When Shelli Coulter began to steer her canoe down the Susquehanna River, she was somewhat hesitant.

Coulter (freshman-economics and anthropology) was making the trip on Saturday with a group of about 15 students from English 297F (Sailing the Chesapeake: Cultural and Natural Landscapes).

She had been canoeing only "a few" times before, and her canoe wobbled back and forth for the first leg of the river.

Then came "the shoot" -- a line of rapids across the length of the river with just one safe path in the center. As Coulter approached the shoot, the canoe started to point in the wrong direction.

At first, her frantic strokes weren't making a difference, but finally she figured out the "sweep stroke" the guide had taught the group earlier in the day. She executed a 90-degree turn and rushed straight through the opening in the rapids.

"I wear the pants in this canoe now!" she yelled.

English 297F isn't a typical English class.

Taught by English professor Bob Burkholder, the course is the newest addition to Penn State's Adventure Literature program. Burkholder, who also teaches three other Adventure Literature courses in the spring and summer, said English 297F is the first Adventure Literature course to be offered in the fall.

Burkholder's first Adventure Literature course, "Penn State Wilderness Literature Field Institute," began in 2000. The course consists of a week of backpacking, during which students discuss literature related to the outdoors. He added a second course about beach literature in 2004.

Both courses count for three English credits and 1.5 kinesiology credits and cost $395 per person. English 297F is worth 4.5 credits and costs $195 per person.

Saturday's trip was the first of four the class will take this semester. The other trips include another canoe trip to Bald Eagle Creek, a visit to Maryland's Eastern Shore and a service project along the bank of a tributary to the Susquehanna River. The class also meets once a week on Wednesday evenings to discuss literature related to the area.

Burkholder said the trips provide a way to make the readings more "real."

"This was kind of a way to make all of your ideas, all of the stuff you're talking about, very real," he said. "Doing these trips are really prime educational activities."

Students on Saturday's trip agreed.

"I like coming out and experiencing things -- it really makes the readings come to life," said Amanda Wise, a non-degree student.

The courses are not limited to English majors. Burkholder said he thought the "less abstract" nature of the courses appeal to science and engineering students, who can use the courses to fulfill elective requirements. He said a wide variety of liberal arts majors also enroll.

The trips aren't solely focused on literature either. Two guides from the Chesapeake Bay Foundation accompanied the class on Saturday's trip to teach the class about the biology of the river. During the trip, the class gathered and identified organisms in the water and performed chemical tests.

John Quinby, one of the guides, said trips like the one the course took help to promote awareness of the human impact on the region.

"What you're flushing down the toilet upstream eventually gets down here," he said.