ENP 350àEcotourism: Who Owns Paradise?
Robert C. Williams, Ph.D.
MIC 305-306
Mon/Thurs from 9:30 to 10:45 am
Contact Information
# 802.279.3364 (mobile)
Overview:
Any study of environmental policy in the 21st century
must consider the growing global interest in ecotourism. This course – “Ecotourism
and Sustainable Development: Who Owns Paradise?” - will provide a survey
of the development and conceptualization of “ecotourism,” as well as exploring
the possibilities and pitfalls of 21st century “ecotourism.”
Building on specific case studies from around the world, including Iceland, the
Galapagos Islands, Costa Rica, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Kenya, South Africa and
close to home here in the United States/Vermont – our course will take a
balanced “both/and” approach to ecotourism, with a reliance on specific case
studies to explore and deepen our understanding of ecotourism as a global
phenomenon. We will also consider future possibilities for eco-tourism, in
light of our 21st century Age of Limits and new emerging
technological and political possibilities for human civilization grappling with
big picture environmental issues like climate change and peak oil, and the role
of “ecotourism” within these emerging realities.
COMPETENCIES
Written Communication
Ethical Reasoning
Oral Communication
Information Literacy and Technology
Global Appreciation
The Champlain College Writing Center
The Writing Center at Champlain
provides free one-with-one writing support for all members of the Champlain
community. Writing Center consultants work with students on a wide range of
writing topics, including brainstorming ideas, topics selection, understanding
assignments, essay organization and sentence-level revisions. The consultants
are also trained to work with the writing you do outside of class as well. For
example, the staff is prepared to discuss creative writing projects, cover
letters and public writing composed by the students and staff at Champlain.
SPECIFIC LEARNING OUTCOMES
Upon
completion of this course, students will be able to:
1.
Define “ecotourism” conceptually and
philosophically, and use these foundational definitions to compare and contrast
various ecotourism initiatives around the world.
2. Assess the environmental, political and
socioeconomic opportunity costs (trade
offs – good and bad outcomes) of ecotourism through an application of the case
study method.
3. Evaluate root philosophical and political
foundations that influence how specific ecotourism initiatives are designed and
deployed.
4. Analyze challenges and opportunities for 21st
century ecotourism initiatives, as we move into a future defined by an Age of
Limits.
5. Synthesize and apply knowledge about
ecotourism to contemporary environmental issues within human communities.
Academic Honesty
Introduction:
In addition to skills and knowledge, Champlain College aims to teach
students appropriate Ethical and Professional Standards of Conduct. The
Academic Honesty Policy exists to inform students and Faculty of their
obligations in upholding the highest standards of professional and ethical
integrity. All student work is subject to the Academic Honesty Policy.
Professional and Academic practice provides guidance about how to properly
cite, reference, and attribute the intellectual property of others. Any attempt
to deceive a faculty member or to help another student to do so will be
considered a violation of this standard.
Instructor’s Intended
Purpose:
The student’s work must match the instructor’s intended purpose for an
assignment. While the instructor will establish the intent of an assignment,
each student must clarify outstanding questions of that intent for a given
assignment.
Unauthorized Assistance:
The student may not give or get any unauthorized assistance in the
preparation of any work.
Authorship:
The student must clearly establish authorship of a work.
Referenced work must be clearly documented, cited, and attributed, regardless
of media or distribution. Even in the case of work licensed as public domain or
Copyleft, (See: http://creativecommons.org/) the student must provide attribution of
that work in order to uphold the standards of intent and authorship.
Declaration:
Online submission of, or placing one’s name
on an exam, assignment, or any course document is a statement of academic honor
that the student has not received or given inappropriate assistance in
completing it and that the student has complied with the Academic Honesty
Policy in that work.
