Outdoor Literature Course

.
Outdoor Literature (HPSS 4440)
Ron Watters, Professor of Outdoor Education - Sports Science and Physical Education

HPSS 4440 - 3 Credits - Fall Semester Only - Idaho State University

Description of Course: 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.

Class Syllabus

c
Class Syllabus

Schedule

c
Course Schedule (Includes Reading Assignments)

Lecture Notes

c
c

Background Reading (Generations, Wilderness & Religion)

Osborne Russell Reading (First Reading from Anthology - Chapter 1)

Wilderness Art Lecture Notes

Thoreau Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapter 2)

Twain Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapter 3)

Wymper Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapter 4)

Powell Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapters 5 and 6)

Bird and Muir Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapters 7 and 8)

Robert Falcon Scott Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapter 12)

Ernest Shackleton Lecture Notes (Anthology - Chapter 13)

Into Thin Air & Everest Mountaineering History Lecture Notes (Into Thin Air)

Leopold/Olson & Conservation History Notes (Anthology - Chapters 14 and 15)

Colin Fletcher & Edward Abbey Notes (Anthology - Chapter 16 and 17)

Never Turn Back & Women Outdoor Writers Notes (Anthology - Chapter 18)

Color Versions of the Maps in the Anthology

Mark Twain's Route Out West (Roughing It)

Mark Twain's Survival Ordeal (Roughing It)

Edward Whymper's Route on the Matterhorn

John Wesley Powell: Map of Colorado Travels

John Wesley Powell: Map of the Canyons of the Green & Colorado Rivers

Isabella Bird in Colorado

Mary Kingsley's Travels in Africa

Jack London / Robert Service - Route to Klondike Gold Rush

Robert Falcon Scott - Journey to the South Pole

Ernest Shackleton - Escape from Antarctica

Don't Yet Have the Text: Anthology of the Outdoor Experience?
c
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 couple of 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. However, pick up the book as soon as you can. You'll need it. Here are the chapters on-line:

c
Henry David Thoreau - Walden

Mark Twain - Roughing It

Edward Wymper - Scrambles Amongst the Alps

John Welsey Powell: Second Reading on Powell

The second reading on Powell is on-line (link above), but for the first reading on Powell, you'll need a copy of the Anthology.

Because of copyright restrictions, no more readings are available on-line. By the time you get to the Powell readings, you should have picked up a copy of the Anthology.

Wilderness Art

c
Wilderness Art Intro Page - Links to All Images of Art Studied in the Class

(For detailed information on each of the paintings and the painters, see Background # 3)

Hand-outs on the Generations

c
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
Study Guides

c
Practice Quiz - Helpful to get a feel for quizzes given each class period

Study Guide for Mid-course Test

Study Guide for Final Test