MS348 - College Year in Athens

Transcription

Syllabus Summer 2016
MS348 BECOMING A TRAVELER: WRITING IN GREECE
A Course on Creative Nonfiction and Travel Writing (Athens, Nauplio, and Poros Island)
College Year in Athens, Summer 2016
INSTRUCTOR CONTACT INFORMATION:
Natalie Bakopoulos – nbakopoulos@gmail.com
Jeremiah Chamberlin – jeremiahchamberlin@gmail.com
*
“We travel, initially, to lose ourselves; and we travel, next, to find ourselves. We travel to open our hearts
and eyes and learn more about the world than our newspapers will accommodate. We travel to bring what
little we can, in our ignorance and knowledge, to those parts of the globe whose riches are differently
dispersed. And we travel, in essence, to become young fools again—to slow time down and get taken in,
and fall in love once more.”
 Pico Iyer, from “Why We Travel”
“It was as a solitary traveler that I began to discover who I was and what I stood for. When people ask me
what they should do to become a writer, I seldom mention books—I assume the person has a love for the
written word, and solitude, and disdain for wealth—so I say, “You want to be a writer? First leave home.”
 Paul Theroux, from “On Being a Stranger”
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
In her book of travel essays The Blind Masseuse: A Traveler’s Memoir from Costa Rica to
Cambodia, Alden Jones describes the difference between the “tourist” and the “traveler.” She
writes: “While tourists spend their time away from home seeking out the comforts of home,
travelers risk—even cultivate—discomfort, because what they want is the thrill of a new
perspective.” Yet in doing so, the traveler journeys to achieve perspective on his or her own life
as much as on the lives of others.
This class, then, will use the study and practice of creative nonfiction to introduce students to new
ways of seeing and engaging with the world—both as writers and individuals. We will also
explore various questions that arise when writing travel literature: How does one write about a
foreign country or people without exoticizing or romanticizing the experience? In what ways do
our expectations and our actual perceptions of a place merge or align? And how might outsiders’
perspectives contribute to the literary composition and history of a place?
Finally, by using Greece as a lens to examine the ways authors draw on the rich myth, history,
and literary tradition of a place to investigate both culture and themselves, students will hone their
critical reading, thinking, and writing skills, as well as learn how to productively immerse
themselves in—and make meaning from—a culture not their own.
REQUIRED TEXTS:



