| CODE | TTC5010 | ||||||||
| TITLE | Mediterranean Cultural Values | ||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | Institute for Tourism, Travel and Culture | ||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | This study-unit examines the ethnography of the Mediterranean in modern times. While some anthropologists have treated the Mediterranean as a single culture area, others have emphasized its diversity, seeing it as a region where many different cultures have, along time, come into contact as well as into contrast. Thus one of the study-unit's central questions will concern the nature and extent of the unity of the Mediterranean as constructed by both the researchers and the inhabitants of the Mediterranean themselves. Through a series of ethnographies and articles, students will explore the realities and representations of the peoples whose homes border on the Mediterranean Sea. Rather than attempting to present generalized descriptions of such topics as village life, gender roles or religion, the study-unit will examine the ways different ethnographers have treated these topics in different contexts. We will focus on concepts such as honour and shame, hospitality, the cultural construction of gender, migration, and violence and conflict in the comparative study of Mediterranean cultures. This study-unit will also use food and film to explore representations of the Mediterranean in popular culture. Thus the cultural identities of tourists and travellers will emerge and those hosting them will be in a better position to understand them and make them feel welcome. Study-unit Aims: - To provide a unique opportunity to explore the richness of this region by studying its peoples and its cultures from a multi-perspective approach; - To provide a solid background for those wishing to deepen their understanding about the evolution of the Mediterranean mind-set and how this presents itself today; - To encourage students to build on their established interest in the Mediterranean by developing their sensitivity to different aspects of the cultural diversity of the region, and of the relevance of cultural issues to identity formation - essential aspects which are necessary for operators in the tourism industry. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: • Comprehend how the concept of “culture area” has been applied by researchers studying the Mediterranean, and the pros and cons of such approaches; • Grasp the range of cultural diversity among peoples of the Mediterranean; • Identify the common nature and origins of certain features of Mediterranean societies; • Follow how the processes of social change have affected Mediterranean cultures over time and continue to do so today; • Comprehend how the politics of inclusion and exclusion in Mediterranean societies affect the differently people coming from the various countries in the region. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Draw on written and non-written sources for the study of Mediterranean cultural values and heritage; - Write a substantial, analytical research paper on a theme associated with the areas of study covered in this unit; - Identify traits and practices in societies and apply this process to other societies. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: - G. Apostolopulos, P. J. Loukissas & L. Leontidou (2001) Mediterranean tourism: facets of socioeconomic development and cultural change. G155. M43M4 - P. O. Pons, M. Crang & P. Travlou (2009) Cultures of Mass Tourism: Doing the Mediterranean in the Age of Banal Mobilities - C. Helstosky (2009) Food Culture in the Mediterranean - Julia Clancy Smith (2012) Mediterraneans: North Africa and Europe in an Age of Migration, c.1800-1900 - Carole M. Counihan (2007) Around the Tuscan Table: Food, Family and Gender in 20th Century Florence - Sabina Magliocco (2005) The Two Madonnas: The Politics of Survival in a Sardinian Community, 2nd Edn. - Braudel, Fernand (1992) The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean Wordl in the Age of Philip II. HarperCollins. - Eller, J. D. (2016) Cultural anthropology – global forces, local lives. London and New York: Routledge. - Horden and Purcell (2004) The Corrupting Sea; A stufy of the Mediterranean History. Blackwell Publishing. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Lecture | ||||||||
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2023/4. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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