Consequences:
An
instructor may impose a sanction on the student that varies depending upon the
instructor’s evaluation of the nature and gravity of the offense. Possible sanctions include but are not
limited to, the following: (1) Require the student to redo the assignment; (2)
Require the student to complete another assignment; (3) Assign a grade of zero
to the assignment; (4) Assign a final grade of “F” for the course. A student
may appeal these decisions according to the Academic Grievance Procedure. (See
the relevant section in the Student Handbook.) Multiple violations of this
policy will result in a referral to the Conduct Review Board for possible
additional sanctions. The full text of the Academic Honesty Policy is in the Student Handbook.
**Disclaimer for my class regarding academic
honesty:
A string of
five or more words from any source that is used in your own work without
quotations, an in-text citation, and full citation in the reference section is
plagiarism. Text from any source that
has been put in your own words must also have an in-text citation and full
citation in the reference section to avoid plagiarism.
Accommodations
If you
believe that you have a disability requiring accommodations in this class,
please contact the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities as
soon as possible. You will be able to schedule a meeting with either Skip
Harris (sharris@champlain.edu)
or Denise Myers (dmyers@champlain.ed) and have your documentation reviewed. During that meeting Skip or Denise will
provide you with letters for your faculty that will detail your needed
accommodations. It is the student’s
responsibility to seek and secure accommodations prior to the start of a test
or project.
The
Writing Center
The Writing
Center at Champlain provides free one-with-one writing support for all members
of the Champlain community. Writing Center consultants work with students on a
wide range of writing topics, including brainstorming ideas, topics selection,
understanding assignments, essay organization and sentence-level revisions. The
consultants are also trained to work with the writing you do outside of class
as well. For example, the staff is prepared to discuss creative writing projects,
cover letters and public writing composed by the students and staff at
Champlain. The Writing Center at Champlain is located on the second floor of
the Miller Information Commons in Room 218 and is open between 11AM-5PM
Monday-Thursday. Please call 383-6672 for to set up a consultation.
Academic Continuity
Class during an Extended Campus Closure:
Champlain
College is taking precautionary measures to ensure that this class can continue
in a “virtual environment” even during an extended emergency such as severe
weather, contagious disease, physical infrastructure failure, campus closure,
or similar incident. This course will continue either online through a
college-provided learning management system (Canvas), or through some other
process unless cancelled.
In the event
of such an emergency, students are expected to continue instructor-designated
class activities, as directed by the instructor. Due to the nature of the “virtual
environment” learning activities may differ slightly from the on-campus course.
In order for this emergency preparedness plan to be effective, you are asked to
do the following:
Immediately:
Ensure that
you will have a computer and broadband Internet access at the location (home or
other) in which you will reside during an extended campus closure.
Prepare
yourself with the basic skills of logging into Canvas via the my.champlain.edu
dashboard, finding your course(s) and entering them.
Participate
in a “warm up” online activity in the “virtual environment” when directed to do
so by your instructor.
During an Emergency:
Test your
broadband Internet access immediately upon arriving at your chosen residence
during the campus closure.
Log into
Canvas and enter your courses.
Check for
emergency information on Champlain College main website (www.Champlain.edu) which will indicate the semester week and
day on which college classes will resume online.
Enter your
class and go to the appropriate week of class where you will receive directions
from your instructor.
Our Required Texts:
ECO-TOURISM
AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: WHO OWNS PARADISE? (2nd Edition) by
Martha Honey (Washington: Island Press, 2008)
ISBN-10:
1-59726-126-2
Our Course Grading/Assessment:
WEEKLY BLOGGING
(33%) - Preparing through Posting is a vital
aspect of our class. As students, you must be current with the BLOG readings
and screenings in order to effectively engage in class conversation and
debate, and to participate in class conversations and projects.
QUIZZING (33%) – Punctual Presence and Participation are
expected at all class meetings. To ensure this, we will have regular
“attendance quizzes” to see who is in the room and what we are learning. In
case of an unavoidable late arrival or absence, please notify me in advance, if at all possible.
