SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS
University of Virginia, Academic Sponsor
Voyage: Fall 2015
Discipline: English
ENSP 3559: Literature of the Atlantic Rim
Division: Upper
Faculty Name: Brayton
Credit Hours: 3; Contact Hours: 38
Pre-requisites:
None
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Oceans separate the cultures that line their shores, but they also connect those regions physically,
culturally, economically, and biotically. For millennia Europeans experienced the Atlantic Ocean
as a mysterious and dangerous frontier marking the western extremity of civilization. Beginning in
the fifteenth century, European navigators, merchants, slave-traders, fishermen, and whalers began
to traverse the Atlantic in increasing numbers. Today the peoples who inhabit Atlantic shores share
many historical interconnections. From Africa to the Antilles, Central America, South America,
and North America the cultural, linguistic, and literary legacies of Atlantic history link coastal
communities to one another. In this course we will explore literature and history of the European
discovery and conquest of the Caribbean, the Atlantic slave trade, and the modern Caribbean,
paying particular attention to the role of the sea in narratives of the Afro-Caribbean experience.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
Our goal in this course is to learn about the historical interconnections across nations and
communities of the Atlantic rim by analyzing narratives of Afro-Caribbean identity. Topics we
will consider include the European “discovery” of the Americas, the genocide of Caribbean
indigenes, the slave trade, and the social, cultural, economic, and ecological conditions and
consequences of European colonialism.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS
Las Casas, Brief Account of the Destruction of the Indies
Behn, Oroonoko
Equiano, The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equiano
Walcott, “The Schooner Flight,” “The Sea is History” (from Collected Poems, 1948-1984)
Walcott, Omeros
Hayden, “Middle Passage” (handout from Collected Poems)
Kincaid, A Small Place
AUTHOR: De Las Casas
TITLE: Short Account of the Destruction of the Indies
ISBN #: 978-0-14-044562-6
DATE/EDITION: Penguin/1999
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AUTHOR: Behn
TITLE: Oroonoko, or the Royal Slave
PUBLISHER: Bedford/St. Martin’s
ISBN #: 978-0-312-10813-7
DATE/EDITION: 2000
AUTHOR: Equiano
TITLE: The Interesting Narrative of the Life of Olaudah Equino
PUBLISHER: WW Norton
ISBN: 978-0-393-97494-2
DATE/EDITION: 2000
AUTHOR: Walcott
TITLE: Derek Walcott: Collected Poems 1948-1984
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
ISBN #: 0-374-52025-9
DATE/EDITION: 1999
AUTHOR: Walcott
TITLE: Omeros
PUBLISHER: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux
ISBN #: 978-0374523503
DATE/EDITION: 1992 (or 1990 edition)
AUTHOR: Hayden
TITLE: Collected Poems
PUBLISHER: Liveright
ISBN #: 978-0871406798
DATE/EDITION: (any)
AUTHOR: Kincaid
TITLE: A Small Place
PUBLISHER:
ISBN #: 978-0374527075
DATE/EDITION: 2000
TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE
Depart Southampton—September 13
A1—September 15: Introductory; HW: Odyssey, Books 1+4 (handout)
A2—September 17: Intro to Walcott; HW: Omeros, Book 1 (Chapters. I-X)
Civitavecchia—September 19-22
Naples—September 23-24
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A3—September 25: Walcott, Omeros; HW: Omeros, Books 2+3
A4—September 27: Walcott, Omeros; HW: Omeros, Books 3+ 4
Istanbul—September 29-October 3
A5—October 4: Walcott, Omeros; HW: Omeros, Books 5-7
A5—October 7: Columbus and Las Casas; HW: Las Casas, Short Account, first half
Piraeus—October 6-10
A6—October 11: Las Casas, “Short Account”; HW: Las Casas, 2nd half
A7-October 13: Las Casas
Valencia—October 15-16
Barcelona—October 17-19
A8—October 20: Las Casas; HW: Rediker, Intro and Chap. 1, Behn, intro+ framing materials
