Innovative Encounters with Nature and Knowledge

Catalog description

Based on an experiential learning framework consisting of intensive reading, field trips and structured reflection, this innovative outdoor course allows students to directly experience and relate to Australia’s unique environment as well as challenge their own understanding of concepts such as nature, culture and wilderness. Through engaging with cutting-edge thinking in the ecological humanities and via a range of outdoor activities such as camping in national parks, swimming under waterfalls and hiking in rainforests, students will gain a first-hand understanding of diverse ecosystems, different ways of knowing and relating to the land, and the relationships between natural and cultural landscapes, particularly by spending time with Indigenous peoples on their lands. During their extended visit to Fiji and New Zealand, students will also be able to compare and contrast their experiences in Australia with the ecosystems, philosophies and relationships to place they encounter in these geographically proximate, but culturally distinct Oceanic societies. In order to register for this course, the student must be an active member of the Global College Student Group.