Journey Stories: People & Place in Motion

PUP 394/GCU 394

Arizona State University
Spring 2017 (icourse)

Every story is a travel storya spatial practice.

Michel de Certeau, The Practice of Everyday Life

Instructor
Kevin McHugh, Associate Professor
School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
Tempe Campus
office: Coor Hall- 5590
email: kmchugh@asu.edu

Teaching Assistant
Angela Sakrison, PhD Student
School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning
Tempe Campus
office: Coor Hallxxxx
email: angela.sakrison@asu.edu

Course Overview
This course springs from the assertion that journeys illuminate conundrums of self, place, and culture in
the modern world. Our entre into journeys is constructed around the trilogy movement, place and
identitysignature themes in cultural geography that resonate across the social sciences and humanities.
Movement across geographical and temporal scales is endemic in the modern world, and place is
continually being experienced, made, and remade through movement. Identities, multiple and
fragmented, are shaped, relayed and changed through stories we tell of ourselves and stories others tell
of us. Journeys are all about telling spatial stories that define and situate self and other, windows on the
shifting sands we call culture. We draw on novels, novellas, short stories, essays and film in exploring
journeys as illustrativeand sometimes transformativeof self, place and culture. Students have
opportunity to respond to artfully rendered journeys via critical, creative essays.

Journey Stories is organized in eight sections:

I Foundational Concepts: Place/Movement/Identity
II Encountering OtherEncountering Self
Heart of Darkness written by Joseph Conrad (novella)
III Objects/Things/Worlds
Everything is Illuminated directed by Liev Schreiber (film)
Reading a Drawer written by Susan Stewart (essay)
IV Telling Imaginaries
Invisible Cities written by Italo Calvino (experimental fiction)
V Spectral Geographies
The Devils Highway written by Alberto Urrea (nonfiction)
VI Movement/Memory/Landscape
The Road Past Altamont written by Gabrielle Roy (short story)
The Straight Story directed by David Lynch (film)
VII Swimming Suburbia
The Swimmer written by John Cheever (short story)
VIII Alien Phenomenology
Story of Your Life written by Ted Chiang (short story)
The Universe of Things written by Steven Shaviro (essay)

Evaluation
Students are expected to demonstrate understanding of ideas and concepts via reading comprehension,
critical thinking, and creative expression. Mastery will be assessed through 10 reading quizzes and
writing six short critical-creative essays. Evaluative components and percent contribution to the final
course grade are as follows:

Quizzes: 40 % (10 quizzes @ 4% each) on Blackboard

Critical-Creative Essays: 60% (6 essays @ 10% each) submitted to Blackboard

Students are required to keep up with the course schedule in terms of reading and completion of
assignments. Late submissions of essays will be subject to a five percentage point deduction per day
(half a letter grade). Quizzes based on course readings and films must be completed within the one-week
window specified. Failure to complete a quiz within the specified window will result in a score of zero.
There are no make-ups for quizzes.

The following scale will be used in determining the final course grade: A+ = 98.0% & above,
A = 97.9%-93.0%, A- = 92.9%-90.0%, B+ = 89.9%-88.0%, B = 87.9%-83.0%, B- = 82.9%-80.0%,
C+ = 79.9%-78.0%, C = 77.9%-70.0%, D = 69.9%-60.0%, E = 59.9% and below.

Reading & Films

Books:
We are reading three stories in book form. Please purchase these from a bookseller of your choosing
(Folletts at ASU, another retailer, or online such as Amazon.com). These three paperbacks are readily
available.

Joseph Conrad. 1988. Heart of Darkness (Third Edition edited by Robert Kimbrough). New York/
London: W.W. Norton & Company.

Note: The 3rd and 4th Norton Critical Editions includes ample background materials and
critical reflections on Conrads iconic novella. I recommend a Norton critical edition
if this is possible, but you may purchase and read any published edition of Heart of
Darkness. Page numbers for passages and quotations I cite will be for the 3rd
Norton Critical Edition.

Italo Calvino. 1974. Invisible Cities [English translation]. New York: Harcourt, Inc.

