Adventure Writing & Digital Storytelling

In this class we will explore the adventure narrative in the digital age. Equipped with laptop, camera, audio recorder, and/or video camera--the tools of today's investigative journalists--students will undertake their own adventure in the Middlebury area (anything from dog sledding to ice-fishing on Lake Champlain), then sharpen their skills as writers, focusing on setting, character, history, and narrative thread. In addition to blogs and essays, we will read from adventure books such as Joe Kane’s Running the Amazon and Robyn Davidson's Tracks, and write in the adventure-travel genre, incorporating interviews, photos, audio, and video files in the final writing project. (Students will need a laptop, camera, and a small hard drive to house Final Cut Pro files for video editing. This course counts as a Creative Writing elective. (Approval Required; please complete an application form available on the following website: http://www.middlebury.edu/academics/enam/resources/forms)