To introduce students to the genre of travel writing. To analyse different forms of travel writing from fictional to non-fictional, from historical sources to postcolonial approaches.

This module will cover the genre of travel literature, giving a background to the origins and following developments up to the present day and by examining different forms of travel literature. After an introduction to the history of travel literature, utopian literature as well as colonial representation of the æNew WorldÆ will be examined in the period dating from the late fifteenth century through to the final decades of the seventeenth century. Comparing and contrasting the representations of America found in the reports of the earliest Spanish explorers with that found in later Puritan accounts, this element of the course will analyze the European æinventionÆ of America as a pre-lapsarian utopia. The main part of the module will then concentrate on Ireland as a travel destination, seen from an outsiderÆs perspective through the eyes of European visitors from the Middle Ages up to the twentieth century and compared with travel accounts of Irish writers. Questions of identity, cross-cultural awareness and language as a communication tool will be analyzed.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to: -Demonstrate familiarity with key issues arising in a selection of travel-related texts from several European cultural traditions. -Respond both orally and in writing to such issues. -Evaluate arguments relating to interpretation, concepts and theories with respect to the prescribed texts -Examine critically aspects of the evolution of travel discourses in a variety of texts and artefacts from the French, German, Spanish and English-speaking worlds -Place the prescribed texts in the political and social contexts in which they were produced -Write an essay on a set topic at the appropriate level.

On successful completion of this module, students should be able to utilise their learning activities as a basis for further independent cultural and literary development

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Three hours weekly based on a combination of lecture/seminar and tutorial with presentations by students. There will be a strong emphasis on group communication. The texts will be complemented with other audiovisual materials such as films, documentaries and audio recordings.

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