Repeated tardiness or absence will affect your learning, your classmates, and
your grade (1 absence = 10 points per class; 3 tardies = 1 absence. You have
one “grace absence” – use it wisely.)
PROJECTS (33%) –Provocative,
Personal, and Powerful, must
be submitted via course blog by the date due; late work will result in a lower
grade (one full grade per day late). Carefully proofread, spell-check and
edit your work.
Projects:
Project #1: CASE STUDIES in ECOTOURISM
Select and
research a specific ECOTOURISM case study, focusing on the PROS, CONS, and what
your case study teaches us about the relationship between natural environments
and human communities, in the context of our ECOTOURISM themes. Prepare an
12-14 paragraph multimedia project that:
1) Provides
background for your case;
2) Explores
causal relationships between ecotourism mission, environmental factors and the
success or failure of your initiative;
3) Lessons
for today.
Images,
embedded video, and hyperlinks are a must.
To earn an
A, be sure your ECOTOURISM case study
· Has a
specific THESIS statement, grounded in TIME and PLACE, in your opening
paragraph.
· Consists
of 12-14 paragraphs of between 5-7 sentences each.
· Contains
no grammar, spelling, or mechanical errors.
· Is
illustrated with AT LEAST one photo or video embed for EACH paragraph.
· Provides
AT LEAST one direct quotation from AT LEAST 6 different sources.
· Is
presented with confidence in class (excerpted sections.)
Project #2: TOP 10 REVELATIONS Final
Examination
Using our texts, our case studies, and our class conversations,
create a “Top 10 " final examination that explains, with examples, the TEN
most important revelations you have had about ECOTOURISM this semester.
To PASS this final examination, you must:
1. Provide at least ONE direct quotation [parenthetically cited,
like so--> (Purdy, 76)] from our at least one of our texts for EACH of your
TEN revelations, as well as references to our student presentations, as
relevant, for EACH of your 10 revelations.
2. Embed a video OR photo to illustrate EACH of your 10
revelations. Use our course blog and your research to assist you in making your
reflections.
3. Provide at least a 4-5 sentence paragraphs for each of your
TEN revelations, and be sure that you have no grammar, spelling or mechanical
errors.
OUR COURSE SCHEDULE
Week #1/Week of Monday, January 15
Welcome, introductions, and weblog
community creation.
Week #2/Week of Monday, January 22
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 1 (In Search Of The Golden Toad).
Week #3/Week of Monday, January 29
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 2 (The World Travel Industry – Going
‘Green’?)
Week #4/Week of Monday, February 5
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 3 (Ecotourism Today).
Week #5/Week of Monday, February 12
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 4 (The Galapagos Islands: Test Site
for Theories of Evolution and Ecotourism).
Week #6/Week of Monday, February 19
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 5 (Costa Rica: On The Beaten Path).
Week #7/Week of Monday, February 26
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 6 (Tanzania: Whose Eden Is It?)
Week #8/Week of Monday, March 5
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 7 (Zanzibar: Ecotourism on a Muslim
Island)
Week #9/Week of Monday, March 12
SPRING BREAK!
Week #10/Week of Monday, March 19
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 8 (Kenya: The Ups and Downs of
Africa’s Ecotourism ‘Mzee’)
Week #11/Week of Monday, March 26
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 9 (South Africa: People and Parks
under Majority Rule)
Week #12/Week of Monday, April 2
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Chapter 10 (Ecotourism in the United States)
Week #13/Week of Monday, April 9
Read and blog
ECOTOURISM – WHO OWNS PARADISE?, Conclusion (The Road Less Traveled)
Week #14/Week of Monday, April 16
CASE STUDY
Oral Presentations and final examination preparation
Week #15/Week of Monday, April 23
CASE STUDY
Oral Presentations and final examination preparation
Week #16/Week of Monday, April 30
FINAL TOP
TEN Take Home EXAMINATION
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