Henry Miller, The Colossus of Maroussi
Patricia Storace, Dinner with Persephone
A selection of travel narratives and craft essays to be provided as handouts
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
This class will have two central aims: (1) to study the genre of creative nonfiction from a literary
and critical standpoint, and (2) to become practitioners of the form. So in addition to reading
literary and investigative travel writing about Greece, as well as craft essays and writing about
travel writing, students will also be producing and sharing their own writing in a workshop setting
with their peers. As such, much of our discussion will focus on analyzing the craft and technique
of this style of prose. Specifically, we will:
 Examine the way writers use driving questions to focus and propel their investigations.
 Study the literary elements of this form (e.g., how to construct a successful narrative,
how to create rich characterization, how to balance in-scene writing with exposition, how
to utilize retrospective analysis to bring insight to your work, how to develop themes that
give your writing meaning and depth, and how to craft prose that is vivid and sharp).
 Develop critical reading and analytical skills, learning to read as writers and critics.
 Explore the difficulties that arise when writing about people and places not our
own, and how we might do so with honesty, integrity, and intellectual rigor.
 Hone skills at critical self-assessment and reflection on the writing process, as well as
to develop skills for critiquing and responding to peer work.
 Produce creative, complex, analytical, and artful essays about travel and place, both
of varying lengths and in different genres.
PARTICIPATION & ENGAGEMENT
The success of a seminar-style course like this depends on you. Without each person
contributing to the discussion, our mutual understanding of the texts will be shallow and
superficial. So you will not only be expected to come to class having completed the reading
for the day, but also to have brought specific questions, comments, and reflections to share.
Participation includes, but is not limited to the following: (1) attendance, preparedness, and
professional conduct; (2) consistent contribution to discussions; (3) completion of work in a
thorough and timely manner; (4) thoughtful, engaged workshop responses for your peers; and
(5) the completion of in-class writing and short exercises.
Because you can’t participate if you aren’t in class, attendance is mandatory. You may miss
one class without penalty for personal reasons (excepting workshop days). Thereafter, your final
grade in this course may be lowered by three percentage points (e.g., from a 92% to an 89%) for
each additional class missed. Medical emergencies and documented illness may be excused, of
course. Like most instructors, we’ll handle absences on a case-by-case basis.
CRITICAL READING:
One of the key skills that you will learn in this class, and which will be integral to your success as
a critical thinker, is learning to read like a writer. Reading like a writer is a considerably different
process than content-based reading. Here, we study the work from the inside out, in order to
examine how it operates and functions. By learning how something works, we can more fully
understand why it works. And, in doing so, we naturally become better writers ourselves.
It’s also important to always meet the writer half way. Whether you “love” or “hate” a particular
book or essay or poem shouldn’t matter; even work we don’t enjoy has something to teach us, if
only to show us how we don’t want to write ourselves. So please come each day with several
passages or moments (even just a striking detail or an evocative line) that taught you something
as a fellow writer, or with questions about the decisions an author made in their work.
TRAVEL JOURNALS:
As most traveler writers do, you will keep a daily journal as a way to record your various
experiences during this class. Your journal will be a site for reflection, serving both as an
opportunity to respond to the class readings and to process your evolving thoughts on creative
nonfiction as a genre, travel writing as a literary stance, and your experiences as a traveler. Your
responses to the readings and to your experiences need not be separate—in fact, weaving analysis
of the texts and meditating on your own experiences is part of the goal. That said, at least one
entry per week (of your own choosing) should respond with a critical or craft-centered approach
to some aspect of the week’s reading. Journals will be collected weekly.
FIRST AND FINAL DRAFTS/LATE PAPERS:
Students may interpret the concept of a “first draft” in different ways, so we want to be clear
about our expectations. In this class, a first draft is a complete draft of an essay that has a
beginning, middle, and end; has been spell-checked and proofread; and meets the minimum page
requirements and parameters of the assignment. Rough drafts are not graded, but if you fail to
complete one on time you will lose points from the paper’s final grade. In addition, for each day
the final draft is late, you will lose five points from the paper’s final grade (e.g., from a 92% to an
87%). Papers more than three days late will not be accepted.
GRADING STANDARDS:
Grades are measures, not rewards. And the expectations in this class and at this program are high.
As such, so are the grading standards. A “C” is average and means that you have satisfied the
minimum requirements of an assignment. A “B” means that you have exceeded them and should
be proud. An “A” means that you have exceeded them wildly. Plain and simple: you must do
consistently exceptional work to earn an “A” in this class.
Although we will hold you to high expectations, in return we will offer you an equally high level
of assistance and guidance. We see this class as a collaborative project. If we all do our jobs well,
you will produce strong written work and learn the skills necessary to becoming a better reader,
writer, and critical thinker. Perhaps just as importantly, you will learn a great deal about different
and more complex ways of seeing the world (as well as yourself) in the process.
GRADING BREAKDOWN:
Essay 1 (Collage Essay on Athens):
15%
Essay 2 (Travel Narrative):
25%
Essay 3 (Meditative Analysis on Travel):
20%
Reading Journal and Informal Writing:
15%
Participation & Engagement:
25%
READING SCHEDULE
Please Note:



