GV3DDT: Deathscapes and Dark Tourism

Module code: GV3DDT

Module provider: Geography and Environmental Science; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Professor Avril Maddrell, email: avril.maddrell@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to use geographical concepts, theories and methods to i) explore and understand the geographies associated with death, loss and remembrance; ii) understand the impact of death and remembrance practices on the landscape and environment, including how these change over time, may be contested and require management and planning in the light of multicultural and sustainability agenda;  iii) to examine the value of emotional geographies of death and loss, including environmental loss and species extinction; iv) to reflect on human death as a social taboo; and v) to evaluate the ethics and authenticity of Dark Tourism as a form of heritage consumption, which ranges from pilgrimage, to sites of holocaust to entertainment destinations.

The module explores the geographies of deathscapes and dark tourism, bringing together geographical perspectives on landscapes and other sites associated with death, disaster, remembrance and tourism. Topics range from cemeteries as sites social diversity and biodiversity; sites of genocide and disaster; everyday spaces of pet cemeteries and roadside memorials, as well and the emotional and therapeutic geographies of comfort and consolation. It links social issues to environmental issues through questions about grievability and ‘killability’ of animals, species extinction and climate change; and social and cultural issues through studying changing practices of remembrance in contemporary multicultural societies and related Planning issues. It includes spaces, practices and experiences associated with sites of ‘Dark Tourism’ and explores whether death is still a social taboo in the light of Day of the Dead festivals and Death Cafés. Examples are drawn from the UK and international contexts (e.g. USA, Europe, Senegal, Australia). The module builds on the topics of identity, social diversity, sustainability, pilgrimage and memorialisation addressed in core modules and departmental field trips, and typically includes one or two local field trips, as well as a Day of the Dead workshop.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Have knowledge of concepts such as deathscapes, extinction, taboo, genocide, Dark Tourism and emotional-affective geographies and an ability to apply these concepts to UK and international historical and contemporary case studies
2. Understand changing social attitudes to death, environmental loss, and the spaces and practices of remembrance
3. Understand the varied roles of place, community and individual identity in burial, cremation and memorial practices; how these impact on funerary consumption, and  how these can be contested and negotiated in inclusive multicultural societies, including through planning
4. Understand the types of Dark Tourism, the ethical issues associated with particular Dark Tourism sites and the range of strategies that are deployed to address these issues

Module content

The module content will focus on the UK and Western Europe with additional case studies drawn from across the world e.g. varied Dark Tourism sites, and will be explored through four main themes:

a) geographical perspectives on death, loss and remembrance, including deathscapes, extinction, mapping grief and consolation,  with UK and international case studies.

b) the spatial practices and experiences associated with loss and consolation relating to both human and animal species, and how these relate to emotional-affective geographies.

c) exploration and analysis of varied historic and contemporary sites and expressions of death, loss and remembrance in particular places and landscapes, with implications for environmental conservation and Planning in a multicultural society.

d) International examples of Dark Tourism sites which illustrate varied approaches to storying, presentation, management and visitor experience at sites of death, disaster and genocide.

Key topics

Day of the Dead – is death taboo?

Deathscapes – reading the landscape

Burial or Cremation – which and why? Local, religious, cultural and environmental factors.

Personal, community and place identity in cemeteries

Future proofing cemeteries and crematoria - planning and managing cemeteries and crematoria for inclusive multicultural and sustainable societies

International case studies of funerary practices

Behind the scenes at the cemetery – fieldtrip/s

The role of grief and hope in addressing extinction and environmental loss

Mapping grief and consolation – for humans and animals

Pilgrimage, war graves and sites of genocide and disaster as Dark Tourism sites.

Evaluating the ethics and authenticity of varied international Dark Tourism sites.

Management of Dark Tourism sites for local and visitor needs.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module uses a combination of structured ‘lectorials’ (lectures with activities), seminars, a Day of the Dead workshop, weekly readings, popular sources (film and TV, fiction, You Tube etc.), and a local field trip, in order to provide a varied diet of opportunities for active and ‘real world’ learning.

Study hours

At least 30 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Formative feedback on:

1. draft essay plan
2. draft report content

Reassessment

Additional costs