Luis Alberto Urrea. 2004. The Devils Highway. New York: Little, Brown and Company.
Short Stories and Essays:
We are reading three short stories and two essays that are provided free of charge in pdf format on our
class Blackboard site:

Gabrielle Roy, The Road Past Altamont (short story)

John Cheever, The Swimmer (short story)
Ted Chiang, Story of Your Life (short story)
Susan Stewart, Reading a Drawer (essay)
Steven Shaviro, The Universe of Things (essay)

Book chapters and journal articles:

We are reading some book chapters and journal articles as introduction to key concepts which frame our
cultural-geographical perspective in journey stories. It is imperative that we grasp key ideas relating to
movement, place, landscape, identify, and narrative in broaching journey stories. These readings are
provided in pdf format in Blackboard.

Films:
We are viewing two films:
Everything is Illuminated, directed by Liev Schreiber, 2005
The Straight Story, directed by David Lynch, 1999

Signposts
Posted in Blackboard each week are signposts that serve as guides in introducing and navigating ideas
germane to our readings, stories and films. My signposts serve as a text for the course. You must read
the signposts very carefully. I suggest reading them multiple times and keeping notes. (This will
enhance quiz scores and help you craft insightful essays.) The signposts are not intended as summaries
of the stories nor do they offer final, singular interpretations as this would be an insult to talented
authors and filmmakers and astute readers. All good stories are worthy of multiple readings and
interpretations. Signposts are intended as guides in providing ideas and questions that will help you
think about and frame interpretations and expressions of the stories. As you read the journey stories and
my signposts and view the films keep in mind the theme of the coursejourneys as illustrative of self,
place and culture in the modern world. Think of the theme (and supporting ideas and concepts from the
signposts) as a kind of refrain with variations such that each journey tells a unique story about
movement, place and identity in human and more-than-human worlds.

Quizzes (40%)
To enhance understanding of our readings and signposts we administer via Blackboard 10 short timed
quizzes during the semester. The quizzes consist of multiple choice questions geared toward assessing
reading comprehension. We pose questions about content with a special eye toward readings and
signposts driving our foray in journey stories. Each quiz will be available for completion in Blackboard
during a specified one-week period. Once started in Blackboard, students have 30 minutes to complete a
quiz. Failure to complete a quiz within the specified one-week window will result in a score of zero.
Critical-Creative Essays (60%)
Students craft six short critical-creative essays during the course of the semester. (There are seven essay
assignments; students must complete six of these writing adventures. Students have the option to write
all seven essays. In this case, we will use the six highest essay scores in determining the final course
grade.) Essays will be in response to prompts we provide. Submission will be via Blackboard using the
plagiarism software SafeAssign. We place a premium on excellence in critical thought and writing.
Writing facilitates learning and helps sharpen and crystallize fuzzy thinking. Like any art or craft,
writing takes practice. Practice in this course takes the form of writing essays 750-1,000 words in length
(not including references). Do not write summaries or reports. We are looking for depth of thought,
insight, and creativity in expression. Three elements stand out in meritorious critical-creative essays: (1)
focused, well-organized writing that works with ideas in advancing an argument in response to the
question at hand, (2) absolute clarity in expression, and (3) a lean, meaty writing style that makes every
word count (avoid verbosity and redundancy). Write in first-person, present tense, active voice, as this
enlivens essays. (Writing in third person and using convoluted verb forms tends to slow down and
deaden essays.) Feel free to include images in essays if they contribute to your critical-creative
message. Images should be embedded in the flow of the text. Title your essays. The title you choose
should reflect, or genuflect toward, the primary theme or argument of the essay.

Online Communication
It is imperative that you monitor and thoroughly read all Blackboard and email communication in the
course. We will be communicative through these channels. Any necessary changes to the syllabus and
course schedule will be made via Blackboard announcements that are sent through email as well. We
will respond to email inquiries [kmchugh@asu.edu; Angela.Sakrison@asu.edu] in a timely manner. Be
sure to include your name and clearly state your question in emails. In emailing us, it is always
courteous to include a heading or salutation (e.g. Hi, Hello) followed by our name (Angela, Kevin or
Prof./Dr. McHugh).

Disability Accommodations: Qualified students with disabilities who will require disability
accommodations in this class are encouraged to make their requests to us at the beginning of the
semester. Prior to receiving disability accommodations, verification of eligibility from the Disability
Resource Center (DRC) is required. Disability information is confidential. Students who feel they will
need disability accommodations in this class but have not registered with the Disability Resource Center
should contact DRC immediately. Their office is located on the first floor of the Matthews Center
Building. DRC staff can also be reached at: 480-965-1234 (V), 480-965-9000 (TTY). For additional
information, visit: www.asu.edu/studentaffairs/ed/drc. Their hours are 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday
through Friday.

