Entertainment & Culture in Australia

Course Details

The “classrooms” across Australia for Entertainment & Culture Reporting allow students to write over a diverse number of topics with individual coaching from their instructor. Stories weave through multiple subject areas, from environmental sciences while studying the Great Barrier Reef to the entertainment and culture of the famed Sydney Opera House. A special focus on the international music business will also be analyzed through partnerships with staff from Mushroom Music Group (Australia’s largest independent music company) and Live Nation (the world’s largest concert promoter).

For the Global Perspectives in the Music Business course, students will have the opportunity to work across disciplines & programs with students & faculty from Australia, Norway, China and the United States. They will plan & execute a collaborative project with an entertainment industry partner (i.e. a record label or festival organizer) and work closely with students from those countries on the project. They will also have the opportunity to gain insights and perspectives from faculty through lectures and mentoring throughout the project.

WEL 1950: Wellness, Adventure and Activity in Australia: This course is intended to serve as an exploration of your personal health and fitness through the perspective of the nine Dimensions of Wellness, and in comparison to the culture and approach to wellness in Australia.  The desired outcomes are to inspire students to be active participants in improving all dimensions of wellness and physical activities for their lifetime, and to actively pursue knowledge as it pertains to maintaining a healthy, well-rounded lifestyle, with the understanding, from our travels, that both can be accomplished in many wonderful ways.  Students will become familiar with the nine Dimensions of Wellness as well as different aspects of physical fitness, fitness testing, nutrition, stress management, and wellness. In addition, students will have the opportunity to explore and become involved in adventure and activity in the global community, and discuss the value of these activities as they relate to health and wellness.  This course also includes an introduction to adventure activity as a form of physical fitness.  The desired outcome is to create a classroom environment that inspires students to participate in physical activity for a lifetime and to gain appropriate knowledge as it pertains to aerobic walking, and to enjoy it in the global environments of Sydney, Cairns, and Melbourne, Australia.

EIS 3950: Activity & Adventure Tourism: This class aims to provide students with an understanding of the evolutionary & current development of adventure and activity tourism as a significant sector of the leisure & tourism industries. Key issues relating to participation, team building, motivation, industry structures, destinations, environments & contemporary issues are examined in order to develop a contextual understanding of the activity & adventure sector as it relates to the broader hospitality and tourism industry. The class makes full use of experiential learning opportunities which will allow the students to apply theories in a practical situation. Students will experience and learn about the management and practices of culture tourism related to the Sydney Opera House, snorkeling on the Great Barrier Reef, conducting bike tours, among others. The experiential learning that takes place as a result of participating in the field trips will enable the students to better understand and appreciate the marketing and management issues along with the potential problems involved in organizing such activities. Throughout, the focus is on learning lessons that can be used and incorporated in future employment.

Participation in activities is a required part of the different courses.  All of our activities are geared towards beginners, but they will require physical exertion and an adventurous attitude!