Reading Schedule is subject to change.
Reading Schedule does not include informal or in-class writing exercises.
Readings listed are handouts unless specific texts are noted.
WEEK ONE: ATHENS
“When something human is recorded, good travel writing happens.” —Paul Theroux
Monday, May 30:
No Class:
Orientation
Tuesday, May 31 (Morning Session):
Focal Points for Discussion:
Why Travel? The Traveler vs. The Tourist
Readings to Discuss:
Introduction to Best American Travel Writing, by Sloane Crosley
Introduction to The Blind Masseuse, by Alden Jones
“Why We Travel,” by Pico Iyer
“On Keeping a Notebook,” by Joan Didion
Wednesday, June 1 (Morning Session):
Perspective of Travel: Narration and Expectation
The Colossus of Maroussi, Part One
Journal Writing Due:
Why are you here? What do you hope to find?
Thursday, June 2 (Morning Session):
The Ethics of Travel: Exoticizing the Other
The Colossus of Maroussi, Part Two
Details of Athens – Particularizing a Place
Friday, June 3:
Focal Points for Discussion
The Meaning of Travel: Finding the Self
The Colossus of Maroussi, Part Three and Afterword
Of Style and Substance – On Miller’s Prose and Stance
WEEK TWO: ATHENS & NAUPLIO
“When I’m in a foreign country, I do things that I would never dare to do in my own
country, because everything seems like fiction.” — Edouard Levé, from Autoportrait
Monday, June 6 (Morning Session):
How to Read Like a Writer
The Theory and Practice of Workshop
“How to Read Like a Writer,” by Mike Bunn
“Workshop is Not for You,” by Jeremiah Chamberlin
Peer Review Guidelines
Writing Due:
First Draft of Essay 1 emailed to peers and NB with Cover Letter
Submit Writing Journal to NB
Tuesday, June 7 (Morning Session):
The Work of Your Peers
Revision Strategies
The Essays of Your Peers
“Revision,” by Tom Jenks
Writing Due:
Peer Review Letters
Gender and Travel – How We Move Through the World
Dinner with Persephone, through chapter “Immortality” (pg. 42)
Thursday, June 9 & Friday, June 10 (All Day):
Day I & II in Nauplio
To Be Determined
Living History – Seeing the Past in the Present
Saturday, June 11 (No Class – Work Due):
Writing Due:
Final draft of Essay 1 emailed to NB by 2pm
WEEK THREE: POROS
“Think of the long trip home.
Should we have stayed at home and thought of here?
Where should we be today?
Is it right to be watching strangers in a play
in this strangest of theatres?”
— Elizabeth Bishop, “Questions of Travel”
Monday, June 13 (Morning Session):
The Craft of Creative Nonfiction – Details and Description
Readings:
Part I of Creative Composition (Chapters 1 – 5, pgs. 3 – 36)
“Once More to the Lake,” by E.B. White
First Impressions of Poros (List Exercise)
Monday, June 13 (Afternoon Session):
Characterization
Readings:
“On the Necessity of Turning Oneself into a Character”
“The Throumbes of Thassos,” by Christopher Bakken
Tuesday, June 14 (Morning Session):
Narrative & Stance
Readings:
“All of Us, We All Are Arameans,” by Eileen Pollack
Close Reading – On Characterization in Pollack’s work
Tuesday, June 14 (Afternoon Session):
Reflection and Analysis
Readings:
“Wild Honey, Locust Beans,” by Joanna Eleftheriou
Wednesday, June 15 (Mid-day Session):
The Poetics of Place
Readings:
“Questions of Travel,” by Elizabeth Bishop
“Arrival at Santos,” by Elizabeth Bishop
Writing Due:
First Draft of Essay 2 emailed to Peers and JC by 2pm
Submit Writing Journal to JC
Thursday, June 16 (Mid-day Session):
Writing Due:
Peer Review Letters
Friday, June 17 (No Class):
No Class:
Travel Day – Destination of your Choice or stay in Poros
WEEK FOUR: POROS
“The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own
country as a foreign land.” — G.K. Chesterton, from “The Riddle of the Ivy”
Monday, June 20 (Mid-day Session):
The Foreign and the Familiar
Readings:
“Maximum India,” by Pico Iyer
“Grammar Lessons,” by Michele Morano
Journal Writing Due: Departures and Arrivals – Reflection on Your Weekend Travel
Final Draft of Essay 2 emailed to JC by 2pm
Tuesday June 21 (Morning Session):
Why Write? Why Travel?
“Why Do I Write?” by Alan Shapiro
“On Being a Stranger,” by Paul Theroux
“Sight and Insight,” by Annie Dillard
Writing Due:
Seeing the Invisible, Writing the Unknown
Your Work – One-on-One Conferences with JC on Essay 3
Writing Due:
First Draft of Essay 3 emailed to Peers and JC by 6pm
Thursday, June 23 (Mid-day Session)
Writing Due:
Peer Review Letters
Submit Writing Journals to JC
Friday, June 24 (Mid-day Session)
Your Growth as Writers – A Reading of Your Work!
Writing Due:
Final Draft of Essay 2 emailed to JC by 2pm
Saturday, June 25 (Departure Day)
Farewell and safe passage, travelers! Congratulations on the
completion of this course.
Students in the 2015 Summer Session of this Course Hiking on Poros - Photo by Jeremiah Chamberlin

MS348 - College Year in Athens

Transcription

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