​
Mission
The program seeks to qualify tourist guidance graduates by providing educational resources to advance the relevant knowledge and skills of students in order to graduate competent professional tour guides.
 

Objectives
The Department of History and Islamic Civilization Programs, Tourism Guidance Program aims to:

• Graduate Arabic speaking tourist guides capable of reflecting a genuine image of the region's history, customs and traditions.
• Meet the needs of the labour market in this area from the local people.
• Develop students' historical and cultural knowledge that is sufficient to enhance their sense of their own identity.
• Provide extensive training for the student in the field of tourism guidance to be able to reflect a genuine image of the Arab Muslim community.
• Prepare and qualify leaders in the fields of tourism and hospitality.

 

Learning Outcomes

Program Educational Outcomes Graduates will be able to:

1. Recognize the historical and cultural knowledge necessary for the tourist guide profession.

2. Abide the ethics of the profession, the community customs and traditions in the field of tourism guidance and tourist groups' leading.

3. Successfully use the cognitive skills in tourism guidance in the work environment.

4. Apply critical thinking skills to innovatively solve problems facing the profession.

5. Define the most prominent archaeological, tourist and heritage attractions in the UAE and the Arab Gulf region.

6. Practice effective marketing and communication skills in the field of tourism.

7. Realize the significance of teamwork and self-development in the tourism guidance profession.

 

Career Opportunities
The program is one of the most promising programs because more than 560 students are already enrolled in it until the end of the academic year 2020-2021, in the four campuses of the University of Sharjah; the main campus, Al Dhaid Campus, Kalba Campus and Khor Fakkan Campus. Work opportunities available for graduates are varied, ranging from working in tourism departments, youth empowerment organizations, family and childhood centres, hotels and resorts, travel and tourism companies, tourism associations and organizations, tourism and hospitality clubs, airports and transport companies, youth homes, youth clubs, universities, research centers and observatories, exhibitions and festivals, leading diplomatic and cultural missions at Directorates of Culture and Media.

 
Program requirements
1. To obtain a bachelor's degree in History and Islamic Civilization / Tourism Guidance major, a student must complete successfully the following requirements:

​	​	Elective	​	Support Hours	Total
​	Compulsory	Specialization	Free	​	​
University Requirements	12	12	-	-	24
College Requirements	15	-	-	-	15
Department Requirements	33	9	-	-	42
Tourism Guidance Requirements	30	6	6	-	42
Total	90	27	6	-	123

 

1. University Requirements
The university requirements consist of 24 credit hours and their descriptions are detailed in the relevant pages of the College Guide.


2. College Requirements:
The college requirements consist of 15 credit hours and their descriptions are detailed in the relevant pages of the College Guide.


3. Program Requirements:
To obtain a bachelor's degree/ Tourism Guidance, every student must complete successfully 84 credit hours divided into four groups, as detailed below:

 
Compulsory Requirements
This group of requirements includes 33 credit hours as shown in the table below.

Course No.	Course Title	Credit Hours	Prerequisite
0203110	Research Methods in Studying History	3	-
0203120	Arabs History before Islam	3	-
0203121	History of the Era of the Message of Prophet Mohammed	3	-
0203220	History of the Rashidun Era	3	-
0203221	History of the Umayyad State	3	-
0203242	Distinctive Features of the Arabian Gulf History	3	-
0203321	History of the Abbasid State until the 4th Century AH	3	-
0203330	Islamic Civilization (2)	3	-
0203442	Arab Modern and Contemporary History	3	-
0203443	Europe Modern and Contemporary History	3	-
0203341	The Ottoman Empire	3	-

 

Elective Requirements

Elective courses of (9) credit hours consist of the following:
 

Course No.	Course Title	Credit Hours	Prerequisite
0203111	Ancient Arab Civilization	3	-
0203112	Mesopotamia and the Nile Valley Civilization	3	-
0203241	History of the European Middle Ages	3	-
0203344	The Current Islamic World	3	-
0203345	The Modern and Contemporary Far Eastern Civilization	3	-
0203346	American History	3	-
0203440	History of the Arabian Gulf (1820-1970 CE)	3	-
0203323	Ayyubids and Mamluks	3	-
0203319	Maghreb and Andalusia	3	-

