Why Field Trips?
“Meeting the people living out the histories and cultures we have only read about has changed the way I see their world and mine.”
— Student comment on course evaluation
Field trips often shift students’ perceptions and attitudes about course content as applied to real situations in the region. Besides hearing from community leaders and professional practitioners, field trip sometimes involve real work: helping with research on an endangered species through observation and field notes, or helping villagers clean their vega (common lands) in exchange for presentations on community history and issues.
The four-week block immerses students in readings and lectures; the field trip immerses students in the landscapes, communities, cultures and ecosystems that populate the Southwest. With no concern about conflicting classes, field trips can span from one day to two weeks.
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Some field trips are reflective, involving creative writing and journaling |
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Some involve learning the tools of field work |
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Some involve being taught by those who aren’t always found in text books. |
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