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Marissa Gutierrez
Nancy Roche
Writing 1010-018
24 November 2014
Major Literacy Practices Report Draft
The University of Utah offers a wide variety of degrees. There are great
opportunities to learn and grow in any desired field. One program that I have noticed is not on
demand very much is a degree in Hospitality. Perhaps students might not be aware that the
hospitality industry keeps growing. This is why I believe that a degree from The Parks,
Recreation and Tourism department with an emphasis in hospitality management could be a
smart way to grow if you are interested in the hospitality industry. The PRT program with an
emphasis on Hospitality Management focuses on preparing students for successful careers in a
variety of leisure service settings. Graduates of the program are able to find work opportunities at
recreation centers, resorts, restaurants, parks and recreation departments, and a large variety of
other fields.
In order to achieve a degree in Hospitality Management one must complete specific
courses. There is a requirement of completing 72 hours, which 39 hours are the department
requirements and 27 more hours are in hospitality management specialization. As well as
completing the general education requirements. The Bachelors Degree Requirements are very
general courses and are not very involved with the hospitality industry. There also grade
requirements that student must meet in order to take the more advanced classes. This is why
having an appointment with the counselor is very helpful. The counselor helps students
understand what steps to take in order to achieve a degree at The University of Utah.

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Each department has its own counselor. The Parks, Recreation and Tourism has a great
advisor, her name is Betsy Cook and she is an undergraduate advisor, she is very helpful and she
explains in more depth what to expect from the specific degree the student will choose. While
talking to her, one becomes aware and more knowledgeable of the hospitality management
degree. Besides Betsy Cook there is also other faculty staff that can help. There is also, Dr. Jim
Sibthorp (Director of Graduate Studies) and Dr. Mary Well (Director of Undergraduate Studies).
The community of the Hospitality Industry at The University of Utah is a very social
group. The more visible and dominant literacy practices in this group are the friendly, social,
group oriented, hands on and project oriented individuals. All students and faculty share most of
the same characteristics; they are all outgoing and helpful people. The majority of classes in this
degree are group oriented classes. They are hands on and require a lot of interaction with other
people. This is why being a very social person its very important skill to be able to enjoy a
major in the hospitality business. Other characteristics that one must have in order to be
successful in this program its to be active, problem solving, and being customer service
oriented. This is also explained by the advisor.
There is a lot more information available for students to understand the program and
observe what kind of literacy practices there are in this community. There are pamphlets that are
written by The Parks, Recreation and Tourism committee. In these extremely informative
brochures there are a lot of pictures, besides being social, this community communicates through
by visual. The brochure is giving information on what majors are available in the department
and it is written to give a brief overview in the Hospitality Industry. It explains in a short
paragraph why a degree in Tourism is worth pursuing. Even though it doesnt explain in words
why it is a great a career, it does make you want to learn more about the program. Using all those

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enjoyable photos of people having fun, being social and traveling around the world, makes you
want to be a part of the community. I believe that this is a great way to communicate to students.
Another great piece of written information is the departments website. It is a great way to get a
lot of information in the quickest amount of time. The Parks, Recreation and Tourism has a link
specifically designed for the Hospitality Management program. It offers a brief overview about
the hospitality industry and how much its growing. There is also a Hospitality Management
degree plan as well as a suggested Hospitality Management semester plan. This is very helpful
because by reading this information we can get an idea of classes we need to take. There is a
curriculum that goes over what major aspects of the hospitality industry include. Once again the
community uses visual throughout their website. One link that I find interesting in particular its
the Departments Photos and Videos link. In this page there are a lot of videos and pictures of
students having fun while completing their degree. All photographs show a social setting of the
PRT community.
All information is being written very useful. Websites and pamphlets are designed to give
a description of the Hospitality Management program in a very social, fun and outgoing kind of
way. The PRT building also has many posters throughout the hallways. Even though the posters
do not really have a lot of written information, they are another type of communication the
committee uses for the department. In conclusion all information is very helpful. The advisor,
website, pamphlets or just taking a walk in the building, they all play an important role in the
PRT department and it is a great way to get start getting involved with the literacy practices that
are being used in the department. Its a way to become familiar with the community and what
language they use, and by language I mean, there are conversations and words that are basically
new to us. Also, we become more familiar with the social goals of the Hospitality community.

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There are other ways in which The Hospitality Management program uses different
literacy practices. For example; books have been used from time to time to learn about new
things. After all when something is unknown to us and we start learning about it, we enter a
world of different literacy practices. Books shape a lot of what information we are gathering,
because every time we are reading something new we are acquiring new information that will
glue to our memory. We expose ourselves to new information and with new texts we begin to
understand the new topics .The more we read the more we understand the rules of life, and we
adapt to the community and adopt and accommodate into the society better. We tend to learn
new vocabulary and improve our writing skills, in a way we are becoming literate individuals in
a different aspect of our lives. When reading texts on Hospitality Management we realize there is
a new way of speech, and new domains that we were unaware of. Such domains are particular
and specific to the hospitality industry. They are distinct to our own literacy practices in so
many ways. By reading texts we are becoming more socially active, since we are gathering new
information we can incorporate ourselves easily in a new kind of literacy. Different domains of
people, a community that is literate in the hospitality community at The University of Utah. In
this way we will also acquire new information through informal learning. When we engage into
new conversations with new people we learn trough a social and informal learning by having
simple conversations. It also can be defined as a particular way of learning new literacy
practices which arises from the activities and interests of individuals and groups. We identify and
select interests that are specific to our degree. Informal learning also describes a process
through which learners acquire attitudes, values, skills and knowledge from daily experience.
This proves that not all learning happens in the classrooms. But by that I dont mean that
classrooms do not play an important role in learning.

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When taking Hospitality Management classes at The University of Utah a lot is learned from
professors. They introduce you to new literacy practices. Literacy Practices that they are
conformable with and have a lot of experience and knowledge of the field. They have a lot of
insight information and most of them have completed their education. Theyve spent years
learning everything they can about their field and are better prepared to answer student questions
and guide students through their education. Professors in Hospitality program use a new kind of
language. They go into depth explaining what to expect in real life. Since they have so much
more experienced they also use a lot of anecdotes from their everyday life. In this kind of setting
new literacy practices are experienced. Professors talk about the hospitality industry in a more
broad way. They explain there are different components of the hotel industry. The structure o f
the lodging operations include front office responsibilities, food and service industry, marketing,
engineering, maintenance, accounting, human resources, security and many more. In a way they
are all different literacys. Even though they are all related to the hospitality industry they are all
different in some many ways. The professor is a good person to look up to and teach you the new
ways of how this literacy practices are being used.
With all the technology there are many changes in our society. We encounter another
way of literacy practices through the internet. In some cases internet is a great way to learn new
information. It is easy accessible, schools offer extraordinary tools. For example now classes are
available for students online. The University of Utah has done a great job with Canvas, this
program is a helpful tool. In the past everything was more difficult to complete. Now everything
is done right on your computer, from choosing classes, paying tuition, taking classes, turning in
assignments, taking exams and many more advantages.

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As we can see there are many different literacy practices just in school. When we
start attending the University of Utah we learn those practices, which they also differ in the
major chosen. For me choosing a Major in The Parks, Recreation and Tourism department with
an emphasis in Hospitality Management is an exciting career. The hotel industry is growing
more and more. A bachelor degree and a graduate degree from The University of Utah will
prepare students to become successful in their lives and become more fluent in this specific area
of literacy practices.
As mentioned in the programs brochures; the possibilities are endless. The PRT
program is a great way to engage in new adventures while acquiring knowledgeable skills and
experience for a positive impact on our society.