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Course Materials: Outdoor Literature. Outdoor Leadership. Methods Avalanche Safety.. Map & Compass. A Guide to Outdoor Literature . (Extensive Outdoor Book Reviews, Award Winners, Lots of Reading Lists, Best Book Lists, and More) Creative Work: Books: Idaho Paddling. Winter Tales. Never Turn Back. Ski Camping. Others. Outdoor Resources (Informational Articles, Equipment Lists, etc.) Stories & Articles Index Page (Outdoor adventure stories, profiles of old-timers, and reflections of days spent in the outdoors.) Contact |
| . Outdoor Literature (PE 4440) Ron Watters, Professor of Outdoor Education Sports Science and Physical Education PE 4440 - 2 Credits - Fall Semester Only Brief Description: This is a course on outdoor literature. Outdoor literature, of course, is a broad topic and includes several different genres including writings in outdoor adventure, nature, the environment, and adventure travel writing. To keep things manageable, the emphasis of this course is on outdoor adventure writing: exploration, survival, sailing, mountaineering, whitewater boating, kayaking, etc. But outdoor adventure writing can't be totally divorced from other related genres. There are a number of key works which--although not technically outdoor adventure--have had a profound influence in all outdoor writing. One prime example is Thoreau's Walden. In addition to covering important works which had an influence on outdoor adventure writing, it is also the purpose of this course to provide some sense of history. Outdoor adventure activities such as mountaineering and river running have a rich history populated with fascinating men and women, and filled with triumphs and failures, and real-life mysteries. Thus this class encompasses outdoor adventure, its history and the writings which influence outdoor adventure. To provide variety, readings will be selected from a range of different outdoor activities. Some of those activities include survival, mountaineering, horseback riding, river running, arctic exploration, sailing, canoeing, kayaking, desert hiking, and backpacking. General Course Information: .Class Syllabus .Primary Author List Don't Yet Have the Text: Anthology of the Outdoor Experience? . You will need two texts for the class: Into Thin Air and the Anthology of the Outdoor Experience. If it's early in the class and you do not yet have the Anthology, or if the bookstore temporarily runs out, I have the first chapters of the Anthology available on-line. This will allow you to keep up with the class even if you are lacking the text at the beginning of the class. Here are the chapters: .Henry David Thoreau - Walden .Mark Twain - Roughing It .Edward Wymper - Scrambles Amongst the Alps .John Welsey Powell: Second Reading on Powell (Note: For the first reading on Powell, obtain a photocopy from a classmate or the instructor.) Background Readings & Lecture Notes: .Background # 1 (Generations, Wilderness & Religion) .Background # 2 (Osborne Russell and Wilderness Art) .Thoreau Lecture Notes (First Reading from Anthology) .Twain Lecture Notes (Second Reading from Anthology) .Wymper Lecture Notes (Third Reading from Anthology) .Powell Lecture Notes (4th & 5th Readings from Anthology) .Bird and Muir Lecture Notes (6th & 7th Readings from Anthology) Maps .Mary Kingsley's Travels in Africa Wilderness Art: .Summary Scans of Wilderness Art Studied in the Class .(For detailed information on each of the paintings and the painters, see Background # 2) Hand-outs on the Generations: .Generations in American History (List, Definitions, Characteristics) .Outdoor Generation Profiles in Outdoor Literature & History .Generational Types .Social Movements .Dominant and Recessive Outdoor Generations .Comprehensive Paper on the Generational Analysis & Outdoor Adventure Schedule: .Course Schedule (Includes Reading Assignments) Classroom Readings Not Included in the Anthology .To Build a Fire by Jack London .The Cremation of Sam McGee by Robert Service . .(Note: the Osborne Russell readings are found in Background # 1 readings and notes) Study Guides: .Practice Quiz - Helpful to get a feel for quizzes given each class period .Study Guide for Mid-course Test .Study Guide for Final Test Other
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