Principles, paradigms, policies, practice

TREN Program Structure

Principles, paradigms, policies, practice

Learning how to make tourism sustainable

Click here to view the Tourism and Environment section of the Brock Undergraduate Calendar

During your four-year undergraduate degree, you will take courses which introduce you to the principles of sustainability and teach you how to apply them to tourism in all of its forms and contexts. You'll work at all scales, from the local to the global, and look at both the theoretical and the practical aspects of tourism, always considering the economic, environmental, and sociopolitical dimensions. You have the option to do an Honours degree (with a strong research component) - the recommended choice - or a Major degree (consisting primarily of coursework).

First year provides a year-long introductory foundation course in tourism and environment which introduces the field, provides key definitions and concepts, and familiarizes you with viewing tourism through the lens of sustainability.

In Year Two, you'll get a thorough grounding in fundamental principles and paradigms of tourism and environment, as well as an introduction to qualitative and quantitative research methods relevant to the field.

By Year three, you will move on to embrace policy analysis and interdisciplinary synthesis, and further improve your research capabilities. Year three is also the time when you are encouraged to participate in a formal international learning experience, either through the TREN Term Abroad program, a TREN international summer elective course, or a university exchange program.

In Year Four, your course work will focus intensively on specialized topics relevant to sustainable tourism. Honours program students will also begin to conduct original research, either in the context of a group research project, or working one-on-one with a faculty member on an undergraduate thesis.

Throughout your program, you will constantly be challenged to think and work across disciplinary boundaries, apply theoretical principles to practical contexts, understand the policy dimensions and regulatory context of tourism, and ground your work firmly in the underlying principles of sustainability.

Representative courses in the TREN program include:

Year 1

  • Sustainability, Environment, and Tourism

Year 2

  • Culture, Heritage and Tourism
  • Sustainable Business Operation in Tourism
  • Nature-based Tourism
  • Human-dominated Ecosystems
  • Economics of the Environment

Year 3

  • Tourism Planning and Development
  • Sustainable Integrated Waste Management
  • Tourism and Aquatic Ecosystems
  • Sustainable Transportation
  • Ethics, Equity and Environmental Thought
  • Biodiversity Conservation
  • Ecosystem-based Planning
  • Global Issues in Tourism and the Environment
  • TREN Term Abroad program

Year 4