미국 휴양공원관광학과의 자연자원관리 교육 및 아시아 학생들의 배움 과정 고찰

Abstract

This study investigates natural resource management education and the learning process of Asian graduate students in the Department of Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences (RPTS) for a specific American university. There was a course offered during the autumn, 2016 semester at RPTS, which covered the topic of natural resource preservation in six classes spanning three weeks. During the six classes, participant observation was conducted. Both before and after each of the six classes, in-depth interviews with four Asian graduate students and two American graduate students were conducted. The six classes covered the philosophy and history of natural resource management and also conflicts between development and preservation in the United States. These objectives were achieved through literature reviews, class discussions, and diverse activities. Asian students were more concerned with degradation of national natural resources due to various developments in their home countries. Through the course, they realized that their home countries should research and determine their own concept, philosophy, and history of natural resources. Then, they should build their own natural resource identity based on social consensus. They also desired to apply their learned knowledge from the course to education programs and policies in their home countries to realize sustainable tourism. As tourism often causes damage to natural resources in South Korea and other Asian countries, their tourism education need to focus more on natural resource management, especially its theoretical and philosophical foundations.