Responsible Travelers: English for Sustainable Tourism

Timetable

15 meetings of 90 minutes every week in the summer semester 2024/25

Module aim (aims)

Module aim:

Throughout the course "Responsible Travelers: English for Sustainable Tourism", we aim to equip you with the language skills needed to not just discuss, but genuinely engage in conversations about responsible tourism. By the end, you'll confidently express your understanding and interpretations of Sustainable Development Goals in the context of tourism, and present some solutions that may lead to a more sustainable tourism.

By the end of this course, you will be able to:

• Articulate your thoughts on responsible tourism, using relevant terminology.
• Analyze case studies and real-world examples from diverse geographical locations, unraveling the complexities of tourism impacts on local communities and the world of nature.
• Engage in current debates and controversies surrounding responsible tourism.
• Understand a variety of English accents, both native and non-native, used in the context of tourism.
• Hone essential professional skills relevant to tourism, including information provision, presentation techniques, and more.
• Cultivate effective collaboration skills within international teams, demonstrating respect for your partners and the ability to engage meaningfully across cultural differences.

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences (where relevant)

The course is dedicated to students at B1+ level of English (CEFR) who have some basic understanding of environmental sciences and are curious about sustainable tourism.

Syllabus

During the course you will:

1. Discuss the historical perspectives of tourism development and the prospects for the future.
2. Explore the meaning of sustainable development and analyze the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
3. Showcase problems tourism causes by describing specific examples across the globe.
4. Examine the role of overtourism, exploring its impacts on cities such as Venice or Barcelona.
5. Take a closer look at tourists' behaviors and understand the impact they have on various ecosystems.
6. Engage in conversations about the effects of tourism on the lives of local communities.
7. Analyze the effects of developing mass tourism.
8. Examine the potential of developing sustainable tourism.
9. Verify the benefits of developing virtual tourism.
10. Explore specific examples of recreating the past via virtual reality.
11. Investigate the dynamics of changing the hotel business in response to environmental challenges.
12. Compare diverse approaches to making cities greener, fostering sustainability in urban planning.
13. Discuss issues related to the preservation of World Heritage Sites.
14. Design a collaborative presentation on the problems tourism poses and the solutions that are being implemented.
15. Practice your presentation skills, outlining actionable steps towards reaching more sustainable tourism.

Reading list

1. English for International Tourism - Upper-Intermediate Coursebook, 2nd edition, Pearson Longman (https://www.pearson.com/jp/en/catalog/english_for_international_tourism_2nd_edition.html)
2. English for International Tourism - Upper-Intermediate Workbook, 2nd edition, Pearson Longman (https://www.pearson.com/jp/en/catalog/english_for_international_tourism_2nd_edition.html)