AMST 43145 - Explornography

Institution:

University of Notre Dame

Subject:

American Studies

Description:

In 1998, New York Times reporter John Tierney coined the word "explornography" to explain the phenomenal increase in demand for adventure literature, outdoor gear sales, Crocodile Hunter and survival-type television shows, and exploration oriented trips and vacations. Explornography, Tierney said, was "the vicarious thrill of exploring when there is nothing left to explore." This course takes Tierney at his word. We'll read a number of modern and classic explorer accounts of successful and failed expeditions. We'll ask what those expeditions meant in their time and what they mean in ours. We'll ask what modern versions of the traditional explorer expedition can mean in a world that is thoroughly mapped, covered by GPS technology, and always accessibly by cell and satellite phone service, and filled with X-Box, Halo, and other video gaming thrills. We'll ask why there's been such and explosion of interest in explorer, adventure and survival experience, and why in a modern, commodity-saturated culture the consumer has turned to explornography for vicarious thrills and adventure. We'll look at how explornography has been commodified, marketed, and sold. We'll distinguish between hard-core and soft-core explornography, between those who watch and those who do, and between experiences which build the self and those that do little more than serve the narcissistic ego. And finally, we'll ask what's next, or whether explornography is indeed the final frontier.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.nd.edu

Phone Number:

(574) 631-5000

Regional Accreditation:

North Central Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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