Course Description: 

This course examines the ways in which visual and material cultures shape and are shaped by travel and tourism. Topics will include the history of tourism and travel, the role of visual and material culture in creating and sustaining tourist destinations, the impact of tourism on local communities and their material culture, and the ways in which travelers themselves create and consume images and objects associated with travel and tourism. Examples will be drawn from a range of cultures and global tourist destinations.

Weekly Schedule & Readings:

• Weekly Schedule:
• Week 1 – Introduction
• Screening: In lieu of screenings or readings for this week, please ensure you review the course Moodle site and introduce yourself in the discussion forum. There will be lecture materials uploaded to Moodle, but we will not have a live session this week. Ask any questions in the Q&A Forum, send me an email, or prepare them to ask in lecture. 
• Week 2 – History 
• Watch this Week: The Secret Life of Walter Mitty (2013)
• Context Materials:
  • “This Week in History: Send Me a Postcard.” Royal BC Museum https://youtu.be/Gv4PzEMGuVg?si=mRq5CuiplB7Nj5hJ 30 March 2021, 3:14
• Week 3 – Building Nations
• Watch this Week: The Salt of the Earth (2014)
• Context Materials:
  • “In Focus: Selections From the Collection: Tourism & Photography.” George Eastman Museum, https://youtu.be/_5kDZq49h_I?si=B0PgeNAuCPlEZLXD&t=307 15 October 2021, start at 5:07 watch until 36:37. Approx. 31mins. 
• Week 4 – Cultural Tourism
•  Watch this Week: Rick Steves’ Europe: Poland (2025) Link: https://www.ricksteves.com/watch-read-listen/video/tv-show/poland
• Context Materials:
  • “In Focus: Selections From the Collection: Tourism & Photography.” George Eastman Museum,  https://youtu.be/_5kDZq49h_I?si=ZVGrajxQAXclUfEH&t=2197  15 October 2021, start at 36:37 watch until 44:01. Approx. 7mins.
  • “The Rise of Cultural Tourism | Everything You Need to Know About Cultural Tourism.” Dr. Hayley Stainton, https://youtu.be/jMEQI6KNNWs?si=eOG2KW_-GZmMg6J2 10 November 2021, 13:47.
• Week 5 – Travel Journalism & Influencers
•  Watch this Week: Anthony Bourdain Parts Unknown, Okinawa, Japan (2015)
• Context Materials:
  • McClanahan, Paige. “We Have All Become Travel Influencers. It’s Ruining the Planet.” Time,https://time.com/6989471/travel-influencers-climate-essay/ 20 June 2024. 
  • “Hidden Hot Spring Oasis in Mexico.” Brandon & Sarah, https://youtu.be/evi3oRfoHxI?si=Wmo37AIuvjVTCt3V 11 June 2023, 12:21. 
• Week 6 – The Tourist’s Gaze
•  Watch this Week: Travel Man, Marrakech Link: https://gem.cbc.ca/travel-man-48-hours-in/s01e04
• Context Materials:
  • “Activists Accuse Authorities of ‘Social Cleansing’ for Clearing Homeless out of Paris.” PBS NewsHour, https://youtu.be/7q2Xr4rOiZg?si=FZwqdtkMWWFT-1WJ 8 August 2024, 6:15. 
• Week 7 – Niche Tourism
•  Watch this Week: “Home Alone Story Location Tour & Filming Locations” Link: https://youtu.be/VqtScankhTc?si=s2Kh6id6WAPRzzqF
• Context Materials:
  • Laroche, Jean. “From Screen to Tourist Attraction, Nova Scotia Wants Fans to Visit Film Locations.” CBC, https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/film-tourism-industry-roesch-1.6743897 13 February 2023. 
• • Whittle, Jeremy. “’It’s Not a Circus’: Tour de France Crash Caused by Fan is Latest on Long List.” The Guardian, https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/jun/27/tour-de-france-latest-crash-caused-by-a-fan-is-another-on-a-long-list 27 June 2021. 
