Students as Tourists and Fledgling Researchers: The Value of Ethnographic Field Courses for Tourism Education

Abstract

This article describes an ethnographic field course on indigenous tourism and discusses the value of short-term field courses for tourism education. The course involves taking undergraduate students from southern Maine to Cree Indian communities in northern Quebec as part of a collaborative project between the author and the Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association (COTA). While providing students with training in ethnographic fieldwork, it also lets them directly observe and report on the state of tourism development in Cree communities. Ethnographic field courses offer unique experiential learning opportunities and are well suited to teaching students from various backgrounds and disciplines about tourism and its challenges.

KEYWORDS:

• Ethnography
• field course
• experiential learning
• indigenous tourism
• collaboration

Kreg Ettenger wishes to thank the Cree Outfitting and Tourism Association and the Cree First Nations of Eastmain, Mistissini, Nemaska, Oujé-Bougoumou, Waskaganish, and Waswanipi for their assistance and hospitality. He also acknowledges financial and logistical support from the University of Southern Maine's Office of Summer Sessions and a University of Southern Maine Faculty Senate Research Grant.