English 111: The Literature of Travel
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Instructor:
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T Th 8:30 – 10:20 MEB 103
Christopher Patterson
Art 353
patter@u.washington.edu
http://depts.washington.edu/engl/ewp/
Course Description:
Our focus in this course will be on literary travel writing, ranging from the exploration travels of Herodotus and
Marco Polo, to the imperial travels of the British and American empire, to the value of travel experiences as
cultural capital and forms of power, to travel tourism and other contemporary forms of travel. If Mark Twain's
adage is correct, that "travel is fatal to prejudice, bigotry, and narrow-mindedness," or Gustav Flaubert's similar
position on travel, that “traveling makes one modest. You see what a tiny place you occupy in the world,” then
travel can be seen as a type of virtue, an expansion of the mind. But as we will see, this desire to know the
unknown and to bear witness to the locals can have unseen consequences, such as the propagation of
stereotypes and excoticisms, and taking on a patronizing and paternal stance on the locals rather than seeing
them as agents of their own design. To put it differently, if knowledge is power, then the traveler cannot obtain
knowledge about the other without also effecting regimes of power, control and influence.
To better structure our inquiry into travel, we will focus on five main research questions throughout the course:
1) How do we define travel, and what types of travel can we identify?
2) What are the various motivations for travel, and how does travel satisfy its participants?
3) How does travel affect the traveler and the homeland
upon his return?
4) What effects does travel have on the foreign lands, how is the traveler made to see the locals of that
foreign land, and how does this change historically and culturally?
5) Finally, we will end on an ethical question: What makes a good traveler?
Because this course fulfills a core writing credit, our research questions will be pursued in the form of academic
essays, in two sequences, each sequence containing three short papers (2-3 pages) and one major paper (5-6
pages), in MLA style. We will use the readings in the book Situating Inquiry and Elements of Style to learn how
to form arguments and to utilize investigative skills for a major college essay. The course will be broken up in
order to move at a challenging but manageable pace. The reading for the course will be substantial, and you will
be expected to keep up with the syllabus and to be in class every meeting prepared to discuss the issues raised
by the required reading.
Required Materials:
1) Situating Inquiry Brief Edition
2) The Elements of Style – Shrunk and White, Fourth Edition
4) Course Packet
5) Internet access and UW email account*
6) A folder or binder to collect your materials from class and a notebook for class writing.
Grading:
30% Participation
70% Portfolio
-Syllabus and Course Calendar are subject to revision.
Participation:
15% In-Class Activities / Conduct. Throughout the quarter we will have in-class writing, group
work, peer-review and class discussions. Your thoughtful participation in these activities will
count positively toward your participation grade. Raising your hand and speaking will help, not
paying attention in class or not speaking during a class discussion will reduce your participation
grade. I ask that we create a community of readers and writers who respect and learn from one
another.
5% Timeliness of Written Assignments. If you are unable to turn in your papers on time I will
provide no feedback for your paper, and you will be expected to go to a writing center for
feedback.
5% Conferences – You will be expected to come to two conferences fully prepared with
questions.
5% Group Presentations – After the first major paper is completed, you will be assigned to a
group of no more than four people on a subject concerning contemporary travel, and will be
trusted to conduct group meetings and organizational practices. The presentations will be due in
the last two weeks of the course, will take at least twenty minutes per group, and be in an
academically encouraging format. You will be graded on your subject knowledge, your
interaction with the class and your organization.
Extra Credit:
Extra credit will be given for one visit to The English Writing Center, CLUE, or the Odegaard
Writing and Research Center (OWRC). The English Writing Center is a free peer tutoring service
offered by the English Department specifically to help students with writing assignments. Students
visiting the writing center can expect to conference with a writing assistant (one-on-one) for up to an
hour at a time—but you must make an appointment, which you can do online at the websites below.
http://depts.washington.edu/wcenter/
http://depts.washington.edu/clue/
http://www.depts.washington.edu/owrc
Portfolio
The portfolio will include the following: one of the two major papers, four to six of the shorter
assignments, and a critical reflection that explains how the selected portfolio demonstrates the four
outcomes for the course. In addition to the materials you select as the basis for your portfolio grade,
your portfolio must include all of the sequence-related writing you were assigned in the course (both
major papers and all the shorter assignments from both sequences). A portfolio that does not include
all the above will be considered "Incomplete" and will earn a grade of 0.0-0.9. The grade for complete
portfolios will be based on the extent to which the pieces you select demonstrate the course outcomes.
The portfolio will be worth 70% of your final grade, and will not be graded on a curve.
ePortfolio Template:http://portfolio.washington.edu/optin.cgi?owner=ewprog&id=5674
-Syllabus and Course Calendar are subject to revision.
Evaluation Rubric
 Outstanding: Offers a very highly proficient, even memorable demonstration of the trait(s)
associated with the course outcome(s), including some appropriate risk-taking and/or creativity.
 Strong: Offers a proficient demonstration of the trait(s) associated with the course outcome(s),
which could be further enhanced with revision.
 Good: Effectively demonstrates the trait(s) associate with the course outcome(s), but less
proficiently; could use revision to demonstrate more skillful and nuanced command of trait(s).
 Acceptable: Minimally meets the basic outcome(s) requirement, but the demonstrated trait(s)
are not fully realized or well-controlled and would benefit from significant revision.
