Jungle and Desert Adventures
RL&L 125
Fall 2021 not offered
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This course analyzes the constellation of images and sensations conjured up by the terms "jungle" and "desert" that are opposite but equally extreme. We will explore European adventure tales and travelogues, contemporary non-Western novels, children's books, and films in a quest to understand the imaginative power of these landscapes. Through our readings of such a wide range of texts, we will ask questions such as, What do these landscapes signify? How do descriptions of landscape convey a sense of individual and collective identity? What psychological terrain is explored when writing about extreme landscapes? And finally, how do we each see ourselves in relation to landscape? What is our own version of an "extreme" landscape? |
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| Credit: 1 |
Gen Ed Area Dept:
HA RLAN |
| Course Format: Seminar | Grading Mode: Credit/Unsatisfactory |
| Level: UGRD |
Prerequisites: None |
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Fulfills a Requirement for: (AFST-MN) |
Major Readings:
Joseph Conrad, HEART OF DARKNESS
Arthur Conan Doyle, THE LOST WORLD
Pierre Loti, LE DESERT/THE DESERT
Ibrahim al-Koni, NAZIF AL-HAJAR/THE BLEEDING OF THE STONE
Luis Sepulveda, EL VIEJO QUE LEIA CUENTOS DE AMOR/THE OLD MAN WHO READ LOVE STORIES
Critical articles as well, from a range of disciplines.
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Examinations and Assignments:
Writing assignments, all with first and final drafts:
1 Three-page close reading/analysis of a passage
1 Five- to six-page comparative paper, in which students put works of literature and criticism in conversation with each other
1 Nine- to ten-page research paper, with multiple assignments along the way (research plan, annotated bibliography, outline, introductory paragraph, etc.)
1 Three-page OpEd or policy paper |
Additional Requirements and/or Comments:
This class will be graded on a pass/no pass basis and students must achieve a minimum cumulative grade of C+ (78.5) in order to pass the course. Students will receive letter grades on all assignments and, while invited to office hours at any time, will also be required to meet with the instructor once around mid-term to discuss progress in the course. In lieu of a final grade, students will receive written comments available also to her/his advisor; the instructor hopes the comments will serve as the basis for a conversation about intellectual growth and curiosity, objectives, and skills and their assessment. |
| Drop/Add Enrollment Requests | | | | | |
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