Ateneo - UPO

Outlines of the Anthropology of Travel

The study program consists of:A) Attilio BRILLI, Gli ultimi viaggiatori nell'Italia del Novecento, Bologna, Il Mulino, 2018.B) A text to be chosen among:Eric J. LEED, La mente del viaggiatore. Dall’Odissea al turismo globale, Bologna, Il Mulino, 1992.Franck MICHEL, Altrove, il settimo senso. Antropologia del viaggio, Milano, MC, 2001.Sulle strade del viaggio. Nuovi orizzonti tra letteratura e antropologia, a cura di Luigi Marfè, Milano, Mimesis, 2012.C) Beyond the two aforementioned texts, non-attending students will be required to consult one text of their choice from a selection curated by the teacher and made accessible on the DIR website at the beginning of the course.For attending students, a seminar on travel literature will be organized, on its role as ethnographic and anthropological source. Active and positive participation in the seminar will exempt students from studying a few chapters from textbooks indicated in points 1 and 2 for the purpose of the exam (the details will be announced in the “Avvisi” section on the DIR website. Slides projected during lectures will be available on the DIR website - www.dir.uniupo.it. Please note that slides are intended as a support for the lectures and do not replace studying the exam texts.

The course aims, at a basic level, to transfer to students:
OBJECTIVES – KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION:
To acquire basic and specific knowledge regarding the main authors, concepts, and debates related to the Anthropology of Travel, within the wider field of anthropological studies.
OBJECTIVES – ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND COMPREHENSION:
Ability to develop ideas connected to the practice of Applied Anthropology in the field of the travel.
Familiarity with basic methodologies regarding field investigations.
Understanding the research scope of the Anthropology of Travel, fostering independent judgement and critical thinking skills through a seminar-based approach both with the teacher and other attending students.
Critical thinking skills towards touristic scenarios to identify their goals and impacts on different social contexts.
OBJECTIVES – COMMUNICATION SKILLS:
Ability to communicate with a proper terminology the topics covered during lectures, orally or by means of written papers.
OBJECTIVES – ABILITY TO STUDY:
To be able to carry out bibliographic research on the theme of travel, based on the knowledge acquired during the course; in particular, the ability to locate sources related to the anthropology of travel will be required.

At a more advanced level, the aim of the course is to acquire:
- the ability to express critical judgements on the topics discussed, also as the result of a personal re-elaboration;
- the ability to illustrate the contents and topics of the course through a fluent and precise presentation, using the specific terminology learnt.

The credits for classroom teaching are divided between lectures and interactive teaching in the following ratio:
Lectures: 1 credit (CFU)
Interactive teaching: 0.2 credit
Self-learning activities 4.8 credit

None

Lectures, individual research presentation, group discussions with a seminar-style approach, analysis of selected sources.
Moreover:
oral presentations in class
participative analysis of covered materials.

The slides used during the course, and other teaching materials will be provided on the DIR website.
Students are required to register on the DIR website (www.dir.uniupo.it).
Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities (DSA) or Special Education Needs (BES) can request specific services and tools by contacting the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs, once they have contacted the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination modalities, regarding educational aspects.

The exam is aimed at verifying the achievement of the learning objectives. It consists of an oral or written test, upon student’s discretion.
The oral test lasts about 25 minutes. The written test lasts 60 minutes. The exam grade is expressed out of 30 points.
The assessment criteria are as follows:
Understanding of the program topics;
Relevance and effectiveness of the answers in relation of the program’s content;
Level of complexity of the answers;
Adeguacy of the disciplinary terminology used.
The exam will be considered successful with a minimum score of 18 points. The mark is assessed according to the following criteria:
- from 18 to 21/30: acceptable knowledge and comprehension of the basic concepts of the books indicated in bibliography; sufficient critical thinking skills and ability to make mental association; fair ability to organize and present the acquired knowledge clearly and effectively and to communicate the issues by using an appropriate terminology; fair ability to acquire new skills;
- from 22 to 25/30: the same items with a satisfactory performance;

- from 26 to 28/30: the same items with a good performance;

- from 29 to 30/30 (with possible honors): the same items with an excellent performance.

In particular, the course will address the following topics:
Concept of culture.
Travel and tourism.
A specific travel experience: the pilgrimage.
The ethnographic travel.
The alpine excursion.
Travel experience in Italian inner areas.
Concepts of the Anthropology of Travel.
Critical analysis of examples and ethnographic materials related to the travel.

Integration of the gender dimension:
Within the course, both in lectures and seminar meetings, space will be given to the study of the gender dimension, with examples and in-depth analysis related to the experience of female travel.

KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: knowledge of some fundamental theoretical concepts of the discipline; knowledge of the ethnographic research fields; ability to understand and contextualize the anthropological change of Italy during the 20th century starting from the analysis of some travel narratives
ABILITY TO APPLY KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING: ability to identify, to critically interpret and to place some aspects of ethno-anthropological culture; ability to critically read a text.
EXPRESSION OF OPINIONS AND JUDGMENTS: ability to make personal pronouncements about the concepts covered; ability to compare ethnographic data.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS: ability to critically communicate the acquired knowledge by using appropriate terminology.
LEARNING/STUDYING SKILLS: ability to draw on bibliographic resources in order to acquire new skills; ability to combine theoretical and methodological concepts with the direct observation of ethnographic data. In order to achieve an advanced level, students must prove as follows: An organic vision of the themes covered during the course, summary and analysis ability; Personal elaboration and review of the covered topics with excellent expressive command; Ability to independently deepen particular topics. The forementioned results are consistent with the SUA of the Course of Study.