Gallatin School, New York University
First Year Research Seminar: Adventure Narratives
Spring 2011
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 9:30-10:45 a.m.; 1 Washington, Rm 501
Office Hours: Thursday 10:45-12:15; 1 Washington, Rm 613
Instructor Tara Gellene
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Adventure narratives have been a popular sub-genre of both fiction and non-fiction for over
a century. In such narratives, men and women typically seek out, or are thrust into,
unfamiliar spaces where they confront elemental forces. Some adventurers traverse dramatic
natural environments—the Arctic and Antarctic Poles, Mt. Everest—while others explore
spaces of dramatic cultural difference. We will explore how and why these spaces are
represented as staging grounds for conflicts with principles of gender, power, and moral life.
As we read and research these narratives we will explore some of the following questions:
Why are these conflicts desirable to adventurers and to those who admire them? How do
these often masculine narratives represent women and domesticity, especially when dealing
with women adventurers? How do they represent the people who populate the adventurous
landscape? Are adventurers ultimately imperial or anti-social?
Your writing assignments in this course will be geared toward 1) generating clear, focused
arguments based in analysis 2) developing your ability to integrate sources into a paper in a
variety of ways and 3) developing the strategies and skills that are important for university
research. You will write four essays. The first essay will ask you to use a theoretical lens
(Torgovnick or Freud) to pose and explore a question about a literary narrative (Conrad or
Burton). The second essay will ask you to compare and contrast two narratives around a
common theme (focusing on Maalouf, Ondaatje, Haggard, Earhart, and Hamilton). For the
third essay, you will build outward from our course readings to develop your own research
project in which you will use sources in a variety of ways—e.g., close reading, comparing
narratives and arguments, and mobilizing theoretical lenses. Finally, you will write a reflective
essay—a rhetorical analysis of one of your first two essays—that offers you a change to
reflect on your choices and growth as a writer during the course.
OFFICE HOURS
My office is at 1 Washington Place, Room 429
My e-mail is teg5@nyu.edu. My office hours are Thursday 10:45–12:15
I encourage you to stop by or to make an appointment to discuss your ideas and your essays!
REQUIRED TEXTS (available from Shakespeare and Company, Broadway & West 4th)
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, (Anchor Books, 1997).
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad, (Norton, 2005).
Leo Africanus by Amin Maalouf, New (Amsterdam, 1986).
The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje, (Vintage, 1996).
She by H. Rider Haggard, (Oxford University Press, 1998.).
Civilization and its Discontents by Sigmund Freud, (Norton, 1989).
Course Reader (available from NYU Bookstore)
Recommended resources:
The Purdue Owl: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/
A searchable resource for grammar, style, and citation information
Reading Practice: In addition to writing assigned responses to your readings, please
identify troubling moments—passages that confuse or challenge you—as you read. Come
to class prepared to identify and initiate discussion on these moments. You are also
encouraged to post these moments on the Discussion Board.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Your writing assignments include the following:
 Responsive writing to accompany each assigned reading. As a general rule, you will
have writing due every time you have reading due. I will specify the goal of this
writing when I assign each reading. This writing will be used to practice smaller
writing tasks that form a part of larger essays (e.g., presenting a source, analyzing a
passage), to stimulate in-class discussion, and to generate areas of interest for longer
writing assignments. You may be asked to share these assignments in class.
 Multiple drafts of each major essay. You will need to bring in drafts of essays in
progress for workshops, as noted on the syllabus (e.g., first version, second version,
final). Successful workshops depend on each student having a draft to share; it is
imperative that you bring in drafts on workshop dates.
 Final drafts—12 pt. font, double-spaced, with one-inch margins on all sides. All
final drafts must be carefully proofread and edited. Citations and documentation
should follow MLA format.
 Reflective writing to accompany all drafts of major essays. With each intermediate
and final essay you hand in I will ask you to do some self-assessment of your own
writing and reflect back on your process, what you learned and where you stumbled.
Late work will affect your grade. I generally do not read late responsive writing and drafts.
However, in office hours, I will read and provide feedback on anything you like. A late final
draft will be accepted only up to one week after the due date and will be penalized for every
day it is late. Unless otherwise specified, work must be turned into the instructor in class in a
hard copy; electronic copies will normally not be accepted.
PLAGIARISM
The Instructor will uphold the University's code of academic and personal conduct for all
instances of plagiarism. You may find this code in your NYU Gallatin Bulletin. You can
download the bulletin at: http://www.nyu.edu/gallatin/pdf/GallatinBulletin.pdf.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Research Seminar I centers on discussion and analysis of readings and on regularly scheduled
writing workshops. To be fully alive to the issues in the readings and to your colleagues‘
ideas and writing, you must have completed the reading and writing assignments before
class. Always remember to bring your assigned readings to class. On workshop days,
please remember to bring the appropriate drafts in hard copy.
