Skip to main content

Course Schedule & Readings

Course Schedule

Week 1: Why do we travel? What is travel writing?

Date

Time 

Topic

Reading Due

Writing Due

Tues.

7.4.23

1:15-3:00

 

3:00-4:45

Lecture 1: Intro to Travel Writing

 

Guest Lecture: Japanese Language by Prof. Morita

Read:

“Writer Pico Iyer On Why There's More to Travel Than Your Instagram Feed”

“The Art of Being a Flâneur"

“The Art of the Travel Essay”

Travel Blog 1: Ian

Weds.

7.5.23

1:15-3:00

 

 

3:00-4:45

Lecture 2: Histories of Japanese Travel Writing

 

Guest Lecture: Japanese Culture by Prof. Simon

Read:

“A Brief History of Japanese Travel & Travel Writing”

Excerpts from the Manyōshū

“Voyages: Visual Journeys by Six Photographers (Tokyo)”

Travel Blog 2: Thomas 

 

Thurs.

7.6.23

11:45

Field Trip: Visit Osaka Castle & Kaiyodo Figure Museum

Read: “The 9 Commandments of Travel Writing”

Osaka Castle Guide

Travel Blog 3: John A

Fri.

7.7.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 4: Michael 

 

Sat.

7.8.23

TBD

OMU Field Trip to Kyoto

Read: “In Kyoto, Feeling Forever Foreign”

“A Guide to Kyoto Through the City’s Craft Scene”

 

Travel Blog 5: Rahm 

 

 

Sun.

7.9.23

TBD

Post-Field Trip OMU Workshop

Read: “The Pillow-Book of Sei Shonagon”

Travel Blog 6: David 

 

Assignment 1 Due: Osaka Guidebook Entry

 

Week 2: Multimedia Storytelling & Travel Genres

Date

Time 

Topic

Reading Due

Writing Due

Mon.

7.10.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 7: Madison 

Tues.

7.11.23

1:15-3:00

 

3:00-4:45

ERAU-OMU Mini Conference

 

Guest Lecture: Japanese Architecture by Prof. Kurakata

 Read: “Chapter 4: Travel Blogging” by Don George (available on Google Books, Kindle, & Apple Books for $12.99)

Travel Blog 8: Aidan

Weds.

7.12.23

1:15-3:00

ERAU-OMU Student Presentations


Travel Blog 9: Colby

Thurs.

7.13.23

1:15-3:00

Field Trip: High School Visit with BP Matsui

Read: “Daily Life in Japanese High Schools”

Travel Blog 10: Daniel

 

 

Fri.

7.14.23

8:00

 

11:00-12:00

Field Trip: Hiroshima

 

Guest Lecture/Lecture 3: A-bomb Legacy Successor

Read: “How We Retain the Memory of Japan’s Atomic Bombings: Books”

“The Dark Radiance of Atomic Bomb Literature”

Travel Blog 11: Race 

 

Sat.

7.15.23

9:30

Field Trip: Miyajima

Read: Lonely Planet’s “Miyajima” Guide

Travel Blog 12: Lara

Sun.

7.16.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 13: Joseph

 

Week 3: Cross-Cultural Communication & Nonfiction

Date

Time 

Topic

Reading Due

Writing Due

Mon.

7.17.23

N.A.

Free Day—National Holiday

 

Travel Blog 14: Samuel

Tues.

7.18.23

8:00

 

 

 10:00

Field Trip: Kobe (Riken-Fugaku and Takenaka)

 

Lecture 4: Fugaku

Read: “36 Hours in Kobe, Japan”

“The RIKEN Story”

Travel Blog 15: Athena

Weds.

7.19.23

1:15-3:00

 

3:00-4:45

Guest Lecture: Drones by Prof. Sasaki

Lecture 5: Feature Articles & Storytelling

Read: "Chapter 2: A Short Course in Travel Writing" by Don George

Travel Blog 16: Lauren 

Thurs.

7.20.23

1:15-3:00

 

3:00-4:45

Interaction with SSSRC Students

 

Guest Lecture: Drones by Prof. Yoshida


Travel Blog 17: John W.

Fri.

