K20.1507: Abroad at Home

Professor Steve Hutkins

Fall 2008 (Oct. 21 - Dec. 11)

Tues. and Thurs., 11:00 - 12:15

2 credits

Enrollment restricted to students studying abroad in the spring of 2009.

Course Aims:
The purpose of this course is to help you prepare for your study-abroad experience during spring 2009. You’ll have an opportunity to read some travel literature about the place you’re going, study the music, taste the cuisine, look at the art, watch a movie, etc. We’ll work with maps, guidebooks, and other orientation tools, so that you have a better sense of where you are when you arrive. We’re also going to think about the nature of the travel experience by reading some scholarly articles about the sociology of tourism, the concept of authenticity, and travel as performance. Finally, in order to practice getting into the mindset of the traveler, we’ll also spend some time looking at New York through the eyes of the foreigner by exploring the city as a tourist (visiting museums, tourist attractions, etc.) and by reading some travel writing about New York. Students are required to blog twice a week about their research, their activities, and their responses to readings.  There are specific assignments for each blog post, but they are intended to be flexible enough to allow students to adapt them to their own interests and concentrations. 

Requirements

1. 14 blog posts (twice a week), approx. 400 words each (80% of final grade) (see Assignments page for details)

2. In class: participation & attendance (20% of final grade)

(No Incomplete grades.)

Reading:

1. Two travel narrative or travel essay books about the place you’re going

2. A guidebook about the place you’re going

3. Articles and book excerpts available online.

Schedule of Topics

Contact:

Office: 715 Broadway, room 608

Phone: 998-7361

E-mail: ssh1@nyu.edu

Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs., 10 – 11 and 3:30 – 5, and sometimes 12:30 - 2