3S
人文学部ゼミブログ
2023.02.22
- 人文学部
- 英語英米文化学科
Exploring how culture and tourism are interrelated
ブログ投稿者：Professor Dr Takamitsu JIMURA ／ Department of British and American Studies
My main research interests are tourism, cultural heritage and World Heritage Sites, and interrelationships between these three. I had lived in the UK for around 20 years first as an international student and then as an academic before I moved back to Japan in April 2022 to start working at Musashi University.
I am running Kanko Bunka Seminars 1 and 2, which aim to explore how culture and tourism are interrelated. The most important feature of these seminars would be that we use textbooks written in English, although we discuss all the topics in Japanese. Thus, you may find it challenging and hesitate to join, but I promise the seminars are enjoyable and rewarding!!
In the academic year of 2022, the Seminars 1 and 2 have 17 and 14 students, respectively. The Seminar 1 adopts an introductory monograph on cultural heritage and tourism written by an American scholar. Students can acquire basic knowledge on the use of cultural heritage in tourism settings by reading the book, delivering a presentation on a part they are responsible for, exchanging ideas with their peers, and writing up a report on the essence of the book. In addition, the Seminar 1 picks up a recent piece of news on tourism, culture and/or heritage from all over the world, especially from English-speaking countries, every week, and students and I have a casual chat about it at the beginning of each session.
I am running Kanko Bunka Seminars 1 and 2, which aim to explore how culture and tourism are interrelated. The most important feature of these seminars would be that we use textbooks written in English, although we discuss all the topics in Japanese. Thus, you may find it challenging and hesitate to join, but I promise the seminars are enjoyable and rewarding!!
In the academic year of 2022, the Seminars 1 and 2 have 17 and 14 students, respectively. The Seminar 1 adopts an introductory monograph on cultural heritage and tourism written by an American scholar. Students can acquire basic knowledge on the use of cultural heritage in tourism settings by reading the book, delivering a presentation on a part they are responsible for, exchanging ideas with their peers, and writing up a report on the essence of the book. In addition, the Seminar 1 picks up a recent piece of news on tourism, culture and/or heritage from all over the world, especially from English-speaking countries, every week, and students and I have a casual chat about it at the beginning of each session.
The Seminar 2, whilst uses an advanced monograph specialised in World Heritage Sites written by me. The book examines World Heritage Sites in terms of tourism, local communities, and conservation activities. Students are expected not only to understand a range of issues involved in these matters but also to critically analyse causes and consequences of the matters. Students can develop their critical way of thinking through discussions held every week and comments/feedback from me. They demonstrate their approach towards diverse issues by writing up a year-end report. Moreover, I invite a guest speaker to a session in the Semester 2 to raise students’ awareness of real-world issues related to tourism and World Heritage Sites. In October 2022, a Vice President of Hikone Tourism Association shared his knowledge on and experience with Hikone’s efforts towards World Heritage listing with us.
The knowledge and skills students acquire through learning with Kanko Bunka Seminars 1 and 2 will enable them to get ready for the final year dissertation project. Ultimately, my mission at Kanko Bunka Seminars 1 and 2 is to stimulate students’ interest in a variety of cultures and people with different backgrounds and expand their horizons for their future career. I look forward to learning with you through Kanko Bunka Seminars 1 and 2!