Great Journeys in World History and the Travelers Who Described Them

FEBRUARY 15 | 9:00 am–5:00 pm

Human curiosity has always pushed people to set off on long journeys to learn about the wider world, to look for wealth and fame, or to find new knowledge about themselves. This seminar will examine notable travel experiences that changed the lives of travelers, contributed to new literary works, and also influenced others who made their own journeys in later times. We’ll look at famous journeys in pre-modern Europe and the expanding United States as well as some of the best known travelers and writers in modern Britain and America. The journeys differ, but there are recurring experiences of cross-cultural contact and self-discovery that suggest why travel has been so important for the travelers and also for other people—even if they never leave home themselves.

TOPICS & SPEAKERS

The Myths and Realities of Columbus’s Journeys to the New World
Brett Whalen, Associate Professor of History

Journeys to and from the Great Plains: Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark Expedition
Garrett Wright, Visiting Lecturer in History

Mary Shelley, British Travelers, and Frankenstein
Jeanne Moskal, Professor of English

American Travelers and the “Old World”: Famous Literary Journeys from the Time and Humor of Mark Twain to the Time and Humor of David Sedaris
Lloyd Kramer, Professor of History and Director, Carolina Public Humanities

How Do Travel Experiences and Travel Writing Reshape Personal and Cultural Identities?
A panel discussion with our speakers

TIME AND TUITION

9:00am-5:00pm, Saturday, February 15. The tuition is $125 ($115 until January 23). Tuition for teachers is $62.50 ($57.50 until January 23). Teachers can also receive a $75 stipend after attending (click here for more information) and 10 contact hours for 1 unit of renewal credit. The optional lunch on Saturday is $15.00.

Discounts are available for UNC students, faculty, & staff. See our UNC Student, Staff, & Faculty Discounted Registration Policy here.

Co-Sponsored by the General Alumni Association.

For information about GAA discounts and other scholarships available to Humanities Program participants, click here.

Register here or call us at 919.962.1544. 

Registrants will receive a packet containing background readings, a map to the seminar location, and more about 2-3 weeks before the program date.