Travel Fictions

Gallatin School, NYU

Fall 2009

K10.0043

TR 2:00-3:15

715 Broadway, Room 401

Steve Hutkins

COURSE DESCRIPTION

The American novelist John Gardner once said there were only two plots to all of the stories ever told: a stranger comes to town, and someone goes on a journey. There may be other plots, but the encounter between those who are settled and those who are on the move is one of the most intriguing and compelling of literary themes. This course focuses on novels and short stories and asks what happens when travelers and tourists come into contact with the locals and native-born. It examines the way travelers preconceive and apprehend foreign places, the problematic search for the "authentic" and "essential," and the view of tourism as a form of neo-colonialism, involving issues of power and possession, race and class, exoticism and Otherness. Supplemental readings explore the history, sociology, politics, and economics of travel and tourism.

REQUIRED TEXTS

1. James, Henry. Daisy Miller (1878). Penguin
   
2. Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness (1902).Modern Library
   
3. Mann, Thomas. Death in Venice (1912). Harper Collins
   
4. Hemingway, Ernest. The Sun Also Rises (1926). Simon & Schuster
   
5. Bowles, Paul. The Sheltering Sky (1949). Harper Collins
   
6. Kerouac, Jack. On the Road (1957). Penguin
   
7. Hazzard, Shirley. Evening of the Holiday (1966). VHPS
   
8. McEwan, Ian. The Comfort of Strangers (1981). Random House
   
9. Mahfouz, Naguib. Journey of Ibn Fattouma (1992). Anchor
10. Murakami, Haruki. Sputnik Sweetheart (2002). Vintage
11. Guo, Xiaolu. A Concise Chinese English Dictionary (2007). Anchor
    

SCHEDULE OF READINGS

REQUIREMENTS

1. In class: attendance, quizzes, participation, etc. (20% of final grade)

2. Eleven blog posts (one on each book, approx. 400 words each) (40%)

3. Eleven comments on other posts (one on each book, approx. 100 words each) (10%)

4. Two longer papers (1200 words): midterm due Oct. 29 (note that this was the original date for the midterm; it will be rescheduled for later in the semester) and final due Dec. 15 (30%)

CONTACT

Office: 715 Broadway, room 608

Phone: 998-7361

E-mail: ssh1@nyu.edu

Course website: www.placestudies.com

Office Hours: Tues. and Thurs., 9:30 – 11, 3:30 – 5:00; also, 12:30 - 2 and 5 - 6, by appointment only.

POLICIES

Deadlines

The blog posts are usually due on Monday night so there's time to read them over before class on Tuesday.  The comments on other people's posts are due Wednesday night so there's time to read them over before class on Thursday.  (These are important deadlines, and the website makes it easy to track them.)

Plagiarism

In writing your posts, you are encouraged to copy and paste quotations from scholarly articles and other websites, but it is extremely important that you cite your source (author or title) and provide a link to it.  The blog posts are a form of academic writing, and plagiarism is a serious violation of the rules of academic integrity.

Attendance

The class is a discussion seminar, so attendance is very important.  One or two absences are fine, but more than that will affect the final grade (with the exception of illness). It is not necessary to notify the instructor about your absences, unless you are having issues.

Swine flu

The university asks faculty to be as flexible as possible with absences and assignment problems that arise due to the flu.  If you think you have the flu, do not come to class.  If you come to class visibly ill, you will be asked to return home or to your residence hall.  If you are concerned about your illness, call the NYU Student Health Center at 212-443-1000.