Phil Druker/Department of English/ University of Idaho

 

TRAVEL WRITING
English 404/504
Spring 2009 

COURSE GUIDELINES:

COURSE TEXTS:

bulletBest American Travel Writing 2006, Tim Cahill and Jason Wilson (Houghten Mifflen, 2006)
bulletTravel Writing, Don George and Charlotte Hindle. (Lonely Planet, 2005)

We'll also read other selected articles posted on the course Web site (Click on Articles).
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COURSE GOALS:

Travel Writing will give you a chance to read current travel writing, learn the craft of travel writing, and write about your own travels, whether near or far, exotic or basic.  The course will focus on using techniques of creative non-fiction to write essays/articles about travel. Through the course you will develop your writing voice, gain expertise in topics of your choice, and develop skills as a writer and reader. Each student will produce four reasonably sophisticated creative non-fiction travel articles and a professional query for each of those articles as a product for the course.

 

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS  (total =1050)

  1. Short descriptive article for a guide book: 70 pts
  2. Short service for a magazine or newspaper (700-1000 words): 100 pts
  3. Short feature-length article (1500 words): 250 pts
  4. Short feature-length article (1500 words): 350 pts
  5. Short query letter/email proposing the topic of each article: 50 pts each
  6. Submitting rough drafts for workshops: 20 pts each

 

NOTE: To receive a grade of B or better, you need to turn in all the written assignments.

Final grade: A = 920-1050, B = 660-919, C = 520-659, D = 519-250. (Also see the attendance policy, next page).

CRITERIA FOR EVALUATING WRITTEN WORK:

Each assignment will have specific criteria that apply to creative non-fiction along with the following criteria for evaluating your work: (1) content, (2) organization, and (3) sentence style. The article’s content meets the reader's and writer's purposes efficiently and effectively by providing useful, understandable, and well thought-out information that is accurate and complete. The article’s organization helps the reader understand the content and emphasizes main points.  Sentence style is clear, concise, and correct. 

GENERAL GUIDELINES

A. All papers and drafts for the workshops must be turned in on the scheduled date.  Papers turned in late will not receive full credit unless you submit at least 24 hours in advance of the due date a short memo or email explaining the situation and stating when you plan to submit the article.  That memo, with the instructor's written endorsement, must be attached to the writing assignment when you submit it. The final assignment will not receive full credit if it is late.

B. Revision is an important part of producing good writing and an important part of this course. You will get credit for having rough drafts on the assigned workshop dates. I am glad to look at drafts during office hours. Also, you may submit rough drafts to me by email:  if you do this, you must 1) send an attachment in Word, and 2) ask one or two specific questions about the draft. I will respond as time permits. (Note: you need to do this before the final draft is due and consider that I don’t look at email in the evenings.)  With rough drafts, I will serve as a coach (rather than a judge/grader).

C. Assignments must be typed and double spaced (unless specified otherwise).  Be sure to leave sufficient margins (1 inch) on each side of the page. Your name, English 317, section number and date should appear on the cover page or in the upper left- or right-hand corner of the first page. Use page numbers.

D. When you turn in an assignment, please place it in a folder that has your name, course number, and section number on it.

E. Save all your class work so you can turn it in at the end of the semester. This will ensure that your instructor has entered all your grades correctly, and it will enable him to evaluate the progress you made during the semester.

F. All papers must be written solely by the person submitting the paper and sources must be cited correctly and thoroughly.  Papers must be written during this semester. Papers should not have been previously submitted to or edited by other instructors or advisors. Submitting plagiarized work will cause you to receive an F for the course (not just the assignment).

G.You need to regularly look at your university email (the address you have given to the Registrar’s Office) to check on notes about the course.

H. The grade of incomplete will be given only following university guidelines.

I.  This is a workshop course; therefore:

     1. Attendance is required.  More than four absences will adversely affect your grade. Five absences = reduced grade.  Eight absences = no more than a final grade of C; ten or more absences = F. Please come to class and arrive on time.

     2. Class participation constitutes part of your grade.

     3. Read the material as assigned.

     4. Come to class prepared to write.

     5. Bring rough drafts to class when they are due.  You will receive credit for having the rough drafts on the assigned dates.

 

OFFICE HOURS:

Tuesday and Thursday: 3:30-5:00. Wednesday 10:00-12:00, and at other times by appointment.    Please feel free to see me at any time to discuss any problems you may be in encountering the course.

English 504 (English Department Graduate Students):

The assignments and requirements listed for English 404 apply.  To receive graduate course credit, you will 1) lead workshops and 2) present one class lecture (prepare for this by submitting and discussing with me a detailed lesson plan for the 1 hour-15 minute set of activities).  Written work should approach publishable quality.