Schedule LS2-210: Travel Writers & Travel Liars in Latin America

Theory 1

Week 1: Travel Writing the Genre: Early Modern & Colonial Travelers
January 23: Introduction to Course
What do travelers write about? How can we think of "travel writing" as a historical genre? A literary genre? A cartographic genre? An illustrated genre? How can we organize the content of travel writing and images to compare/contrast over time & place? What kind of categories interest writers (Politics? Society? Women? Religion? Food? Etc.)
January 25: Western Travel Writing: A familiar refrain
Reading: (1592) A Direction for Travelers, Justus Lipsius
Reading: (1884) How to Choose a Travelling Companion

 

The Colonial Traveller

Week 2: The Conqueror: Spaniard & Indian
January 28: Spaniards in the New World I.
Reading: (1493) The Log of Christopher Columbus, handout
January 30: Spaniards in the New World II: Discussion
Reading:
(1519- ) Hernan Cortés, Letters from México, First Letter
Reading: (1556) Anonymous Conqueror, a Companion of Hernán Cortes, Narrative of Some Things of New Spain, skim entire
Reading: (1575) Bernal Díaz del Castillo, Conquest of New Spain, pp. 7-42.
February 1: Computer Lab: Introduction to the World Wide Web: What it is, how to use it; how to evaluate its content

Website: Christopher Columbus, Journey
Website: Columbus' First Voyage: Map
Website: Sources of 16th c. Explorers in the Yucatán (The Athena Review)
Website: Conquistadors (PBS)
Website: The West (PBS)


Week 3: Outsider & Outlaw: The English Friar & The Pirate: Two European Cultures
February 4: English views of Spanish Society: the Black Legend begins
Reading: (1648) Thomas Gage, and John Eric Sidney Thompson, Sir. Thomas Gage's Travels in the new world, pp. 1-101
February 6: English Views of Spanish Society: Discussion/ Initial Discussion of Website Organization
Reading: (1684) John Esquemeling, The Buccaneers of America: A true Account of the most remarkable assaults…upon the coast of the West Indies, pp.14-38, 289-332.
February 8: Computer Lab: Introduction to Web Design using Dreamweaver program (Webpage Setup, Intro to Links & Tables)
Website: Brief Description of Potosi, 1658

Week 4: The Insider: Bureaucratic Supervision
February 11: Investigators of the Crown/Developing a Bibliography
Reading: (1749) Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, Discourse and political reflections on the kingdoms of Peru, Prologue, Chapter 1.
February 13: Internal Travelers: Discussion
Reading: (1749) Jorge Juan and Antonio de Ulloa, Discourse and political reflections on the kingdoms of Peru, Chapters 7-9.
February 15: Computer Lab: Designing the Travelers of Latin America Webpage I: Selecting Topics, Work on Links
* Due for Lab: Bring in 2 websites you've found with content or design that might be useful for this project; Be prepared to discuss how website is organized & why that's useful/not.
Website:: Antonio de Ulloa--Index, Bibliography (Spanish, German)
Website: Antonio de Ulloa-Noticias Americanas (in Spanish)
Website: Antonio de Ulloa-Timeline of his life, by site interested in his work as Spanish governor of Louisiana

Website: Jorge Juan Foundation (some info avaiable in English; all available in Spanish)
Additional Background:
José L. Terron Ponce: Los Marinos-astrónomos españoles del siglo XVIII (1999)

Theory 2

Week 5: Travel Writing the Genre: In the Eras of Enlightenment & Imperialism
February 18: Travelers & Modernity
Reading: Start, Mary Louise Pratt, Imperial Eyes:Travel Writing and Transculturation

February 20: DISCUSSION: Imperial Eyes
Reading:
*Finish Pratt, Imperial Eyes
* Edward Said,"Through Gringo Eyes: With Conrad in Latin America," Harper's, 276 (1988):70-72.

February 22: Computer Lab: Designing the Travelers of Latin America Webpage II: Creating Sections (Work on Tables)
* Due for Lab: Bring in webpage on one of the works discussed in class (1 page)(to include links, tables)

 

Independence & Beyond

Week 6: The Diplomat & Adventurer: Early 19th c., Mid 19th c
February 25: The Illustrating Traveler
Reading: EXCERPTS (1846) Stephens, J.L. & Catherwood, F. Incidents of travel in Central America, Chiapas and Yucatan
February 27: The Adventuer (Discussion)
Reading: EXCERPTS (1846) Col. J. Anthony King, Twenty Four Years in the Argentine Republic
March 1 : Computer Lab: Web-Page Graphics: Scanning, Saving, Inserting, & Creating
* Due in class: identify at least 2-3 websites with images you would like to incorporate
Website:Roger S. Baldwin Jr., "Gold Hunters of California: Tarrying in Nicaragua (1849)," The Century, 42:6 (October 1891): 911-932 .
Website:"The Antiquities of Central America," in The United States Democratic review, 9:38 (August 1841): 162-177.
Website:George Squier, "Adventures & Observations in Nicaragua," The International magazine of literature, art, and science. 3:4 (July 1851): 437-441.
Website: John Lloyd Stephens
Website: on JLS & Catherwood (illustrator) & the travel account
Website: Catherwood's Engravings of the Ruins; Frederick Catherwood Centenary
Website: A photographic reenactment of the Stephens/Catherwood Expeditions