Casablanca—October 22-26
A9—October 27: Behn; HW: Oroonoko, pp. 37-69; Gallagher, pp. 208-217
A10—October 29: Behn; HW: Oroonoko, pp. 70-100 HW: Gilroy, Chaps. 1+2
Dakar—October 31-November 3
A11—November 4: Gallagher, pp. 393-405; HW: Hayden, “Middle Passage”
A12—November 7: Hayden, “Middle Passage”; HW: finish Hayden
A13—November 9: Hayden, “Middle Passage”; HW: Rediker, Intro, chapts. 1+2
Salvador—November 11-16
A14—November 17: Intro to Equiano; HW: Equiano, chs. 1-5, Rediker, chapter 3
A15—November 19: Equiano; HW: Equiano, chapters. 7-10; Rediker, chapter 4
A16—November 22: Equiano + Rediker; HW: Finish Equiano
A17—November 24: Last day Equiano; HW: Hayden, “Runagate”; Rediker, chs. 5+6
Trinidad—November 26-27
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A18—November 28: Rediker, Hayden; HW: Walcott, “The Schooner Flight”
A19—November 30: Walcott, “The Schooner Flight”; HW: Walcott, Rediker, chapter 9
A20—December 3: Walcott, “Flight” (finish), Rediker; HW: Kincaid, A Small Place (1st half)
Puntarenas—November 5-9
A21—December 10: Kincaid, A Small Place; HW: Kincaid, A Small Place (finish it)
A22—December 12: Kincaid, finish A Small Place; HW: Gilroy, Chapters 3+6
A23—December 14: Walcott, “The Sea is History,” adieux
Study Day—December 16
A24—December 17; A-Day Finals
Arrive San Diego—December 21
FIELD WORK Field lab attendance is mandatory for all students enrolled in this course. Do not
book individual travel plans or a Semester at Sea sponsored trip on the day of your field lab.
FIELD LAB Port of Spain, Trinidad: National Museum and Art Gallery visit and walking tour of
St. James and Belmont districts. In this field seminar we will explore the multi-cultural history of
Port of Spain, paying particular attention to the way Afro-Caribbean heritage is represented,
officially and unofficially, at institutions and in the street. To that end we will visit sites that attest
to the legacies of European colonialism, the slave trade, and international immigration to the West
Indies. We will visit the house of the first freed slave in Trinidad, the colorful St. James District,
and the National Museum and Art Gallery. We might also have the opportunity to attend a dance
performance at the celebrated dance studio of Makeda Thomas.
FIELD ASSIGNMENTS
Students will complete two projects based on their port stop experience and field seminar. The first
will be a short response paper (2-3 pp.); the second will be a “concept map” describing some
aspect of cultural narratives of Afro-Caribbean identity. Students will also give brief oral
presentations (~10 min.) in which they discuss their concept maps, experiences ashore, and their
main “takeaway” from Port of Spain.
METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC
Essay 1: 20 %
Essay 2: 20%
Attendance/Participation: 30%
Field Lab Response Paper: 10%
Concept Map: 10%
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Oral Presentation: 10%
RESERVE BOOKS AND FILMS FOR THE LIBRARY
AUTHOR: Marcus Rediker
TITLE: The Slave Ship: A Human History
PUBLISHER: Penguin
ISBN #: 978-0-14-311425-3
DATE/EDITION: 2007
AUTHOR: Paul Gilroy
TITLE: The Black Atlantic
PUBLISHER: Harvard UP
ISBN #: 978-0674076068
DATE/EDITION: 1995
ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS
None
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
None
HONOR CODE
Semester at Sea students enroll in an academic program administered by the University of
Virginia, and thus bind themselves to the University’s honor code. The code prohibits all acts of
lying, cheating, and stealing. Please consult the Voyager’s Handbook for further explanation of
what constitutes an honor offense.
Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: “On my honor
as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment.” The pledge
must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed “[signed].”
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