SOUTHERN MISS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAMS Proposal for a Short-Term Credit-Abroad Program in Tourism Area Proposal Submitted By: Babu

P George, PhD Assistant Professor (Tourism Management) Email: Babu.George@usm.edu Phone: 601-266-6511 Countries of Interest: India, Romania, Bulgaria, and Papua New Guinea About the Program: The proposed program is aimed to introduce USM students, especially those majoring in the area of tourism, to the practice of tourism in different geo-political, socio-economic, and cultural contexts. Hands-on experiences with the developmental practices in other contexts are sure to significantly enrich the tourism related world-view of USM students. The program will have both theoretical and field experience components. I have identified India, Romania, Bulgaria, and Papua New Guinea for two important reasons: First, I have reliable contacts with at least one higher educational institution in each of the chosen countries. Second, each of these selected countries showcases entirely different models of tourism development. India, a bourgeoning giant of the twenty first century, has a tourism development model largely based on small and medium scale enterprises evolving within moderate governmental control. Romania and Bulgaria are interesting cases for the students of tourism given the strains they undergo in the transition from socialism to capitalism. Papua New Guinea, given its backwardness and predominantly foreign enterprise controlled development of tourism, provides a diametrically different setting for learning about tourism. Logistics: The institutional contacts that I have identified are: India:

1. Goa University, Goa, India: www.unigoa.ac.in 2. Pondicherry University, Pondicherry India: www.pondiuni.edu.in 3. DC School of Management and Technology: www.dcschool.net
Romania: 1. Stefan cel Mare University, Suceava, Romania: www.usv.ro Bulgaria: 1. International University College, Dobrich, Bulgaria: www.internationaledu.org Papua New Guinea 1. Divine Word University, Madang, Papua New Guinea: www.dwu.ac.pg These educational institutions are willing to provide accommodation and local movement for our students at highly subsidized rates. In addition, they will permit us to freely use their on-campus infrastructure and resources for teaching and learning, provided we allow their students to attend the lecture sessions.

We may mention the names of all the four countries in the list of countries where the program will be offered. However, according to the number of students interested, we can limit the number of countries where the program will be offered during a particular season. If more than a critical minimum students are interested in an itinerary including multiple countries, we can minimize the duration of stay in a particular country and include the other countries as well. Minimum Intake: There should be a minimum of 10 takers for the program to be offered in a particular country during a particular semester. Courses Proposed: An ideal course to begin with would be Tourism Destination Development (TM 494). The existing course outline need not be modified since a lot of cross-cultural aspects are already incorporated in to it. The course would involve visits to tourism destinations in the chosen country; interactions with the resident communities, tourism entrepreneurs, employees, public tourism boards, tourism related NGOs, tourism students at the host institution, and other stakeholders; a minor research project; a minor community extension service; in addition to the lecture sessions. Beginning with the next academic year, we can offer more courses from the list of approved courses in the area of Tourism Management. Over a period of time, if desirable, the proposed credit-abroad program can be developed in to a full-fledged inter-institution faculty and student exchange program, too. Academic Credit: Students will earn three credit hours for participation in one course Eligibility: Undergraduate / graduate students of USM Dates: 27 December - 10 January (Winter) 27 June-10 July (Summer) Cost: $5,000, approximately. Cost includes round-trip airfare, tuition, lodging, ground transportation, field trips, and some limited social events.

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