Attendance is required. Because you rely so much on your peers in this seminar + workshop
style environment, I hope you will commit to attendance and preparation to help create a
supportive and effective classroom community. An excused absence is an illness with a
doctor‘s note, a family emergency, or a religious holiday. Please let me know in advance by email if you are going to absent for any of those reasons. Habitual lateness to class and more
than two unexcused absences will seriously compromise your grade in the course.
Laptops can be distracting in the classroom, so I request that you do not plan to write or
take notes on laptops in class unless there are special circumstances.
POSTING TO BLACKBOARD
Post Assignments and Drafts to your Student Folder: Please post all your assignments
and drafts to Blackboard in addition to handing in hard copies. This makes it easy for other
students to access your writing for workshop and also provides an electronic record of your
progress. Get in the habit of posting your work as you finish it in your personal folder with
the document title:
‗Last Name‘_‗Assignment Name‘
Post Informal Responses to Discussion Board: In addition to printing them out for
class, please post ―clear, but informal‖ responses to the discussion board before the class in
which they are due. Before 8pm, the day before class is ideal, but not required.
I encourage you to look at each others‘ posts and to reply. This will enrich your
understanding and engagement of the readings immeasurably, especially since we devote a
lot of in-class time to writing-related instruction. Beyond that, you should feel free to write
your response as a reply to someone else‘s post if you have trouble getting started. For that
to work, you should all aim to post responses by a reasonable hour the night before class as
much as a possible.
Troubling moments: Invite discussion on troubling moments by posting to the discussion
board. Identify and respond to the moment in 100-200 words.
Research Topics and Questions List (Ongoing Topic in Discussion Board): I ask that
you post to the ―Research Topics and Questions List‖ on Blackboard a minimum of four
times during the semester—at least twice before Spring Break and at least twice after. Your
posts should identify a research topic or question that arises out of your reading for the
week. These topics and questions can arise in two main ways. Our reading may remind you
an object of inquiry you came upon through the news, another class, or your personal
interest and help you to raise a question about it that you hadn‘t considered before—a
question that requires more information gathering to answer— or our reading from class
may mention a text/object of inquiry that you have further questions about—again,
questions that require you to learn more. Your post should 1) address how you came upon
your topic and question, 2) what the topic and question are, 3) what you think you might
discover by researching, and 4) the link to or citation of an outside source (other than an
encyclopedia) that you offer as a good place to begin researching this topic and question.
I encourage you to check this list and read the entries periodically (perhaps when you are
posting your own). You will be welcome to use these posts as seeds for your research
projects later on. I will read them and make reference to them in class. I will also
occasionally post entries myself—a model entry is on the Discussion Board currently to help
clarify the idea and format.
GRADING
Your final grade will factor in your performance on four essay assignments and your
participation.
Participation 15%
Essay 1 20%
Essay 2 20%
Essay 3 30%
Essay 4 15%
Each essay will receive a grade that reflects the quality of the final version (including
presentation, citation, and proofreading) as well as the substantiveness of the revisions.
Participation will be evaluated based on your attendance and punctuality, preparedness for
class work, and the reg ularity and thoughtfulness of your contributions to class discussion,
Blackboard, and small group work.
CONFERENCES
I am available to meet with you to discuss your writing during my office hours, and by
scheduled appointment. When you come to see me, please bring in an essay you are working
on. If you need additional help with your writing, you can contact the Gallatin Writing
Center at 1 Washington Place, Room 423. See www.nyu.edu/gallatin/writingschedule for
instructions on how to make an appointment.
Writing Center BONUS POINTS: I offer a bonus to encourage students to try out the
Writing Center because I am confident that trying it once will make you a Writing Center
super-fan. If you attend the Writing Center for this or any other class during the semester, I
will raise your participation grade by 1/3 at the end of the semester. To qualify for these
bonus points you must write me a one-page report about what you did in the session and
what you took away from it.
You only need to do this one time to get the bonus, and you can only get one bonus, but I
hope you‘ll take advantage of the Writing Center throughout the semester. It is an amazing
resource.
SYLLABUS
Please refer to this syllabus each week to keep aware of deadlines and assignments. Changes
to deadlines and assignments sometimes occur. If and when they do, I will post an updated
syllabus on Blackboard as well as notify you in class.
WEEK 1
January 25
January 27
WEEK 2
February 1
February 3
WEEK 3
February 8
February 10
Introduction to course
Introduction to Essay 1
Introducing a Source and Presenting a Key Idea
Revisit Presenting Sources
Discuss Reading
Reading Due: excerpt from Gone Primitive by Marianna Torgovnick
(Course Reader); Civilization and Discontents by Sigmund Freud Ch 1 &
2
Writing Due: Select a passage from each text that may influence your
perspective on or expectations about adventure narratives, and write
a clear, but informal response explaining the passage and its
implications.
Discuss Reading
Reading Due: finish Civilization and its Discontents; Heart of Darkness by
Joseph Conrad
Writing Due: Identify a moment in the novel that illuminates
something or raises a question about the nature of adventure. Write a
clear, but informal response presenting and contextualizing the
passage and explaining the issues it raises. Please also record in your
notes any clarification questions you have about the remainder of
Civilization and its Discontents so we can discuss them in class.
