Welcome to Great Explorers!
This general elective course is open to RUNI students from all schools, programs, and years. The language of instruction is English.
Here is the course syllabus.
The schedule this semester is a bit crazy. On some Sundays there will be no class meetings; On two Sundays there will be two lectures. In particular, on March 31 we'll have a lecture from 17:30 to 19:00 (as usual), and then another lecture from 19:30 to 21:00 (in room CB07, same building, basement level).
May 5, 2024, 17:30 to 19:00: Magellan, Over the Edge of the World
Mandatory reading: Magellan.
Quiz: There may be a quiz about the reading that was assigned last week (Shackleton).
Optional reading:
Magellan, by Stephen Zweig: A profound historical / psychological biography of Magellan, by one the 20th century's greatest authors.
1421: The Year China Discovered America: The title says it all -- that's 71 years before Columbus! A popular but controversial book written by a captain of an American nuclear submarine who became obsessed with the subject.
Nathaniel's Nutmeg: the Spice Trader Who Changed the Course of History, by Giles Milton: A fascinating history of trade and war in the spice islands.
More resources:
Where Good Ideas Come From: A TED talk about innovation, and about the impact of spices on the western culture.
Punta Arenas on the Strait of Magellan: an amateur video that gives a brief tour of Punta Arenas and one of Magellan's ships -- the Victoria.
Seychelles Islands and the Vanilla spice: Interesting short article written by Yaron London (Hebrew), who attended this course last year. Do you know that 1 kilogram of vanilla costs about $600 (as of today)? If you want to read more about vanilla, read on.
April 14, 2024, 17:30 to 19:00: Shackleton, and the Saga of the Endurance
Class Notes:
A TED talk about different leadership styles (in the context of conducting a philharmonic orchestra).
Shackleton crossing of South Georgia -- a modern look at South Georgia (the very last leg of Shackelton's epic journey).
Mandatory reading (which you are expected to read after the lecture):
Shackleton. This text is taken from the book "Shackleton" by Roland Huntford. Here are the pages that are missing in this document, sorry about this.
Mutiny on the Endurance: Benny Schnaider pointed out to me one case in which the expedition's talented carpenter, Harry McNish, rebelled against Shackelton.
Optional reading:
Endurance, by Alfred Lansing: the story of Shackleton's rescue. See the readers rating in Amazon...
Worst Egg Hunt Ever, This article describes The Worst Journey in the World, a classic book written by Espley Cherry-Garrard, a junior member of the Scott team. The text is available freely in the Guttenberg project. You may want to skim through the pages and see the captivating figures, maps, and photographs.
There may be a quiz about the mandatory reading assigned on March 31.
March 31, 2024, 17:30 to 19:00: Polar Explorations
We'll start with a course overview and introduction to polar exploration fundamentals. This background will come handy in the first three lectures in the course.
Class Notes:
Polar Exploration 101 (general background, will make sense during and after you attend the lecture)
Video clip about Captain Scott (6 minutes): illustrates the hero status that Scott attained in the British public eye.
Mandatory reading (which you have to read after the lecture, and before April 14):
(Start by going over the reading guidelines)
First Attempt to the South Pole: this text is taken from the book "Shackleton" by Roland Huntford. The first section in the text describes some general details about diet and dogs in polar explorations. The rest of the text describes an early attempt to reach the south pole, in 1902. The team included Scott (leader), Shackleton (a young ambitious explorer who will be the subject of a later lecture in this course), and Wilson, a highly competent polar explorer. The text illustrates the problematic character and leadership style of Scott, and describes the unique British approach to polar exploration.
Optional reading:
Farthest North (by Fridjtof Nansen): written by the pioneer of modern polar exploration, this book describes an early epic attempt to reach the North Pole.
Kabloona (by Gontran de Poncins): the author spent several years among the Inuit (Eskimo) people of the Arctic, and wrote an empathic rendition of the Inuit lifestyle, courage and stamina. This is a rare book, available only from used book sellers. However, it is a gem. If you buy it, try to purchase the hardcover version, which includes beautiful water color paintings by the author.
The Last Gentleman Adventurer (by Edward Beauclerk Maurice): if you read one book about life with the Inuit people, this is it. A funny and heart breaking memoire written by an Englishman who, at age 16, was sent to man a trading post in one of the most remote places on the globe. This book is also available in Hebrew.
March 31, 2024, 19:30 to 21:00: Racing to the South Pole
(in room CB07, same building, basement level).
We'll have a 30-minute break, 19:00 to 19:30. Bring some seal-meat sandwiches and a bottle or Rum. We'll then join two great explorers on a desperate race to reach first to the South Pole.
Class Notes:
Video clip about polar sledging (3 minutes) Illustrates the hardships of polar travel
Mandatory reading:
Amundsen and Scott: This text is taken from "The Last Place on Earth", by Roland Huntford.
Optional reading:
The Last Place on Earth, by Roland Huntford: about the epic race of Amundsen and Scott to the South Pole.
There may be a quiz about the reading that was assigned last week (First Attempt to the South Pole).
Next class meetings
Will be published a few day before each meeting.