and the field school destination. Assess the tourist experience potential in terms of both the natural and cultural resources and amenities of the case study location
General competence: Critically reflect on research ethics in the north. Present and discuss the case study material in field seminars. Cooperate and networking with international students and faculty in the field. Report on results of a destination development research project in the Circumpolar north.
Northern Tourism in Development in Northern environments (10 ECTS graduate online course)
Content: The course will address tourism in the circumpolar north from a societal perspective. It will present different views on the phenomenon and its dimensions, resources and implications for nature, places and cultures involved. The place of northern tourism in times of globalization and emergent global issues like climate changes will be explored, together with the relevant governance aspects.
Methods: Learning will take place in interactive and collaborative forms. It will take place on-line, through such methods as lectures, group discussions, and teamwork. Instructors and students will share discoveries and materials during the course, and use a variety of communication tools. it is very important that you are actively working to stay connected with your co-students as well as your instructors.
Objectives: To familiarize students with theory and knowledge related to sustainable tourism development in Northern environments. In the course students will: Gain knowledge of the phenomena of northern tourism; the place of sustainable northern tourism within globalization and climate change; and the socio-cultural dimensions of northern tourism; Acquire skills that will enable them to critically evaluate why the phenomena of northern tourism should be studied; identify the implications of northern tourism for indigenous cultures; evaluate the implications of northern tourism as related to local communities and resources; and critically examine governance aspects of northern tourism; Get the general competence of synthesizing academic reading materials read; participating in master’s level discussion of course materials; and developing research and writing skills to a Master’s level.
Northern Tourists, Northern Hosts: Performances and Experiences (10 ECTS graduate online course)
Content: This course addresses tourism in the circumpolar north, from the perspective of the tourist and the host. The historical dimensions of northern tourism will be explored, along with the psychological and demographic dimensions used to determine who the tourist is. The relationship of the tourist to consumption and performances will be examined, through the application of diverse perspectives on experience production. Tourist and host encounters, and cultural and environmental change, and destination management issues, challenges and opportunities, will be examined and analysed.
Methods: Learning is interactive and collaborative and takes place on-line through diverse methods including, but not limited to, lectures, group discussions and teamwork. Instructors and students share discoveries and materials during each step of the course, and use a variety of communication tools such as e-mail, threaded discussions, document sharing and live chat sessions.
Objectives: To familiarize students with theory and knowledge related to tourist performances and experiences in a northern context. Through course on-line activities, readings and assignments, students will: Gain knowledge of the historical development of the circumpolar north and its significance to circumpolar tourism, tourists and hosts; the psychological and demographic dimensions used to differentiate tourists to the circumpolar north from those of other destinations; the characteristics of northern hosts and destinations in relation to other geographic destinations; tourism consumption and performance in a northern context; experience production in a northern context; and branding, image and discourse in the context of tourism in the circumpolar north; Acquire skills that will enable them to analyse the historical development of the circumpolar north in relation to its significance to tourism, tourists and hosts; critically examine tourism consumption and performance through the identification and application of relevant theories and an analysis of applied practices; identify and explain the different aspects of experience production in a northern context; and explain the role of branding, image and discourse in relation to tourism in the circumpolar north; Acquire a general competency and critical skills (e.g. analysis versus description) for: synthesizing reading material; engaging in master’s level online discussions in the thematic aspects of the course; and executing research and writing skills at a master’s level.
This Masters Focus on Northern Tourism, undertaken within an existing Masters degree, consists of a sequence of three courses endorsed as a block by the University of the Arctic. Credits for each course have been formally granted by the course hosting institution and can be presented by the student to their home institution for consideration in the Masters degree they are undertaking. The credits are earned for a combination of readings and assignments, experiential learning exercises, and critical discussions.