Features of Passage Analysis
Introduce Project Proposal Assignment
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Presenting a Source Assignment
Working toward Project Proposal
Discuss Reading
Reading Due: excerpt from Personal Narrative of a Pilgrimage to AlMedinah & Mecca by Richard Burton (Course Reader)
Writing Due: Passage Analysis Assignment
Discuss Model Essays
Reading Due: Model Essays
Writing Due: Project Proposal Assignment (Receive Instructor‘s
Comments by Friday 5pm)
WEEK 4 – Workshop Week
February 15
Workshop
Reading Due: none—but please be aware that a novel is due next
Monday the 22nd.
Writing Due: Essay 1, first version
February 17
Complete Workshop
WEEK 5 – Workshop Week
February 22
Introduce Essay 2
Reading Due: She by Rider Haggard
Writing Due: Essay 1, second version
February 24
Analytic Comparison
Discuss Reading
Receive comments on Draft
Reading Due: excerpts from Last Flight by Amelia Earhart (handout);
―Keeping House in Borneo‖ by Virginia Hamilton (Course Reader).
Writing Due: This week‘s readings raise the issue of gender in
connection with adventure. Identify a passage that illustrates the role
of gender in one of these readings. In a clear, but informal response,
present this passage and compare its treatment of gender to the
treatment of gender in Conrad.
WEEK 6
March 1
Reflective Work
Bring The Collected Works of Billy the Kid by Michael Ondaatje to class
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Essay 1, final version-- STAPLE OR CLIP DRAFTS TOGETHER, WITH
THE FINAL DRAFT ON TOP.PLEASE BE SURE DRAFTS ARE DATED.
March 3
WEEK 7
March 8
Reading Due: finish The Collected Works of Billy the Kid
Writing Due: Pick a passage from The Collected Works of Billy the Kid
that comments on the genre of the adventure narrative or adventure
hero. Write a clear, but informal response presenting and interpreting
the passage and relating it to a passage in another one of the
narratives we have read.
Reading Due: ―Leo Africanus‖ by W.B. Yeats and Leo Africanus
(through part II) by Amin Maalouf
Writing Due: Identify a moment in the novel that raises an interesting
comparison or contrast between Leo Africanus and either the Yeats,
Conrad, or Burton reading. Write a clear, but informal response
presenting and contextualizing the passage and explaining how it
compares with the other text, perhaps also pointing to a specific
passage from that text.
March 10
Writing Workshop
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Essay 2, second version
**SPRING BREAK – MARCH 14-18**
WEEK 8 –Workshop Week
March 22
Workshop
Essay 2, first version due
March 24
WEEK 9
March 29
March 31
WEEK 10
April 5
Workshop
Essay 2, second version due
Introduce Essay #3
Generating Research Questions
Receive Draft Comments from Instructor
Reading Due: ―The Trouble with Wilderness‖ by William Cronon
(Course Reader) and ―The Significance of the Frontier in American
History‖ by Frederick Jackson Turner (Course Reader)
Writing Due: Possible research questions arising from Cronon and
Turner.
Reading Due: excerpt from Critique of Judgment by Immanuel Kant
(Course Reader)
Writing Due: Having read Turner and Kant, write a clear, but
informal paragraph responding to Cronon‘s use of Turner and Kant
on the basis of your own reading of these texts.
Introduce Project Proposal and Research Plan
Reading Due: excerpts from The Worst Journey in the World by Apsley
Cherry-Garrard (Course Reader); ―Crossing South Georgia‖ by
Ernest Shackleton (Course Reader)
Writing Due: Essay 2, final version —STAPLE OR CLIP DRAFTS TOGETHER,
WITH THE FINAL DRAFT ON TOP.PLEASE BE SURE DRAFTS ARE
DATED.
April 7
Revisiting Research Plan—Kinds of Sources and how to find them.
Reading Due: Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Writing Due: Write a clear, but informal response examining a
passage in which Krakauer uses an analytic strategy that you admire.
WEEK 11
April 12
April 14
Library Day
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Project Proposals
Discuss Model Essays
Reading Due: Model Essays
Writing Due: none
Receive Comments on Project Proposals
WEEK 12 – Workshop Week
April 19
Workshop
Reading Due: None
Writing Due: Essay 3, first version
April 21
WEEK 13
April 26
April 28
WEEK 14
May 3
May 5
Workshop
Introduce Essay 4
Discuss Presentations
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Essay 3, second version
Research Presentations
Reading Due: Review passages on writing from course readings
Writing Due: none
Research Presentations
Peer Review Essay 4
Receive Comments from Instructor on Essay 3
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Essay 4, first version
Research Presentations
Reading Due: none
Writing Due: Essay 4, final version—STAPLE OR CLIP DRAFTS TOGETHER,
WITH THE FINAL DRAFT ON TOP.PLEASE BE SURE DRAFTS ARE
DATED.
Essay 3, final version DUE TUESDAY MAY 10 by email; students will receive final
comments electronically