Government 255 - Colloquium: The Politics of Global Tourism

The tourism industry is arguably the world’s largest employer; it is undoubtedly the leading sector in trade in services. Although modern tourism has political, economic and social implications, it has been largely underexamined by political science and the subfield of international relations. This upper-level colloquium examines the sector and its many complicated dimensions and effects: environment, security, development, consumerism, and cultural exchange and understanding. It approaches these issues historically and with careful attention to a variety of cases and sub-sectors--e.g., eco-tourism, adventure tourism, health tourism, etc. Prerequisite: One course in international relations or comparative politics. Enrollment limited to 20.