LFU:online

Prerequisite: English 1158. Writing-intensive study of key topics in journalism. Topic will vary from semester to semester. May be taken twice for a maximum of 6 credit hours.

This is an introductory course for students interesting in travel writing. Students will be exposed to the different genres of travel writing --blogs, photography, long-form writing (feature length and books) and the travel writing media industry; understand the relationship between tourism as an industry and genres/conventions of travel writing. There will be an emphasis on cultural awareness, complexity of theme, material and structure and a desire to provide depth and insight.
Students will read a variety of travel writing essays. THIS IS A READING INTENSIVE COURSE. Discussion in class will based on the assumption that you have done the readings. The readings in the course packet (to be bought in Innsbruck) have been broken up into four broad sections (“Modes of Travel,” “Nature” and “Cities/Countries” along with “Miscellaneous”).
The Goal of the course is to develop a “Travel Journalism Portfolio” made up of (a) 2 travel blogs based on field trips and weekend travel (b) one photo essay on a topic of your choice based on your weekend travels, (c) one travel book review and (d) one book proposal. We will do a lot this term—and quickly, so it’s important to stay on-schedule. Having said that the focus is not on quantity, but quality.

Student learning outcomes: Students will acquire Knowledge, Skills and Attitudes necessary to be effective beginning travel writers.

• The Knowledge learnt will focus on travel blogs (the genre, narrative dimensions, voice and agency); telling stories through pictures (developing a theme, using locales and characters).
• The Skills learnt will focus on writing compact, action narratives that tell a broader story while focused on personal narrative and voice. Effective use of visual images (placement, composition, aesthetics and strategy) and their use in a travel blog.
• The Attitude learnt will focus on cultural awareness and sensitivity to history, identity and journalistic responsibility.

The University of New Orleans International Summer School program has a mandatory class attendance policy. All students are required to attend class for all morning classes and any required afternoon and/or weekend fields trips and lectures. No unexcused absences are allowed. However, LFU students who have to miss a UNO class due to LFU examinations in the first two weeks of our program, can receive one excused absence for this. Any further unexcused absences will result in an academic penalty. Each faculty member determines the penalty for missed classes. Most professors deduct a letter grade for each additional missed class day. For details, please refer to your course syllabi, which will be distributed on the first day of class. The listed ECTS credits are a recommendation by the University of New Orleans Innsbruck Summer School, based on contact hours, anticipated out-of-classroom requirements such as field trips, and projected workload for readings, assignments, and exam preparation. Mail: Center-New-Orleans@uibk.ac.at