 Inadequate: Does not meet the outcome(s) requirement; the trait(s) are not adequately
demonstrated and require substantial revision on multiple levels.
Respect:
Because the exchange of ideas is so important to this class, it is necessary for everyone to be respectful
of one another. It is normal and even expected that, in our class discussions, we will disagree.
Differences can and should be discussed, but these discussions should maintain the academic spirit of
respect—just as a good essay takes into account possible counterarguments, we, too, should remember
that our positions are not sacrosanct. Derogatory or discourteous language/behavior will not be
tolerated in our classroom.
Plagiarism:
Plagiarism, or academic dishonesty, is presenting someone else's ideas or writing as your own. In your
writing for this class, you are encouraged to refer to other people's thoughts and writing -- as long as
you cite them. As a matter of policy, any student found to have plagiarized any piece of writing in this
class will be immediately reported to the College of Arts and Sciences for review.
Accommodations:
Please let me know if you need accommodation of any sort. I can work with the UW Disability Service
Office (DSO) to provide what you require. More information may be found at their web site:
www.washington.edu/admin/dso
Complaints:
If you have any concerns about the course or your instructor, please see the instructor about these
concerns as soon as possible. If you are not comfortable talking with the instructor or not satisfied with
the response that you receive, you may contact the following Expository Writing staff in Padelford A11:
 Anis Bawarshi, Director: (206) 543-2190 or bawarshi@u.washington.edu
 Raj Chetty, Asst. Director: (206) 543-9126 or rchetty@u.washington.edu
 Allison Gross, Asst. Director: (206) 543-9126 or agross29@u.washington.edu
 Megan Kelly, Asst. Director: (206) 543-6998 or kellymeg@u.washington.edu
If, after speaking with the Director of Expository Writing or one of the Assistant Directors, you are
still not satisfied with the response you receive, you may contact Gary Handwerk, English Department
Chair, in Padelford A-101, at (206) 543-2690.
-Syllabus and Course Calendar are subject to revision.
English 111 C Course Calendar
Week 1 -Introduction
Assignments Due
Syllabus
Whitman's "Song of the Open Road"
Monday, March 29, 2010
1.2
Wednesday, March 31, 2010
Week 2 – Rhetoric and
Empire
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Short Paper 1.1
(Friday)
CP: Urry's "Travels of Delight" and Travel
Poems
Situating Inquiry: Introduction, Chapter 1
Assignments Due
Reading Due
CP: Columbus, Polo, Lady Montagu
Situated Inquiry: Chapter 2
Monday, April 5, 2010
2.2
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Week 3 – Appealing to
Progress
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Short Paper 1.2
(Friday)
CP: Mary Louise Pratt's Imperial Eyes
and Orwell's "Shooting an Elephant"
Assignments Due
Reading Due
CP: Twain’s “Following the Equator”
Rii’s “How the Other Half Lives”
Situating Inquiry: Chapter 3
Monday, April 12, 2010
3.2
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Week 4 –
Arguments/Claims
Assignments Due
Short Paper 1.3
(Friday)
Assignments Due
Wednesday, April 21, 2010
Week 5 – Close Reading
Reading Due
CONFERENCES (NO CLASS)
Assignments Due
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Week 7 – Context and
Performance
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Short Paper 2.1 (Fri)
CP: Baudrillard's "America"
And Barthes’ “Empire of Signs”
Assignments Due
Week 8 – Post-Tourism
Reading Due
Urry’s “Tourism and the Photographic Eye”
Watch: Travel Channel
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Short Paper 2.2 (Fri)
Getting the Picture
Lonely Planet Guides
Situating Inquiry: Chapters 5 and 6
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Shaffer’s “Performing Backpacking”
Situating Inquiry Chapter 7
Monday, May 10, 2010
7.2
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Reading Due
CP: Baudrillard’s “Simulations”
SI: Chapter 10
Monday, May 3, 2010
6.2
Reading Due
Major Paper 1 (Fri)
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Week 6 – Visual Analysis
CP: “Parables of Progress"
Situating Inquiry: Chapter 4
Assignments Due
Monday, April 26, 2010
5.2
Reading Due
They Say/ I Say excerpts
Situating Inquiry: Chapter 8 and 9
Monday, April 19, 2010
4.2
Reading Due
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Short Paper 2.3 (Fri)
Coursepack: Hartmann’s “Lose Your Mother”
Assignments Due
Reading Due
-Syllabus and Course Calendar are subject to revision.
Coursepack: "Interpreter of Maladies" and
“Sightseeing”
Christiansen Article
Monday, May 17, 2010
8.2
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Portfolio Handout
"McDisneyization, Post-tourism"
Virginia Tufte Chapter
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Major Paper 2 (Fri)
CONFERENCES
9.2
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Presentations 1-2
Cover Letter
Elements of Style, Sections 1 and 2
Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Elements of Style, Sections 3 and 4
Monday, May 31, 2010
Presentations 2-3
Critical Reflection
10.2
Assignments Due
Reading Due
Presentation 5
Final Reflection
Elements of Style, Section 5
9.1
Monday, May 24, 2010
10.1
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Portfolios Due at 11:59pm, June 11th
-Syllabus and Course Calendar are subject to revision.