WISE: Travel and Education

Catalog description

What does it take for a young person to develop into a well-rounded member of a society? Two common answers are education and travel - and they are often combined into one, whether in the rite of 'going away to college,' the promotion of study abroad programs, or the advertising of tourism as a means to self-fulfillment. Education is understood as a journey; travel is framed as educational. In this course we'll explore the history and the implications - at once social and literary - of this travel-education equation, from the rise of the 'Grand Tour' in 17th- and 18th-century Europe to globetrotting travel blogs of the present. Drawing in diverse perspectives and authors, from Laurence Sterne and Charlotte Brontë to Tayeb Salih, we'll explore the historical relationship between two genres: travel writing and the novel of education (Bildungsroman). We will also pay special attention to how (post)colonialism, gender, race, and class both shape and haunt the travel-education paradigm for travelers, students, writers, and readers. The goal of the course is not only to learn about this literary and cultural history, along with building the writing skills to discuss it; it is also to gain perspective on our own historical positions within educational systems. (Note: This Writing-Intensive Seminar in English (WISE) course fulfills WIM for English majors. Non-majors are welcome, space permitting. For enrollment permission contact [email protected].)