Kentucky Institute for International Studies (KIIS): France Program 2005
ENG 204: Advanced Expository Writing:
Travel Writing and the Personal Essay
Dr. Kenneth King
Western Kentucky University
Course Description and Objectives:
In this course we will explore the varied medium of travel writing (including the personal essay
with a travel focus) through reading selected portions of a practical guide to the subject, through
reading samples of travel writing about France, and through practicing the skills of observation,
narration, and description. The final essays that we produce will be collected into a class
anthology (title to be determined by class members).
Required Materials:
Travel Writing: A Guide to Research, Writing, and Selling, by L. Peat O’Neil. Writer’s Digest
Books, 2000.
Course packet which may be purchased from instructor at April 16 orientation.
A journal
Paper for writing assignments
Grading:
Final essay
Journal
Observations (4 at 8 points each)
Exercises (4 at 8 points each)
Class and Workshop participation
100 points
100 points
32 points
32 points
34 points
300 points total
(33%)
(33%)
(10.5%)
(10.5%)
(12%)
Grading Scale: 300-270 = A, 269-240 = B, 239-210 = C, 209-180 = D, 178 and below = F
The Observations should each be one to two well-developed paragraphs long, focusing on keen
observation and description of something intriguing that you’ve seen in Paris or elsewhere during
your time in France.
For each Exercise, you will be asked to practice a particular writing or observation skill.
The Journal should include at least twelve different entries, amounting to a minimum of ten
typed double-spaced page equivalents. Journal writing may include description, reflection, and
even artifacts that help you remember the details of an experience. The journal is a good place to
try informal writing about subjects that might become part of the final essay, and can also serve
as a meaningful souvenir of your experiences in France.
The Final Essay should be three to five pages long. It should be a focused, non-fiction essay,
which either fits within one of the conventional types of travel writing, or is a personal essay with
a travel focus. A first draft will be due during the fourth week of the course, and we will
workshop the essay in peer reviews with classmates.
Attendance and Due Dates Policy:
As per KIIS. policy, attendance at all class meetings is mandatory. No absences are permitted
without a verifiable, documented medical reason. A single absence will lower your course grade
by one half letter; anyone who misses three or more classes will not pass the course. There will be
a sign-in sheet for every meeting and it is your responsibility to sign it. Late arrivals cause class
interruptions; for every two late arrivals you will be assessed one absence.
I will not accept late work. Due to the compressed nature of this course and the limited amount of
time available for reading and grading your work, it is important for you to be aware of the duedates for all assignments and to turn them in on time.
Required Readings:
The first chapter of O’Neil is required reading, along with the assignments from the course
packet. The other readings from O’Neil are not required but are recommended. You are strongly
encouraged to read the first three chapters of O’Neil in the US. They will help orient you to the
subject, help you plan your packing, and help you select a travel journal. You are also
encouraged to begin reading in the course packet, and to read one or more of the works from the
bibliography. These will introduce you to additional sorts of travel writing, and help whet your
appetite for the summer.
Weekly Schedule of Readings and Activities
These assignments and activities are subject to changes as necessary.
Week 1
S 5/28-Sun 5/29
Week 2
M 5/30-Th 6/2
Week 3
Overview of Types of Travel Writing
Keeping a Travel Journal
Required Reading: Chapter 1, O’Neil.
Recommended Reading: Chapter 3, O’Neil.
Observation 1 due.
Traveling as a Writer
The Destination Article
The Journey Article
Observation 2 due
Exercise 1 due
Excursion TBA
Recommended Reading: O’Neil, Chapter 2.
Other Readings TBA
M 6/6-Th 6/9
Week 4
M 6/13-Th 6/16
Week 5
M 6/20-Th 6/23
Research for Travel Writing
Historical or Holiday Peg
News Peg
Roundup Article
Travel Advice
Observation 3 due
Exercise 2 due
Excursion TBA
Recommended Reading: O’Neil, Chapter 6.
Other Readings TBA.
Structure, Style, & Tonal Possibilities in Travel Writing
Outdoor/Recreation Article
Personal Experience Article
Humor
Food and Travel
Observation 4 due
Exercise 3 due
Draft 1 of final essay due
Possible excursion TBA
Recommended Readings: O’Neil, Chapters 4 & 5
Other Readings TBA
Marketing the Travel Article and Misc.
The Travel Book
Exercise 4 due
Final essay due
Journal due
Share excerpts from final essay
Reading TBA
RECOMMENDED READINGS:
Barry, Ann. At Home in France. New York: Ballantine Books, 1996. A former New
Yorker editor’s memoir of her summer home outside Carennac, a village in
the Quercy region of France. My favorite house-in-France book. OUT OF
PRINT, but used copies and remainders available through Amazon.
LeFavour, Bruce. France on Foot. Saint Helena, Calif.: Attis Press, 1999. An
introduction to walking in France. Of interest only to those with an interest in
walking. The book that got me started: walking in France is a dangerously
addictive habit.
Levin, Bernard. Hannibal’s Footsteps. London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1985. A
narrative of the author’s walk retracing the route taken by the Carthagenian
general Hannibal in his invasion of Italy. Hannibal started in Spain, and moved
across the south of France and the Alps. His army was equipped with elephants.
Mayle, Peter. A Year in Provence. New York: Vintage Books, 1991. Undoubtedly the
most popular writer on living in France; probably made Provence the most
popular region in France. Unfortunately, it may have made Mayle’s house the
most popular house in France. He reportedly had to flee the country to escape all
the worshipful tourists. Manages to blend humor with a touch of romanticism.
Entertaining, but I wonder if Mayle is a bit condescending toward his amusing,
quaint French neighbors.
Merwin, W.S. The Mays of Ventadorn. Washington: National Geographic Society,
2002. This book is a memoir of the rural French house where Merwin lived as a
young poet for over twenty years, an introduction to the Occitan troubadours who
flourished in the same region during the Middle Ages, and an elegy for the
Occitan civilization and for the rural French culture of Merwin’s youth.
Morland, Miles. A Walk across France. New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1992. A
middle-aged couple walk across France from the Mediterranean to the Atlantic.
A bit more yuppieish than the other walking narratives, but still interesting.
Neillands, Robin. Walking through France: From the Channel to the Camargue.
London: Collins, 1988. The narrative of a walk from the English Channel to the
Mediterranean. Effective blending of information about the various regions with
the narrative of the walk itself. OUT OF PRINT, but some used copies available.
Oyler, Philip. The Generous Earth. Pallas Editions. An appreciation of the traditional
agricultural methods of the Dordogne region, written at a time (circa 1950) when
oxen were still used instead of tractors.
Steinbach, Alice. Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman. New
York: Random House, 2000. The story of a woman’s sojourns in select European
cities during a leave of several months from her job as a writer. One of the cities
was Paris, and Steinbach's romance began there.