Website: Catherwood image of a temple, with photo of the temple today

 

Week 7: The Sailor & The Scientist
March 4: Transportation & Codification 300 years after conquest
Reading: William Lewis Herndon, Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon, 1851-1852
March 6: Transportation & Codification: Discussion
Reading: William Lewis Herndon, Exploration of the Valley of the Amazon, 1851-1852; MIDTERM ESSAY DISTRIBUTED
March 8: Computer Lab: Web Design II Posting Webpages using Dreamweaver program
* Due for Lab: Initial Bibliography for your section (primary & secondary sources)

Week 8: SPRING BREAK

Week 9: Imperial Designs: The Missionary & The Filibuster
March 18: New Gospels: Protestantism & Free Labor
Reading: (1850) Frederick Crowe, The Gospel in Central America; A History of the Baptist Mission in British Honduras and of the Introduction of the Bible into the Spanish American republic of Guatemala. Part 3: The Bible in Guatemala etc.
March 20: Discussion: Crowe & Walker
Reading: (1860) General William Walker, The War in Nicaragua
Reading: "Filibustering," Putnam's monthly magazine of American literature, science and art. 9:52 (April 1857), pp 425-436.
March 22: Computer Lab: Introductory Pages * Due for Lab: Bring in Text & suggested images for intro. pages for each section
Website: Filibusters in New Spanish Texas
Website: William Walker (encyclopedia entry); William Walker (bio w/ photo)
Website: Filibustering with William Walker, by Fanny Juda
Website: William Walker-a site with some of his proclamations
Poem: With Walker in Nicaragua, E. Cardenal (20th c. Nicaraguan poet)

Week 10: Imperial Travel: Business

March 25: Business & Travel
Reading: The Travel Diary of Joseph J. Dimock

March 27: Discussion: Travel Diary of …Dimock Impressions of Cuba in the 19th Century
Reading: The Travel Diary of Joseph J. Dimock
Reading: Gold Rush Transit (http://homepages.rootsweb.com/~helman/ahdiary.htm) or guy from Newberry
March 29: Computer Lab: Layers: Multi-layered images on a Webpage
* Due in class: content for 1 webpage (text, images, video)
Website:Alfred Balch,"Trade with South America,"The Century 40:2 (June 1890):316-18

The Private Traveler

Week 11: The Private Traveler: The Female Eye
April 1: A Gendered View: Women Travelers
Reading:June E. Hahner, ed., Women through Women's Eyes: Latin American Women in Nineteenth-Century Travel Accounts

April 3: Discussion: Women Through Women's Eyes
Reading:June E. Hahner, ed., Women through Women's Eye

April 5: Computer Lab: Putting together the Webpage
* Due in Class: content for 2 pages of the website (text, images, sound
)
Website:Women Who Went (A. Copeland, '02)


Week 12: The Private Traveler: The Journalist
April 8: Reporting on Foreign Politics
Reading:John Reed, Insurgent Mexico (New York, 1972)
April 10: Discussion: Insurgent Mexico
Reading:John Reed, Insurgent Mexico (New York, 1972)
Reading:Individual readings, found on Making of America website
April 12 : Computer Lab: Putting together the webpage * Bring in additional materials for each site.

Website: John Reed, John Reed Internet Archive


Week 13: The Entertainer & Pleasure Seeker: Literary Man
April 15: Literary Travelers: The Tourist?
April 17: Discussion: Trollope & Muybridge
Reading: EXCERPTS: (1860) Trollope, Anthony. The West Indies and the Spanish Main.
Eadweard Muybridge (photos; (1916-1917)
April 19: Computer Lab: Putting together the webpage * Due in class: All pages for the site should be up
Website:Anthony Trollope Website; a second Anthony Trollope Website; a third Anthony Trollope Website, with bibliogs; a links site
Website:On-Line Books by Anthony Trollope, including 2-vol account of North America; an alternate site
Website: Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the 20th c. --numerous brochures from the early 20th c. of speakers, filmmakers & other entertainers with "travel" as a theme of their presentations


Week 14: The Project Completed
April 22: Computer Lab: Putting together the Website (Fine-tuning of site links), Peer Evaluation Discussion
April 24: Computer Lab: Final touches to the Website (Presentations)
April 26: Is there such a thing as Contemporary Travelers or only Tourists?
Reading:TBA
Week 15:

April 29: Discussion & Conclusions

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