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Leisure
and Enterprise
INTRODUCTION
I have constructed this course
from several major strands. There are three main aims:
1. To extend the discussions
in earlier modules on the context of leisure provision – the changing economic,
social and political background, issues of State versus market solutions
and so on – by pursuing two key models (‘New Times’ and ‘McDonaldization’)
2. To examine critically the ‘flexible
accumulation strategies’ of globally successful leisure enterprises (e.g.
Disney, McDonalds, Sony, Nintendo – and also the heritage industries, and,
for a bit of added reflexivity, higher education)
3. To help you focus in more detail
on specific issues in the management of local cases of leisure enterprises
(so that, with any luck, you might be helped to get a job as you demonstrate
how all the theory can be ‘applied’).
Week 1
Introduction and administration
– the topics, the structures etc. There will be a special opportunity
in seminars to have another chance to develop techniques (we might want
to call them ‘transferable skills’) searching websites and using
other (library) resources (handout provided).
Week 2
‘New Times’—central debates
The lecture outlines some
of the key elements in the (British gramscian) ‘New Times’ version of
postfordism and modernity (see file) .
Seminars will discuss
one of the key readings in the story – Hall’s ‘Manifesto’ in New Times
Reading
Hall S and Jacques M (eds)
New Times (Hall, Hirst, Murray, Rustin)
Harris D
From Class Struggle to the Politics of Pleasure (ch 10)
Amin A (ed)
Post-Fordism (especially chs 1,5,6)
Week 3 Signs
of the Times? -- some applications: 1
The lecture outlines some
major implications of the framework in understanding the patterns of
work and politics (including policies for national political parties).
Seminars will focus
on the critical reading of ONE of the key texts.
Reading
Hall S
The Hard Road to Renewal
Giddens A
The Third Way
Jessop B et al
Thatcherism
Mandelson P and Liddell R
The Blair Revolution
Seabrook J
The Myth of the Market
Sewell G & Wilkinson B
‘Someone to Watch Over Me…’ Sociology vol 26, no 2, May 1992
Webster F & Robins K
‘I’ll be Watching You…’ Sociology vol 27, no 2 May 1993
Week 4 Signs
of the Times?: 2
Here, we critically discuss
some of the work on shopping and the
city
Seminars On experiences
of and pleasures in the shopping mall
Reading
Docherty T (ed)
Postmodernism – A Reader
Davis M
City of Quartz
Bocock R & Thompson G
(eds) Social and Cultural Forms of Modernity (Donald)
Soja E Postmodern
Geography
Gottdeiner M
Postmodern Semiotics… (esp Part II)
Week 5 Rationalisation
– the case of Mcdonaldization
The lecture summarise the
main themes in Ritzer’s influential work and offers some additional
background
Seminars will focus
on a key application of the approach – the ‘McUniversity’.
Reading
Ritzer G
The McDonaldization of Society
Rojek C & Urry J (eds)
Touring Cultures (Ritzer)
Smart B
Resisting McDonaldization
Alfino M et al (eds)
McDonaldization Revisited…
Vidal J
McLibel
Week 6 Case-study
1—Disney
The lecture outlines different
approaches to understanding the success of the Disney Company (including
films and theme parks) and looks at recent developments ( see
file)
Seminar discusses Zukin
Reading
Eco U
Travels in Hyperreality (part 4)
Project on Disney
Inside the Mouse (Kuenz – ‘Working at the Rat’)
Beard R
Walt Disney’s Epcot…
Bryman A
Disney and His Worlds (esp. chs 7 and 9)
Zukin S
‘Socio-Spatial prototypes…’Sociology, vol 24 1991
Week 7 Flexible Study -- websearching/assignment
preparation/fieldwork
Week 8 Case-Study
2 --‘Japanisation’?
The lecture summarises the
basics on ‘Japanisation’ and focuses on two success stories – Nintendo
and Sony
Seminar We analyse the commercial
success of the Sony Walkman via du Gay
Reading
Haddon L
‘Electronic and Computer Games’ in Screen, vol 29, no 2 Spring 1988
Plant S
Zeroes and Ones (just dive in and enjoy it)
Sheff D
Game Over…
du Gay P et al
Doing Cultural Studies: the story of the Sony Walkman
Provenzo E
Video Kids: making sense of Nintendo
Week 9 Case Study
3 -- The Heritage Industry 1 ( see file)
The lecture summarises Hewison’s
influential approaches to the growth of heritage sites
Seminar discusses Hewison’s
three models and begins to try out the approach on case-studies
Reading
Hewison R
The Heritage Industry
Corner J & Harvey S (eds)
Enterprise and Heritage…
Bennett T
Culture… (ch.6)
Prentice R
Tourism and Heritage Attractions (esp Conc)
Urry J
The Tourist Gaze
Week 10 Heritage
2 – Adding Value?
The lecture summarises critically
some of the work on ‘visitor interpretation’
Seminar We shall work
though some issues using the material on Buckland Abbey (supplied -- in
file). We shall also prepare for fieldwork
Reading
Uzzel D
Heritage Interpretations (volume 1) (especially Intro and chs.3,4,6
and 16)
Uzzel D
Heritage Interpretations (volume 2) (especially Intro and chs 16,
17)
Light D
‘Visitors’ Use of interpretive media at heritage sites’ in Leisure Studies
14:132—49 1995
Laws E
‘Conceptualising visitor satisfaction management in heritage settings:
an exploratory blueprinting analysis of Leeds castle, Kent’ in Tourism
Management 19, 6: 545—554 1998
Swarbrooke J
The Development and Management of Visitor Attractions (esp Part
4)
Shackley M (ed)
Visitor Management: case studies from world heritage sites
Weeks 11 and
12 Fieldwork
Students will go out and research
a local heritage site, on the theme of visitor interpretation, using
the materials in the fieldwork pack (e.g. for 1999 we will focus
on the issue of ‘visitor interpretation’ and critically apply work
like Laws’)
COURSEWORK
1. Critically review the approach
adopted in ONE of the following key texts. Focus in particular upon
the evidence used to support the arguments in each case: Hall’s
‘Manifesto for the New Times’ Ritzer’s chapter in Rojek and
Urry Urry’s notion of the ‘tourist gaze’
2. Is the ‘New Times’ project
too optimistic in its predictions about work and enterprise in Britain?
3. ‘Too many studies of the
sites of leisure are unconnected to economic and political factors’
Discuss with reference to city tourist zones OR shopping malls
4. Does the term ‘the Third
Way’ actually mean anything specific or is it a politician’s slogan?
5. ‘General theories of social
change overestimate the extent to which society remains diverse and
complex’ Discuss with reference to EITHER ‘post-fordism’ OR ‘McDonaldization’
6. Discuss the factors leading
to the success of the Disney Company’s ventures in the ‘business of
fantasy’ (Bryman)
7. Does ‘visitor interpretation’
popularise or distort ideologically the past?
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