Histories of Tourism and Travel (HIST*6610)

Code and section: HIST*6610*01

Term: Fall 2026

Details

Course Synopsis:

This course explores tourism and travel in historical perspective, focusing on the evolution of Scottish travel in the period after 1707.  You are welcome to choose a period and area of interest to you as the focus for your research essay. We will be engaged in seminar reading, as well as hands-on archival visits, exhibition development, and other experiential learning opportunities.

By the end of this course, you will have:

1. explored the historiography of Scottish travel and tourism from 1707, with particular emphasis on the period after 1815;
2. critically appraised ephemera as source material and incorporated them within a public exhibition; 
3. surveyed the expansive range of primary materials that may be incorporated within original research into the history travel, appreciating the widening textual field used in tourism and travel history, from architecture to manuscript and printed travel accounts;
4. refined and practised skills of oral and written communication in the development of a major research paper incorporating a critical literature review and original primary-source-based research.

Methods of Evaluation and Weights:

Research presentation – 10%
Seminar participation – 25%
Critical peer review – 5%
Research paper outline and annotated bibliography - 20%
Final Paper - 40%

Texts and/or Resources Required:

All resources are placed on e-reserve or are available physically on the library reserve shelves. 

*Please note: This is a preliminary web course description only. The department reserves the right to change without notice any information in this description. The final, binding course outline will be distributed in the first class of the semester.

**Please login to WebAdvisor, once the course schedule goes live, for instructor and room information.