Interdisciplinary studies- journey

We have studied the following texts so far this semester:

•    Euben, Journeys to the Other Shore: Muslim and Western Travelers in Search of Knowledge
•    Light, “Dracula Tourism in Romania: Cultural Identity and the State”
•    Battuta, Rihla
•    Eco, “Travels in Hyperreality” (I will provide the readings)

Basic instructions:  Your 750 to 1,000-word essay (three-four pages) should meet each of the following content and format requirements:

•    Create a thesis that focuses your essay, supported by well-organized paragraphs and a well-reasoned conclusion

•    Include at least four short quotations from the assigned readings to support the reasoning in your essay, explaining why each quotation supports your argument

•    Document all primary and secondary sources according to the Modern Language Association (MLA) or American Psychological Association (APA) method of documentation with parenthetical citations everywhere you quote, paraphrase, or summarize

•    Include a Work(s) Cited/Reference section at the end of your paper, and  a header with your name, course number and section, and date

•    Be word-processed, double-spaced, in 12 point font with no more than one inch margins all around, and be free of spelling and grammatical errors

Writing Prompt – Please respond toall of the following components of the writing prompt, in an essay which complies with the Basic Instructions above:

Please provide threeexamples each from Ibn Battuta’s Rihla, and Umberto Eco’s “Travels in Hyperreality,” and an example from Light’s article to illustrate how (a) Ibn Battuta, (b) Umberto  Eco, and (c) Western tourists in Romania

•    “frame and interpret cultural difference” (Harkin, 1)
•    produce knowledge about self and others through making  comparisons (Euben, 8)
•    are, in their travels, trying to fit their experience into their preconceptions.

Your discussion of the Rihla, should incorporate four observations from Euben’s text.
Please explain your conclusions.
Works Cited

Euben, Roxane L.  Journeys to the Other Shore: Muslim and Western Travelers in Search of Knowledge.  Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2006.  Print

Harkin, Michael.  “Modernist Anthropology and Tourism of the Authentic.”  Annals of Tourism Research 22.3 (1995): 65-70.  Web.  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/016073839500008T

Source Ideas:

Michael Harkin says that one of the reasons behind tourism is that “Tourism, in addition to being big business, is a strategy for framing and interpreting cultural difference. The driving ideology behind tourism is a form of exotopy, or appropriation of otherness.” (Harkin, 1)

RoxaneEuben’s study of travel narratives tries to “…  shift the theoretical perspective by bringing into view the ways in which travelers of all kinds, past and present and from many directions, produce knowledge about others and themselves comparatively.”  (Euben, 8)

Hello,

General information about me and notes from class:

Class: Interdisciplinary studies- journey

I am from Saudi Arabia and Muslimso I can relate to Ibn Battuta more.

Ibn Battuta reading: while reading his Rihla he mentioned that he was robbed and they took his notes, my question is how was he able to include stories in his Rihla if his notes were robbed. (this is an idea I shared with class)

Please let me know the part of you added to the paper so I can go over them.
If you need any information for the paper please ask  andfollow the instructions exactly as stated.
Note: the professor is asking for a draft on Monday.

Below is a paper I wrote on the first reading, just to help if needed

I travelled from Saudi Arabia to The United States to obtain higher education. My stay in the United States has taught me so much stuff about American culture and traditions. As a student in the United States, I got a cultural shock. When I arrived in America, I noticed there are many varied differences in Arab and American culture. These differences occur in origins, religion, and cultural backgrounds. The U.S is a Christian nation, while Saudi Arabia embraces Islam. Being a Muslim in a Christian nation was quite different and challenging but it was easy to cope with the situation, because the US has diversity in religion (Euben, 2006).
I realized there was a difference between my native Arabic language and the English language spoken in the U.S. In the United States, English is both used as an official language and a national language. In Saudi Arabia; Arabic is used as our official language. Although English is widely spoken, it is mostly used in businesses, particularly with foreigners and it is the compulsory second language used in schools. American literature is used worldwide while Arabic literature is more localized and is mostly based on Islam (Euben, 2006).
Family arrangements in the United States reflect the nature of contemporary American society. I learned that most Americans tend to have nuclear families as opposed to our Arabian culture where families tend to be large and extended families tend to be close. Although the nuclear family concept holds a special place in the mindset of Americans, the majority of families are single-parent, childless couples, and fused families. I find this situation weird and strange because in my Arabian culture, the family forms the basis of social structure (Euben, 2006).
When Saudis greet each other, they take their time to converse about general things which is not the case in the United States. This is a totally different scenario in the U.S. Life in the U.S is often fast paced and busy. Time is important and people don’t want to waste it on anything. When people meet, they just say hi and gone on with their business. Also, what was unfamiliar to me is the way people greet in the United States where they mostly shake hands and if they are really close they hug. According to my Arabian culture our greeting is more intimate as we tend to kiss and shake hands. Kissing depends on the age and closeness if it is an older person for example my grandmother I tend to kiss her on her forehead as a sign of respect  (Euben, 2006).
Most Americans dress casually. Men dress mostly in jeans and T-Shirts while women tend to wear tight fitting and skimpy clothes and don’t cover their hair. Though informal dress is more common, certain professionals dress formally for work, and some occasions, such as weddings, funerals, dances, and some parties, typically call for formal wear. Most Saudis wear long white thobes; a long sleeved, loose-fitting garment that covers the body from neck to ankles along with a headpiece. Arabian women are required to wear a long black garment that covers from head to foot. I find it disturbing because in America, no one really cares what others are wearing, while in Arabia, dressing code matters a lot especially to women who are supposed to be conservative(Euben, 2006).
Traditional Saudi Arabian cuisine favors lamb, rice, (kabsa) and a wide variety of vegetables and spices. The cuisine of the United States is extremely diverse, owing to the vastness of the continent, the relatively large population and the number of native and immigrant influences. Wheat and corn are the primary cereal grains. Traditional American cuisine uses ingredients such as turkey, potatoes, sweet potatoes, corn, squash, and maple syrup. My experience in the U.S was fascinating and I enjoyed learning the American culture (Euben, 2006).

Reference
Euben, R. L (2006).Journeys to the Other Shore: Muslim and Western Travelers in Search of Knowledge.  Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.