Volume 32, Number 1
Course Profile

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By Kate Ramsay '71

Travel Studies...

Julia Harrison doesn't hesitate when asked which of her courses we might profile for the magazine. Harrison, an anthropologist, has teamed up with Alan Law from the Sociology faculty to develop Trent's new emphasis program in Travel Studies.

Travel Studies? No... this doesn't signal official sanction, with credits attached, for those "student sabbaticals" some of us took en route to a degree. Nor is this about hotel management or how to find a B and B in Bali. Travel Studies is one of several new "emphasis programs" that take advantage of Trent's very successful interdisciplinary approach to learning. Students pursuing a degree will fulfill the requirements of that degree, but if they meet the criteria for the emphasis as well, their degree will have a descriptor highlighting the particular area of study.

Travel Studies involves critical analysis of travel and tourism historically and also examines the present rapid changes in modes of travel and destinations. Through the lens of several disciplines students can examine the social and cultural influences of travel, as well as its impacts on economies and environments. Literature provides another insight into the travel phenomenon, with a growing body of writing which ranges from fact through reflection all the way to fiction.

A glance at any newspaper leisure and travel section quickly demonstrates the timeliness of this new program . Once remote destinations have become accessible to a mobile and inquisitive market hungry for a holiday which is "different" while traditional destinations have developed in many ways in response to the travel industry. There is much food for idle contemplation here and more for serious study. And I didn't even ask about field trips!


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