Tourism and Intercultural Communication for Social Justice

This course explores communicative/rhetorical, cultural, and political issues surrounding the experience of “tourism”.  People experience tourism differently:  for some it is a leisure activity, for others, a form of inter-cultural encounter; for some, it is a development strategy, for others, another form of imperialism.  Tourism offers an interesting window for understanding globalization, the culture of post/modernity and post-coloniality, and who we/they are.  In advancing  these issues, this course will highlight how communication/rhetoric plays a pivotal role in tourism.  By the end of the course, students will be able to do the following:  (1) understand tourism offers an intercultural contact zones where we understand who we/they are and how we relate with others.  (2) explain how tourism intersects with globalization and the culture of post/modernity and post coloniality, (3) apply communication/rhetorical principles to manage ethical/relational concerns in tourism, (4) analyze and evaluate how power and plays in tourism, and (5) design creative communication strategies and campaigns in the local tourism context.