Note: as of mid-October this class is now fully enrolled and no spots are left
Scheduled Field Experience dates Mon. May 9 to Sat. May 21 2022
This course will involve critical academic analyses of Natural Resource Management, Regional and International Migration, Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management, Indigenous Issues, as well as an examination of the Physical and Cultural Landscapes of the Southwest United States. Participants will register for the class as a spring semester course and there will be class readings as well as 6 mandatory pre-trip class meetings which will occur about every three weeks on Tuesday evenings in the spring semester. Travel is scheduled to occur at the end of the semester: May 9-21
Planned Travel Itinerary (this is an approximate schedule that may be altered)
Mon May 9: Day 1 –Fly to Phoenix. Desert ecologies and development on the wildland/urban interface. Camp in Sonoran Desert in Cave Creek, AZ.
Tues May 10: Elevation, precipitation, and landscape change. Jerome, Verde Valley, Sedona. Camp in Oak Creek Canyon, AZ.
Wed May 11– Go to Flagstaff via Oak Creek Canyon. Microclimates, volcanoes, indigenous settlement of the area, fires and national forest land use issues. Wapatki and Sunset Crater. Hotel in Flagstaff, AZ.
Thur May 12 – Grand Canyon via Williams and Canyon Mine. Legacies of uranium mining. Camp at Grand Canyon Village, AZ.
Fri May 13– Grand Canyon hike (Bright Angel). Camp at Grand Canyon Village, AZ.
Sat May 14 – Drive to Desert View, Diné (Navajo) Reservation, Antelope Canyon, Glen Canyon Dam tour, Histories of Native American dispossession and resistance, Water issues in the West. Hotel in Page, AZ.
Sun May 15 – Grand Staircase/Escalante . Land use and reductions of National Monuments. Camping Kodachrome Basin, UT.
Mon May 16 – Bryce Canyon NP. Tourism development and overuse. Camp in Zion, UT.
Tues May 17 Zion Canyon. Drive to Las Vegas. comparing deserts. Population growth in the sunbelt. hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
Wed May 18 – Nuclear Testing Museum. hotel in Las Vegas, NV.
Thur May 19 – Joshua Tree NP. Camp at Cottonwood Spring campground.
Fri May 20 – Wake in Joshua Tree, drive to Calexico via Salton Sea / Imperial Valley. examine water use, agriculture, and border militarization. Drive to Phoenix and have wrap-up dinner. Evening plane departure. (overnight flight)
Sat May 21 – arrive early morning in Boston.
There is a course fee is $1725 (that is in addition to regular spring tuition) and will cover airfare from Boston to Phoenix; as well as all lodging, transportation, entrance fees, and activities in the Southwest. Students will be responsible for their own food purchases on the trip however. The course fee will be added to the student’s cost-of-attendance and put on the spring tuition bill which is due in December. This means financial aid can be applied to the course fee. Because airfare, hotels, and other expenses must be purchased long in advance of the trip, the course fee is non-refundable (unless the whole travel experience is cancelled by the college due to COVID or other disaster – see below*). Students should commit to the course by the time of spring course registration in October of 2021.
*Due to the uncertainty of COVID-19 travel-related travel restrictions in May of 2022 we may of course have to alter the planned travel itinerary. It may require some changes to the schedule or – if absolutely necessary – a cancellation of the travel portion of the course. The college’s final decision regarding travel will be informed by health and safety recommendations issued by relevant government agencies. In the event of cancellation, students will receive reimbursement on all expenses that are refundable.
Sasha Davis Projects 