Overview

Dark tourism is the act of travel to sites, attractions and exhibitions of death, disaster, and suffering. The packaging of dark tourism sites and attractions is a contentious issue within the heritage field. Questions arise as to the interrelationships between contemporary society and the commodification of death, these include issues of commemoration and memorialisation. Dark tourism is a well-established practice dating back to ancient times with attractions such as Roman gladiator games, or public executions. Today dark tourism has a new outlet, in visiting sites of genocide, murder, terrorism and nuclear disaster. During this module students will discover the sociology behind the ‘dark tourist’, the complexities of heritage management within the sector, and the role of dark tourism in education, memorialisation, and commemoration. Students will explore phenomenon such as ‘disaster trolls’, the commodification of death and other contentious ethical issues through a combination of a broader examination of the field of dark tourism and an in-depth understanding of specific case studies.

Indicative Outline Syllabus:

1. Introduction to Dark Tourism i. Definitions and typologies (e.g. Stone’s spectrum of dark tourism) ii. Historical precedents: from gladiatorial games to execution spectacles iii. Growth of dark tourism in contemporary culture

2. The Dark Tourist i. Motivations and profiles of dark tourists ii. Psychological and sociological perspectives on morbidity and voyeurism iii. Emotional engagement, empathy, and tourism experience

3. Heritage Management and Dark Tourism i. The politics of site interpretation ii. Balancing commemoration with commercialisation iii. Stakeholders and contested narratives

4. Commemoration, Memorialisation, and Education i. Dark tourism sites as places of remembrance and learning ii. The role of museums, memorials, and interpretation strategies iii. Pedagogical potential vs. ethical dilemmas

5. The Commodification of Death i. The marketing and branding of dark tourism ii. Souvenirs, tour guides, and Instagram culture iii. Media influence and the construction of dark narratives

6. Ethics and Controversies i. Consent, representation, and dignity of the deceased ii. The rise of ‘disaster tourists’ and ‘tragedy porn’ iii. Case studies in poor taste and public backlash

7. Digital Dark Tourism i. Virtual tours and online memorials ii. Social media reactions to tragedy iii. The emergence of 'disaster trolls' and digital spectatorship

Assessment Strategy

Excellent students (A-, A, A+, A* [70s and above]) will show strong achievement across all the criteria combined with particularly impressive depths of knowledge and/or subtlety of analysis. In written work, they will support their arguments with a wealth of relevant detail/examples. They will also demonstrate an acute awareness of the relevant academic literature and give an account of why the conclusions reached are important within a particular scholarly debate. They may show a particularly subtle approach to possible objections, nuancing their argument in the light of counter-examples, or producing an interesting synthesis of various contrasting positions. Overall, the standards of content, argument, analysis and standards of presentation will be high.

Good students (B-, B, B+ [60s]) will demonstrate a solid level of achievement and depth of knowledge in all the criteria in the C- to C+ range, and will in addition exhibit constructive engagement with scholarly interpretation and academic literature. Ideas will be communicated effectively and written work will include a good range of sources/reading and demonstrate a clear understanding of the issues and of the existing interpretations expressed in a well-structured, relevant, and focused argument. Students at the top end of this band will engage with and critique the ideas that they come across, and synthesise the various interpretations they find to reach their own considered conclusions. Written work will be correctly presented with references and bibliography where appropriate.

Students in this band (C-, C, C+ [50s]) will demonstrate a solid and satisfactory range of achievement or depth of knowledge of most parts of the module, and will make successful, if occasionally inconsistent, attempts to develop those skills appropriate to the study of Heritage at undergraduate level. In the case of the written assessments, the answers will attempt to focus on the question, although might drift into narrative, and will show some evidence of solid reading and research. The argument might lose direction and might not be adequately clear at the bottom of this category. Written work will be presented reasonably well with only limited errors in grammar, punctuation, and referencing, and not to the extent that they obscure meaning.

Threshold students (40%) will have done only a minimum of reading, and their work will often be based partly on lecture notes and/or basic textbooks. They will demonstrate in their written assessments some knowledge of at least parts of the relevant field, and will make at least partially-successful attempts to frame an argument which engages with scholarly controversies, but they will fail to discuss some large and vital aspects of a topic; and/or deploy only some relevant material but partly fail to combine it into a coherent whole; and/or deploy some evidence to support individual points but often fail to do so and/or show difficulty weighing evidence (thereby relying on unsuitable or irrelevant evidence when making a point). The work may lose focus and may have irrelevant or atypical evidence. Alternatively or additionally, the presentation of the work might also be poor, with bad grammar and/or punctuation, careless typos and spelling errors, and a lack of effective and correct referencing.

Learning Outcomes

• Analyse and interpret primary sources related to Dark Tourism sites, assessing them within their historical, cultural, and ethical contexts, and using them to develop sophisticated arguments that engage with the core themes and issues of the discipline.

• Critically appraise competing scholarly interpretations of Dark Tourism, evaluating its role in cultural heritage, ethical tourism practices, and its influence on public memory and commemoration.

• Critically evaluate the key models and ethical considerations in Dark Tourism, assessing their short- and long-term impacts on visitor experiences and the representation of historical events.

• Demonstrate an ability to construct informed, critical, and analytical arguments on the socio-cultural and ethical complexities surrounding Dark Tourism, integrating a variety of scholarly perspectives.