Survey of Outdoor Education Literature  (PE 440 )

Ron Watters, Professor Emeritus of Outdoor Education

Outdoor Literature - Schedule

Outdoor Literature:  Approximate Schedule for 2009

1. Tue.  Oct13.  Introduction to Course.  Outdoor History.  Generations. Wilderness Concepts.  No reading assignment.

2. Thur.  Oct 15.  Reading from Osborne Russell's Journal of a Trapper.  Landscape painting concepts.  Paintings by Thomas Cole, Albert Bierstadt, Thomas Moran.  Photographs by  William Henry Jackson.  Reading assignment: Read Thoreau's Walden, first chapter in the Anthology (pp 3-20).

3. Tue.  Oct 20.  Discuss Thoreau:  the concepts transcendentalism, his experiences at Walden Pond, metaphors and symbols found in his writing, and famous Thoreau passages.  Reading assignment: Mark Twain, second chapter in the Anthology (pp. 21-29).

4. Thur.  Oct 22.  Discuss Twain.  Assignment: Edward Whymper, third chapter in the Anthology (pp. 30-46).

5. Tue.  Oct 27.  Discuss the Whymper reading.  Information on early mountaineering.  Watch the first Half of a video on John Wesley Powell.  Assignment:  Wallace Stegner AND John Wesley Powell in the Anthology (pp. 47-71).

6  Thur.  Oct 29.  Powell discussion.  Second half of Powell video.  Assignment: Isabella Bird AND John Muir in the Anthology (pp. 72-88).

7. Tue.  Nov 3.  Isabella Bird discussion.  John Muir discussion.   No assignment.

8. Thur.  Nov 5.  Mid Term Test.   Assignment: Mary Kingsley in the Anthology (pp. 89-107)

9. Tue.  Nov 10.  Discuss Mary Kingsley.  Discuss Jack London.  Read: To Build a Fire. Discuss Robert Service.  Read: The Cremation of Sam McGee.  Assignment  Robert Scott in the Anthology (pp. 108-118)

10. Thur.  Nov 12.  Lecture on the history of Arctic Exploration.  Scott Discussion.  Assignment:  Ernest Shackleton in the Anthology (pp. 119-133)

11. Tue.  Nov 17.  Shackleton discussion.  Video on Shackleton.  Assignment: Start Reading Into Thin Air.

12. Thur.  Nov 19.  Everest History.  Mallory discussion.  Mallory Movie.  Assignment:  Into Thin Air

November 24-26 Thanksgiving:  No Classes

13. Tue.  Dec.  1.   Into Thin Air Discussion.  Assignment: Aldo Leopold AND Sigurd Olson in the Anthology (pp. 134-144)

14. Thur.  Dec 3.  Conservation history lecture.  Olson & Leopold Discussion.  Assignment:  Edward Abbey AND Colin Fletcher in the Anthology (pp. 145 - 156)

15. Tue.  Dec 8.  Abbey and Fletcher Discussion.  Abbey Film.  Assignment:  Blackadar in the Anthology (pp157-169).

16. Thur.  Dec 10.  Blackadar Discussion.  Blackadar Film.  Contemporary Writers.  Best Reading Lists.

December 14-18:  Finals





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