Meets: T-TH, 1:00-2:20

Classroom: To Be Announced

The sea story is perhaps one of the oldest genres in literature. It most likely begins before the stories of Noah's ark and The Odyssey and continues through the centuries to the present, and assuredly into the future. What is it that makes for its enduring appeal? Is it because the sea itself often forms a stark, ill-defined, ever-changing, and dangerous background against which dramas of self-discovery and social conflict are played out? In this course, we will explore why this genre endures and how the sea in literature is affected by and has affected notions of identity in terms of gender, race, class, and nation. We will engage with life upon the sea as it is presented in the literature of voyages of discovery, exploration, commerce, and war.

This is a writing intensive course designed to develop both analytical and communicative skills. Students will be expected to come to class not only ready to discuss what they have read but also what they have written. We will engage and discuss poetry, short stories, novels, and film. Readings are to be done before the day of the class assigned. On the first day of class, students will vote on whether they want to have a midterm and a final exam, or to keep a journal over the course of the semester. Towards the end of the course, the class will choose to study one or two texts or films from the optional list found below (other suggestions may be considered) for the last sessions. This syllabus is subject to change.

Tony Tanner, ed., The Oxford Book of Sea Stories

Herman Melville, Benito Cereno.

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, The Account: Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca’s Relacion

Patrick O'Brian, The Truelove

Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym

Sebastian Junger, The Perfect Storm

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness

Lifeboat, (Alfred Hitchcock, director)

Apocalypse Now, (Francis Ford Coppola, director)

On the first day of class, students will vote on whether they want a midterm and a final exam, or to keep a journal over the course of the semester. The requirements for the journal will be explained in this first class.

Each of the three paper assignments will be explained in class. Papers are due on the due-date. A late penalty will be assessed of 1/2 a letter grade per day. Rewrites will be allowed but only after a conference with the instructor. Rewrites are due one week after the paper has been returned. All papers must be typed according to MLA style. Topics must be pre-approved by the instructor.

In addition there will be several brief in-class assignments and/or short writing assignments over the course of the semester that will figure as part of Class participation.

Introduction &"Bermudas," "Lycidas," "Middle Passage," and "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner" (Class handouts)

Sea Stories- "Initiation," "A Descent into the Maelström," "I Have Been Drowned," "The Open Boat," "Easting Down,"

Sea Stories- "Mocha Dick," "The Chase," "A Matter of Fact," "The Terror of the

Sea Caves"

Herman Melville, Benito Cerreno

Olaudah Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano

Edgar Allan Poe, The Narrative of A. Gordon Pym

Lifeboat, (Alfred Hitchcock, director) & Class Handouts

Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea or Junger, Perfect Storm

Patrick O’Brian, Truelove

Sea Stories- "The Secret Sharer," "The Story of the Siren," & Class Handout - "The Other Boat"

Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca, The Account: Alvar Nunez Cabeza de Vaca’s

Joseph Conrad, Heart of Darkness & Achebe article

Apocalypse Now, (Francis Ford Coppola, director).

Tuesday, Nov 28, Amistad

Thursday, Nov 30, Das Boot

Tuesday, Dec 5, Alien

Thursday, Dec 7, White Squall

Final Paper due Dec 12.

James Fenimore Cooper, The Pilot

Herman Melville, Moby Dick

Sena Jeter Naslund, Ahab's Wife

Richard Henry Dana, Two Years Before The Mast

Rudyard Kipling, Captains Courageous

R. L. Stevenson, Treasure Island

Jules Verne, 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea

Aguirre, (Werner Herzog, director)

Other texts or films may present themselves during the course of the semester and the class is welcome to consider those for study in the last weeks as well.

Class attendance and active participation are encouraged and represent 15% of your final grade. More than 2 unexcused absences will result in a grade reduction.

Athletes should present a tentative away schedule at the beginning of the semester. Please include a contact number for a coach or coordinator.

The Americans with Disabilities Act requires all places of business and employment, all government agencies, and all educational institutions to make reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities. Please bring your concerns to my attention immediately. Students may also contact Jean Asmore, coordinator of Rice's Disabled Student services at extension 5841 or ADA@rice.edu.

 Duncan Hasell

Last modified: 10-Nov-00