TOURISM AND EXTENSION IN HIGHER EDUCATION: The UFS de Braços Abertos project and demystifying percpetions of the university

Abstract

University extension is an inseparable tool from teaching and research, and aims to popularize science by providing services to society. In higher education in Tourism, extension activities are indispensable in the process of raising citizenship awareness among professionals in the area. Based on these premises, this article reflects on the importance of university extension as a tool for higher education in Tourism, as well as for democratizing access to university, taking as its field of study the project UFS de Braços Abertos. We begin with a report of experience of one of the actions of the project, in partnership with the Física Show, conducted with elementary and high school students from the city of Propriá, in the state of Sergipe/SE. The aims were: i) to critically discuss the common sense vision of the University as a restricted, excluding space that is distant from society, ii) to analyze the importance of the projects UFS de Braços Abertos and Física Show in the career choice of students in Basic Education and iii) to reflect on the importance of university extension projects for academic and professional training on the course in Tourism at Universidade Federal de Sergipe (UFS). As theoretical and methodological contributions, we adopted participant research (GIL, 2008), linked to descriptive research, and a qualitative approach. Our reflections indicate an increasing need to discuss university extension activities, bearing in mind that they provide a practical laboratory where theory and practice can be combined, contributing to students’ academic and professional training. Extension projects also provide opportunities for inclusion of the community outside the walls of UFS. We conclude that since tourism is an activity that encompasses other areas of knowledge, which are necessary for its performance, studies in this area should also include transdisciplinary extension activities inherent to the learning process.