English 4720
Studies in Travel Writing
Keirstead
Required Texts (listed in the order we will read them)
Hulme, Peter and Tim Youngs, eds. The Cambridge Companion to Travel Writing. Cambridge UP, 2002.
Trollope, Frances. Domestic Manners of the Americans. 1832. Penguin, 1997.
Flaubert, Gustave. Flaubert in Egypt. 1849. Trans. and Ed. Francis Steegmuller. Penguin, 1979.
Naipaul, V. S. An Area of Darkness: A Discovery of India. Vintage, 1964.
Krakauer, John. Into Thin Air: A Personal Account of the Mount Everest Disaster. Anchor, 1997.
Steinbeck, John. Travels with Charley in Search of America. Penguin, 1960.
Diski, Jenny. Stranger on a Train: Daydreaming and Smoking around America with Interruptions. Picador, 2002.
(Other course readings, as indicated on the reading schedule, are available through E-reserve)
Course Work and Grading
C Two papers: one 4 to 6 pages (15%), the other 8 to10 pages (25%). The long paper must cite at least three secondary sources, including but not limited to the articles in the Cambridge Companion. Assignment sheets with suggested topics will be passed out during the quarter.
C
A mid-term exam (15%) and a final exam (20%).C
Periodic, unannounced reading quizzes (10%).C
A total of five 1-to-2 page response papers, due about every other week: see the reading schedule for specific due dates. Response papers are due at my office before class starts (no later than 8:30 A.M. the day of class) so that I may have time to review them before the class discusses the works you responded to. During the weeks a response paper is due, you may turn it in on either Tuesday or Thursday. If you prefer, you can send me your response as an e-mail attachment. See additional handout for more details. (15%)C
Active participation: participation is expected of all students and will be taken into consideration when the final grade is assessed. Read every assignment thoroughly and bring the appropriate text to class. For each class discussion, make it your goal to say at least two constructive things about the assigned reading. During group work, be attentive, considerate, and helpful. At the end of the course, if your numerical average is on the borderline between two grades, strong participation will earn you the higher grade. Poor participation will insure that you get the lower grade. See additional handout for more details.House Rules
Attendance: You are given two unexcused absences to use at your discretion, except on days when a paper is due or an exam is scheduled: in fairness to those students completing the work on time, I must verify any excuse that results in an extension. If you have used up your two absences and an emergency occurs that requires you to miss class, you must provide appropriate documentation to excuse the absence. Absences will be excused only for the six types of reasons given in the Tiger Cub (and remember that it is a violation of Auburn’s academic honesty code to submit a false excuse). See me during office hours to discuss any work that you missed: that is, please do not ask me before the following class about work missed or send me an e-mail requesting a recap of the previous day’s discussion and assignments. Students with more than two absences will have one full grade (1.0) deducted from the final grade for each additional unexcused absence.
Late papers/missed exams: Papers and other assignments are due at class-time on the days noted below. A paper turned in after the due date will be penalized one letter grade for each day that it is late. If illness or another emergency prevents you from turning in a paper on time or attending an exam, I expect you to notify me as soon as circumstances permit in order to schedule a new deadline or a make-up exam: if you do not, the assignment will be penalized for lateness.