• • “New Zealand – Home of Middle-Earth.” Warner Bros. https://youtu.be/hsUlHilL0Is?si=Sg98_CfO8rOybNmw 14 June 2013, 6:31. 
• Week 8 – Activism
•  Watch this Week: Crowded Out: The Story of Overtourism (2018) Link: https://youtu.be/U-52L7hYQiE?si=TQpW4YdCK6NRIU2Z
• Context Materials:
  • “On Our Terms: Responsible Tourism in the Maasai Mara.” Responsible Travelhttps://www.responsibletravel.com/copy/on-our-terms, 7:23. (response to Crowded Out)
  • “Can Tourism Ever Really Help the Environment?” BBC World Service https://youtu.be/nDplkL3wJrg?si=bHQuC1NYbm0V-UaZ 19 February 2024, 26:27.
• Week 9  – Local Tourism
•  Watch this Week: Saint-Pierre, Ep. 1 (2025) Link: https://gem.cbc.ca/saint-pierre/s01e01  
• Context Materials:
  • “Government Gets Involved in Tourism, 1923-1970.” Nova Scotia Archiveshttps://archives.novascotia.ca/tourism/background/government/
  • “East Coast Lifestyle: The Inside Story with Alex MacLean.” The Maritime Edit https://youtu.be/c5qz9TwdPfk?si=8DCGDRJ0DztzyLQl 3 May 2023, 5:41.
• Week 10 – Dark Tourism
•  Watch this Week: Dark Tourist Season 1, Episode 3 (2018) Watch on Netflix *note that the material this week may be disturbing to some viewers 
• Context Materials:
  • “Fast Track: Dark Tourism.” BBC Travel Show https://youtu.be/KhnLXMdMpyM?si=FvtvPh4JzAdwFLLQ&t=85 28 May 2012, start watching at 1:25 and stop at 9:12. Approx. 8mins. 
• • Sampson, Hannah. “Dark Tourism, Explained.” The Washington Posthttps://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2019/travel/dark-tourism-explainer/ 13 November 2019.
  • Straub-Kuo, Kersti. “In Defense of Dark Tourism: Learning From Our Dark Past.” Mediumhttps://medium.com/@kskculture/in-defense-of-dark-tourism-learning-from-our-dark-past-ff25fdd2c00c 7 May 2023. 
• Week 11 – Virtual Tourism
•  Watch this Week: “What Was it Like to Travel While Black During Jim Crow?” (2019) Link: https://youtu.be/7UUFn7iyymo?si=4qCjre_UUAWHeRjL
• Context Materials:
  • “Virtual Reality: The Future of Travel?” DW Shift https://youtu.be/E7avyT_2dac?si=BhU98lWvyomZicHt 26 August 2023, 12:31.
• • Kuta, Sarah. “’Star Trek’ Fans Can Now Virtually Tour Every Starship Enterprise Bridge.” Smithsonian Magazine https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/star-trek-fans-can-now-virtually-tour-every-starship-enterprise-bridge-180982090/ 2 May 2023. 
  • “Immersive 3D Tour of Barcelona, Spain.” Hugh Hou https://youtu.be/KJ-_LUrGhYE?si=Qea8qwjn-4FOudYI12 October 2023. 9:56 – This video can be viewed with a VR headset if you have one. You do not need to watch the entire video; you can also skip through it – just get a sense of what a 3D/VR tour looks like (with/without VR headset). 
• Week 12 – Wrap-Up
•  Context Materials/Travel Ads:
  • Expedia – “Travel Yourself Interesting” https://youtu.be/kDigOGZ9YAE?si=56WOJ-pS56Gae2bh
• • Air BnB – “Live There” https://youtu.be/ddRBr2It00k?si=tDAp17_lKdRW_5Fa
  • Tourism Australia – Dundee Super Bowl 2018 https://youtu.be/NNJKWVmK-GM?si=LmMaaXyvV2bTRUYI

 Course Evaluation: 

Participation (weekly activities & discussion on Moodle)               25%                 

Critical Responses (10% x 5 specific videos)                                  50%                                         

Digital Marketing Assignment                                                        25%     

“One’s destination is never a place but a new way of seeing things.” – Henry Miller

“There is no such thing as unmediated tourism” – Peter M Burns, Cathy Palmer, & Jo-Anne Lester, Tourism & Visual Culture: Theories & Concepts (2010)