 

Tourism Guidance Requirements (Compulsory):

Compulsory Courses (30 credit hours)

Course No.	Course Title	Credit Hours	Prerequisite
0203350	Introduction to Tourism	3	-
0203351	Geography of the Arabian Gulf	3	-
0203354	English for Specific Purposes	3	-
0203463	Tourism Guidance[1]	3	-
0203468	Tourism legislations	3	-
0204102	The Emirati Community[2]	3	-
0203467	Art of Museums	3	-
0203469	Public Relations	3	-
0203465	Tourist and Cultural Heritage	3	-
2034620	Field Training (Research Project)	3	-

 

Tourism Guidance Requirements (Elective):

Elective Courses: The student chooses (6 credit hours) from the following:

Course No.	Course Title	Credit Hours	Prerequisite
0203461	Consumer Behavior	3	-
0203464	Tourism Authorities and Organizations	3	-
0203352	Tourism Commodities	3	-
0203455	Tour Group Management	3	-
0203355	Hospitality Industry	3	-

 

Free Requirements
Free Courses (6) credit ours, selected by the student from the subjects offered by the colleges of the university

Course No	Course Title	Credit Hours	Prerequisite
		3
		3

 
Compulsory Tour Guiding Requirements (30 credit hours):
 

Course description
 

0203350	Introduction to Tourism	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
This course introduces students to the concept of tourism, its definition and stages of development, as well as the most important elements of tourism, such as the two elements of supply and demand. Furthermore, it introduces students to the most important elements of tourism and its patterns with their applications on the UAE. The course also includes the definition and analysis of the global tourism movement in general and the UAE in particular, and the direct and indirect effects of tourism on economy, the environment and social aspects. ​ ​

 

0203351	Geography of the Arabian Gulf	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
Students learn about the geographical location of the Arabian Gulf States and study the distinctive geographical aspects of the Arabian Gulf through learning about its topography, climate, wealth, human resources and its ability to develop and grow, and explore the most prominent civilizations known to the region. ​ ​

 
 

0203354	English for Specific Purposes	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
Students learn specialized terminology in the English language, which are used by tourist guides, whether with tourist authorities or tourists to qualify them to work as tourist guides. ​ ​

 

0203455	Tour Group Management	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
Students practice group management, and prepare tourist guide plans, master persuasion strategies, and maintain the safety and security of tourists. ​ ​

 

0203460	Tourism Legislations	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
Students study the most prominent laws and frameworks regulating the practice of the profession of Tour Guiding. Through this course student become familiar with local and international legal applications for the various fields of tourism. ​ ​

 

0203461	Consumer Behavior	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
This course aims to introduce students to consumers and the types of consumer behaviors, the steps for making a travel decision. Students also study about consumers from all social, economic, and psychological backgrounds, and the difference between the objectives of a trip and the motives of travel. ​ ​

 

0203463	Tourism Guidance	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
This course introduces the most prominent archaeological, tourist, cultural and heritage monuments and the archeological sites and arts in the UAE. It also helps students acquire experience in leading tour groups and introduce them to the country's historical and cultural treasures. It is preferred to deliver most of this course in archaeological, artistic and national sites. Part of the assessment grade of this course is allocated to oral examinations at archaeological sites to stress the importance of demonstrating communication skills with tourists. ​ ​

 

0203466	Public Relations	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
Throughout this course, students learn about the importance of tourism marketing, its diversity, and the significance of public relations as one of the components of tourism activation mix, through which tour guides become familiar with the principles of protocol and etiquette necessary in dealing with consumers, and the ability to confront the potential problems that may face them while performing all their tasks. ​ ​

 

0203464	Tourist Authorities and Organizations	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
This course introduces students to the most important international tourism organizations, the most important official and non-official tourism agencies in the UAE, and their role in organizing and activating inbound tourism. ​ ​

 

