Roadside America: a First-Year Seminar

UST 05-014 | Fall 2024

 

Course Schedule and Resource Links:

 

Welcome Week:

Aug 19 (Mon, 10-12): Introductions; "Roadside America Geography Challenge"

REVIEW/FINISH SUMMER READING: Albert and Sorin

Aug 20 (Tue, 9-12): Screen Gun Crazy (1950) plus Honor Code and Library Modules

READ: Brigham, "Introduction"
REVIEW/FINISH SUMMER READING: Albert and Sorin

Aug 21 (Wed) >>No Class<<

Aug 22 (Thu, 9-12): Screen Thelma & Louise (1991)

READ: Laderman, "What a Trip"; Graff & Birkenstein, "The Art of Quoting"
REVIEW/FINISH SUMMER READING: Albert and Sorin

Aug 23 (Fri, 10-12): Discuss Gun Crazy, Thelma & Louise, and all the readings so far

READ: Man, "Gender, Genre, and Myth in Thelma & Louise"
REVIEW/FINISH SUMMER READING: Albert and Sorin
DUE: Individual Project #1: Critical Connections Analysis of Gun Crazy, Thelma & Louise, and all the readings so far (Albert, Brigham, Laderman, Man, and Sorin)

[printed submission, with Honor Code written out and signed--due at beginning of class]

 

[After Welcome Week, unless otherwise indicated in the Syllabus Schedule, we'll meet from 10:00-11:15 Tuesdays and Thursdays in our regular classroom, SLC 115]

 

Week One

Aug 27 (Tue): Review Orientation Week; Discuss Georgetown Road Stories Project; Module: Learning Commons

READ: Dietz, "Hip To Be Square"
NOTE: Bring your laptop and meet in Library Learning Commons

Aug 29 (Thu): Discuss American Road Nonfiction Narratives

READ: Steinbeck, excerpt from Travels With Charley; Smith, "Through the Windshield"; Dembling, "The Bus Stops Here"; Gough, "Travels With Chester"
DUE: Individual Project #2: Critical Connections Analysis of American Road Nonfiction

[printed submission, with Honor Code written out and signed--due at beginning of class]

 

Week Two

Sep 3 (Tue): Discussion: Gender, sexuality, and automobility

READ: Lezotte, "Born to Take the Highway"; and Lezotte, "Out on the Highway"
EXPLORE: Roadside America Library Guide

Sep 5 (Thu): Presentations of Collaborative Project #1: Georgetown Road Stories

 

Week Three

Sep 10 (Tue): Module: Academic Success; Discussion: Cars as public/private space

READ: Bloch, "Policing Car Space"
NOTE: At some point before 11:59pm today (Sep 10), fill out the TypeFocus personality inventory to prepare for Thursday's module

Sep 12 (Thu): Module: Exploring Majors and Careers; Discussion: Memory and Automobility

READ: Cann, "Moving the Dead"
COMPLETE: TypeFocus Self-Assessment Context Questionnaire

 

Week Four

Sep 17 (Tue): Screen Driving While Black (2020)

DUE: Individual Project #3: Critical Connections Analysis of Automobility Scholarship

[printed submission, with Honor Code written out and signed--due at beginning of class]

Sep 19 (Thu): Screen and Discuss Driving While Black (2020)

 

Week Five

Sep 24 (Tue): Library Research Module

DUE: Research Project Proposal

[electronic submission, by 9:00am]

NOTE: Bring your Laptop and Meet in Library Lobby

Sep 26 (Thu): Research Workshop

 

Week Six

Oct 1 (Tue): Module: Diversity/Social Justice; Research Workshop

Oct 3 (Thu): Module: Integrative Learning; Informal Research Project Presentations

DUE: Research Project Draft

[electronic submission, by 9:00am]

 

Week Seven

Oct 8 (Tue): Writing Critique Workshop for Work Group 1

DUE (WorkGroup 1 only): Your critiques of Research Project Drafts from WorkGroup 1
NOTE: Only WorkGroup 1 attends class this day

Oct 10 (Thu): Writing Critique Workshop for Work Group 2

DUE (WorkGroup 2 only): Your critiques of Research Project Drafts from WorkGroup 1
NOTE: Only WorkGroup 2 attends class this day

 

Week Eight

Oct 15 (Tue): No class--Fall Break

Oct 17 (Thu): Discussion: Creative Nonfiction Road Narratives and Final Research Project Posters

DUE: Final Research Project

[electronic submission, by 9:00am]

 

Week Nine

Oct 22 (Tue): Writing Workshop
Oct 24 (Thu): Writing Workshop

DUE: Creative Nonfiction Road Narrative

[electronic submission, by noon]

 

Week Ten

Oct 29 (Tue): First Symposium: An exhibition of work in FYS/AES, 9:00-11:15am in Bishops Lounge

DUE: Poster and presentation outline

Oct 31 (Thu): Discussion: Our Roadside Americas; Course Evaluations

READ: Your classmates' Creative Nonfiction Road Narratives
DUE: Individual Project #4: Final Critical Connections

[electronic submission, by 9:00am]