7.21.23

1:15-3:00

 

 

 3:00-4:45

Lecture 6: Educational Equity & Coding Education by Prof. Rea (open to OMU audience)

Guest Lecture: Aikido by Prof. Simon

Read: “A New Growth Engine for Japan: Women in STEM Fields; Japan"

(Optional) "Coding Equity: Social Justice & Computer Programming  Education"

Travel Blog 18: Ian

Sat.

7.22.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 19: Thomas

Sun.

7.23.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 20: John A.

 

Week 4: Journalistic Travel Writing

Date

Time

Topic

Reading Due

Writing Due

Mon.

7.24.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 21: Michael 

Assignment 2 Due: Photo Essay

Tues.

7.25.23

11:45

Field Trip: Nara


Travel Blog 22: David

Weds.

7.26.23

1:15-3:00

Lecture 7: Travel Article Writing Workshop

Read: "The Trouble with Paradise"

Travel Blog 23: Lauren

Thurs.

7.27.23

9:00

Field Trip: Himeji


Travel Blog 24: John W.

 

Fri.

7.28.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 25: Race

Sat.

7.29.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 26: Lara

Sun.

7.30.23

N.A.

Free Day

 

Travel Blog 27: Joseph 

 

Week 5: Reflective Writing

Date

Day 

Topic

Reading Due

Writing Due

Mon.

7.31.23

8:00

Field Trip: Tokyo

Read: Travel & Leisure’s “Tokyo” Travel Guide

 

Travel Blog 28: Samuel


Assignment 4 Due: Travel Feature Article

Tues.

8.1.23

8:00

Field Trip: Nikko

 

Lecture 8:

Read: TBD

Travel Blog 29: Athena

Weds.

8.2.23

9:00

Field Trip: Tokyo/Kanazawa

Read: TBD

Travel Blog 30: Colby

Thurs.

8.3.23

9:30

Field Trip:

Kanazawa

 

Lecture 9:

Read: TBD

Travel Blog 31: Rahm

Fri.

8.4.23

 

Farewell Dinner


Travel Blog 32: TBD

 

Assignment 5 Due: Final Reflection

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Welcome to SS314: Language, Culture, & History

Welcome to our class blog for Language, Culture, & History! We are one of the classes in the study abroad Japan program, a partnership between Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Osaka Metropolitan University. During our five week summer course, we will collaboratively author this class blog to document our adventures in Osaka and across Japan. 
1 comment
Read more

Day 5 Recap: Shrines, Castles, and Submarines: Only in Osaka

      After getting acclimated to Japan and a few days of classes, we finally had a free day. I started my day the right way by sleeping in. Of course, the fun didn't start until later tonight, as we'll get to that.     Getting a not-so-traditional Japanese breakfast of donuts and coffee with my friends, I met up with my parents at our hotel as they have recently arrived in Osaka. First, we go visit the nearby Namba Jinja shrine. Not to be confused with the more popular Namba Jinja lion shrine, you can learn more about it in my travel guidebook entry. Regardless, we took in the scenery, did a prayer, and my mom gave me a charm for luck. Juxtaposing ancient Japan with not so ancient Italy, we stopped by the nearby Ferrari store to get a picture with the Formula 1 car.     Moving on, my family requested that I show them around Osaka castle, making it my third visit to the beautiful site. We didn't go inside, as we saw the line and decided the outside is fine enough. Every tim
1 comment
Read more

Day 3 Recap: Karaoke and Sushi in Japan

       Since this day was a school day I woke up around 7:30 and ate one of the in-room sandwiches and headed to the train with my roommate Race. There were about 3 hours of boring math lectures but after that, I got to eat curry at lunch which was amazing. I've learned that even though the food here is extreamly diffrent from what we have in America, it is just as good if not better then American food and actually reflects the culture of Japan really well. After our writing lecture, we got to listen to a lecture about the Japanese language. Some of the stuff we learned was how to say please or excuse me, "Sumimasen", let's go, "ikou", and thank you, "Arigato."       Next was the English cafe, for this we met with a bunch of students trying to learn English and spoke with them to help them practice. I talked with a guy who is writing a paper on using enzymes to protect plants from diseases, he wasn't that good at English so it was a little hard
1 comment
Read more