0203465	Tourist and Cultural Heritage	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
This course aims to provide students with a set of cultural and heritage assets about the UAE, which collaborate on the process of tourist attraction to learn about archaeological, historical, and tourist sites, national parks and other sites that fall within the framework of the tourism and cultural heritage of the UAE. It also examines the development of cultural heritage tourism resources and products with a primary or secondary destination. It provides students with a major range of cultural and heritage assets that can become viable and oriented to attractions including museums, performing arts, historical sites, and national parks. Topics include: current and future trends of cultural heritage, the role of organizations working in the field of tourism and cultural heritage, and the use of cultural heritage resources for economic development. ​ ​

 

0203462	Field Training (Research Project)	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
In this course, students receive some training courses in leadership, supervision, management and organization of tour groups from the time of their arrival to the time of their departure. Each student also chooses a research topic related to his/her research interests in one of the fields of applied Tour Guiding, as the basis for their research papers under the supervision of an academic supervisor. After that, the research topic is subject to the approval of the project by the Department Council. Each student then conducts and accomplishes field research in one of the arts and methods of tour guiding and its applications.  ​ ​

 

0203355	Hospitality Industry	(3:0-3)
Prerequisite: None	​	​
This course introduces students to the different types, sections, means of accommodation in general, and their application to the UAE, its various departments, and the methods and techniques of hospitality and reception. ​ ​

 

Free Tour Guiding Specialization Requirements: (6 credit hours) that a student chooses from among the courses below:

5. Free Courses
A student chooses them from the courses offered in the various university colleges, (6 credit hours)

Study Plan (123) Credit Hours

1st Year, Term 1 (15 Credit Hours) ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	Islamic Culture	0104100
0202102	3	The Art of Writing and Composition	0201203
-	3	Research Methods in Studying History	0203110
-	3	Arabs History before Islam	0203120
-	3	History of the Era of Prophet Mohammed Message	0203121

 

1st Year, Term 2 (15) Credit Hours ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
​	3	University Elective requirement	XXXXX
​	3	Introduction to Education	0206101
-	3	History of the Rashidun Era	0203220
-	3	History of the Umayyad State	0203221
0203120	3	Islamic civilization (1)	0203230

 

2nd Year, Term 3 (18) Credit Hours ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	Arabic Language	0201102
-	3	The Arab Community	0203111
-	3	History of the Abbasid State until the 4th Century AH	0203321
-	3	Free Course Requirement	XXXXX
-	3	The Ottoman Empire	0203341
-	3	Europe Modern and Contemporary History	0203443

 

2nd Year, Term 4 (18) Credit Hours ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	University Elective Requirement	XXXXX
0202113	3	English Language for Humanities	0202113
-	3	Modern and Contemporary Arab History	0203442
-	3	Free Requirement Course	XXXXX
-	3	Department Elective Requirement	XXXXX
-	3	Distinctive Features of the Arabian Gulf History	0203242

 

3rd Year, Term 5 (15) Credit Hours ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	Basic English Language	0202111
-	3	Introduction to Tourism	0203350
-	3	Geography of the Arabian Gulf	0203351
-	3	Tourism Guidance	0203463
-	3	Tourism Guidance Elective Requirement	XXXXX

 

3rd Year, Term 6 (15) Credit Hours ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	University Elective Requirement	XXXXX
-	3	The History of Islamic City	0203114
-	3	Tourist and Cultural Heritage	0203465
-	3	Tourism Guidance Elective Requirement	XXXXX
-	3	Public Relations	0203469

 
 

4th Year, Term 7 (15) Credit Hours  ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	Introduction to Information Technology (in Arabic)	1411101
-	3	English for Specific Purposes	0203354
-	3	Tourism legislations	0203468
-	3	The Emirati Community	0204102
-	3	Department Elective Requirement	XXXXX

 

4th Year, Term 8 (15) Credit Hours  ​ ​ ​
Prerequisite: Simultaneous	Credit Hours	Course Title	Course No.
-	3	Department Elective Requirement	XXXXX
-	3	Field Training – Research Project	2034620
-	3	Art of Museums	0203467
-	3	Department Elective Requirement	XXXXX