SBS delivers first Hospitality and Tourism Management summer school
Strathclyde Business School has successfully delivered its first Hospitality and Tourism Management summer school. Students from China, Germany, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, and Iran studied on the “Frontiers in Hospitality and Tourism Management” course for three weeks under the tutelage of Tom Bourkel, Teaching Fellow in the Department of Work, Employment and Organisation.
Although the course was at SCQF level 7, participants were at various stages of their educational journey – from sixth form though to undergraduate level and even PhD. Several of the students, including those from Hochschule Mainz University of Applied Sciences in Germany who were accompanied for the first week of the programme by their teacher Dagmar Schlemmer-Bockius, will have their learning recognised by their home institutions.
Tom and his colleague Dr Kostas Tomazos devised the 10-credit programme to consist of classroom-based lectures and workshops interspersed with subject-relevant fieldtrips and external visits. Participants were introduced to the evolution of the tourism product in Scotland, starting with an insight into the key hospitality and tourism management theories, then leading to further exploration of niche tourism products. Students visited the Balquhidder, Lochearnhead and Strathyre Highland Games, the Oban Distillery, attended a Glasgow ceilidh, and tried their hand at playing the bagpipes.
One participant described the Summer School as “a fantastic experience”. Another said they “enjoyed the summer school so much” and added that “the teaching and outside activities were well-prepared”. The visit to Oban was a particular highlight as students were accompanied by both their lecturer Tom Bourkel and a Scottish Tourist Guide Association-registered guide which gave them a real flavour of the unofficial capital of the West Highlands. The course culminated in a group project, a presentation, and a farewell party.
This summer school is an excellent addition to the faculty’s teaching portfolio as it provides students with a useful introduction to a new discipline, increases their awareness of SBS and the University of Strathclyde. Summer schools can be an affordable way for international students to get a taste of the University and of life in Glasgow. The International Exchanges and Partnerships Team aims to grow the numbers of future summer school participants by attracting students from both new and existing partner universities.
Published: 22 August 2023