Academic Integrity
The Office of the Provost requires the following statement in all ASU syllabi: Academic honesty is
expected of all students in all examinations, papers, laboratory work, academic transactions and
records. The possible sanctions include, but are not limited to, appropriate grade penalties, course
failure (indicated on the transcript as a grade of E), course failure due to academic dishonesty
(indicated on the transcript as a grade of XE), loss of registration privileges, disqualification and
dismissal. For more information, see http://provost.asu.edu/academicintegrity. In JS academic integrity
comes into play primarily through making sure you give attribution to sources used in crafting critical-
creative essays. Failure to give proper attribution and plagiarism are serious issues in higher education.
We encourage you to consult the Provosts website above. We will provide information about proper
handling of direct quotations and proper attribution and citing of sources in writing essays.
*******************************Semester Schedule***********************************

Below is an outline of our semester schedule. The schedule may be subject to change as necessary. You will see
that our Blackboard site is organized by week. We post all elements for that week: readings, signposts, quiz, and
essay prompt. Please note that every JS assignment (quiz, essay) is due by 5:00 pm on the specified Sunday. It is
extremely important to remain attuned to our weekly schedule in Blackboard; this will ensure keeping pace with
Journey Stories through the semester.

I. Foundational Concepts: Place/Movement/Identity

Week 1: Monday 1/9Sunday 1/15

Tim Cresswell, Place: A Short Introduction (Chapter 1)

Doreen Massey, The Elusiveness of Place

Quiz 1, Monday 1/9Sunday 1/15

Week 2: Monday 1/16 (MLK Holiday)Sunday 1/22

Tim Cresswell, The Metaphysics of Fixity and Flow

Tim Ingold, Rethinking the Animate, Re-Animating Thought

Quiz 2, Monday 1/16Sunday 1/22

II. Encountering OtherEncountering Self

Week 3: Monday 1/23Sunday 1/29

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Week 4: Monday 1/30Sunday 2/5

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Quiz 3, Monday 1/30Sunday 2/5

Essay 1by Sunday 2/5

III. Objects/Things/Worlds

Week 5: Monday 2/6Sunday 2/12

Jason Safran Foer and Liev Schreiber, Everything is Illuminated (film)

Quiz 4, Monday 2/6Sunday 2/12

Week 6: Monday 2/13Sunday 2/19

Susan Stewart, Reading a Drawer

Quiz 5, Monday 2/13Sunday 2/19

Essay 2by Sunday 2/19

IV. Telling Imaginaries

Week 7: Monday 2/20Sunday 2/26

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Week 8: Monday 2/27Sunday 3/5

Italo Calvino, Invisible Cities

Quiz 6, Monday 2/27Sunday 3/5

Essay 3by Sunday 3/5

Week 9: Monday, 3/6Sunday 3/12 Spring Recess

V. Spectral Geographies

Week 10: Monday 3/13Sunday 3/19

Alberto Urrea, The Devils Highway

Week 11: Monday 3/20Sunday 3/26

Alberto Urrea, The Devils Highway

Quiz 7, Monday 3/20Sunday 3/26

Essay 4by Sunday 3/26

VI. Movement/Memory/Landscape

Week 12: Monday 3/27Sunday 4/2

Gabrielle Roy, The Road Past Altamont

Week 13: Monday 4/3Sunday 4/9 American Association of Geographers (AAG)

Annual Meeting, Boston
David Lynch, The Straight Story (film)

Quiz 8, Monday 4/3Sunday 4/9

Essay 5by Sunday 4/9

VII. Swimming Suburbia

Week 14: Monday 4/10Sunday 4/16

John Cheever, The Swimmer

Quiz 9, Monday 4/10Sunday 4/16

Essay 6by Sunday 4/16

VIII. Alien Phenomenology

Week 15: Monday 4/17Sunday 4/23

Ted Chiang, Story of Your Life

Week 16: Monday 4/24Sunday 4/30

Steven Shaviro, The Universe of Things

Quiz 10, Monday 4/24Sunday 4/30

Essay 7by Sunday 4/30