Cultural Tourism is one of the most important and rapidly expanding economic and social phenomena of the contemporary world. To respond to the professional and intellectual challenges this implies for cultural practitioners, destination managers, heritage site managers, museum curators, policy makers, planners and academics, the Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change at Leeds Metropolitan University has developed an important, innovative and interdisciplinary Master's qualification in Cultural Tourism. The new MA course has been developed by the Centre's staff after consultation with the various organisations which constitute the cultural tourism sector and will draw upon the longstanding research experience and international networks of the CTCC.
New MA Cultural Tourism starting this Autumn
The aim of this new programme is to allow its participants to take an informed position in contemporary theoretical debates and applied policy programmes, focusing on tourism and its relationships with different concepts and expressions of culture. The course is designed to equip students with the knowledge, ideas, and awareness of policy contexts at the local, national and international scale, together with the research skills and relevant practical applications relating to cultural tourism.
"This is a timely moment for a serious Master's degree in Cultural Tourism, as the forces of xenophobia and cultural exclusion threaten to drown out the voices of cultural exchange and cosmopolitan educational experiences. This programme will produce experts and professionals who can help to analyze and manage the challenges of tourism in a globalized world without losing sight of the critical ethical challenges facing all leisure industries today."
Arjun Appadurai, John Dewey Professor in the Social Sciences, The New School, New York
Taught by the academic staff of the Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change, with inputs from our global network of researchers and professionals, the MA will address the most important themes and issues surrounding the relationships between tourism and culture including: The structures and dynamics of international tourism and cultural flows; the social practices and performances of tourists; international tourism and cultural heritage policy; the relationships between tourism and concepts
of modernity, globalisation and colonialism; tangible and intangible heritages and their management; the role of museums and the ways by which cultures are represented; festivals and cultural events; culture and regeneration; tourism as a means of intercultural dialogue.
Through the 'Researching Cultural Tourism' module, a choice of second semester options and, the opportunity to work on a 'live' case study relating to the cultural sector, the course allows students to develop their own interests and skills. And, by undertaking a dissertation the MA will equip participants for future leadership roles in the diverse and dynamic field of cultural tourism and/or develop an opportunity to undertake a PhD at the Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change.
"The new MA in Cultural Tourism deals with many of UNESCO's current key priorities. These include the sustainable management of tangible and intangible heritage and the vital area of inter-cultural dialogue. As a global organisation, UNESCO recognises the strong links between tourism, culture and development. Through exploring these relationships on a world-wide basis, best practice can be developed which benefits both local communities and tourists. I welcome the establishment of this new
course as a contribution to maximising the opportunities that cultural tourism can offer." Barbara Woroncow OBE, Deputy Chair, UK National Commission for UNESCO
Culture Committee
Through the acquisition of knowledge and skills students will be able to move into a range of career opportunities in the cultural tourism sector; heritage management, tourism / cultural policy, international development and research.
The CTCC welcomes applicants progressing from undergraduate qualifications in the social sciences and humanities, as well as from more applied and inter-disciplinary undergraduate programmes such as tourism management. The course is also designed to meet the career development needs of professionals from organisations and government
agencies concerned with the sustainable development of tourism, museums, heritage sites, and the cultural sectors.
"The Centre for Tourism and Cultural Change at Leeds Metropolitan University is already a magnet internationally for top-notch graduate students and scholars interested in the interdisciplinary study of tourism, both the theoretical issues relevant to it and its application. I am thus very happy to see that the Centre has developed its MA program in Cultural Tourism, which in addition to including the Centre's interdisicplinary theoretical and practical focus, promises the study of
tourism as a cross-cultural and inter-cultural practice with important implications not just for scholars, but especially for tourism professionals, who must try to mediate in a sustainable way between local identities and needs and the expectations of tourists. The new MA course will further enhance the Centre's excellent reputation world wide." Professor Shelley Baranowski, Vice President International
Commission for the History of Travel and Tourism, University of Akron, USA
"I fully support this new development. The MA in Cultural Tourism will be an important opportunity for students to learn more about the complex relationships between tourism and culture." Ning Wang, Professor of Sociology, Sun Yat Sen University, Guangzhou, China
For details of the MA Course please visit our website www.tourism- culture.com where you can download an application form and a course brochure or, email the course leader Dr Philip Long at culturaltourism@ leedsmet. ac.uk
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