Outdoor Studies Courses

Semester specific course descriptions

100. Outdoor Studies Core Course.
An introduction to outdoor studies that includes many elements of the minor. Study of ideas about nature and the human place in nature is its guiding thread, complemented by study of natural history, by experience in nature, and by expression (primarily through writing) of the student’s own thoughts and feelings about nature.

101. Modern Outdoor Recreation Ethics.
By means of study, experience and reflection, this half-unit lecture and required lab course attempts to foster a personal environmental ethic as well as knowledge about environmentally sensitive recreation in the outdoors. Course content focuses on historical and present-day philosophies and practices of outdoor pursuits, including backcountry travel, canoeing, climbing, first aid and expedition planning. The course requires five overnight field trips to practice the material covered in the classroom.

115. Introduction to Snow Science and Avalanches.
This eight-day January course integrates theory with scientific technical skills on a unique field-expedition in a mountain range in North America. Students learn the foundation principles of snow science and avalanche study through readings, classroom learning and field experience, and explore the relationship between human behavior and decision-making, and how it affects snow pack stability. Topics include snow science, mountain weather, geology, avalanche search and rescue, backcountry travel, and the human-nature interaction and relationship in a mountainous winter environment, as well as backcountry wilderness skills necessary to recreate, travel and study safely in a mountainous, winter environment.

201. Natural History of the Adirondacks.
Offered as part of the Adirondack Semester. This field-oriented course emphasizes the natural history, ecology, geology, geography and climate of the Adirondacks. Primary emphasis is on the taxonomy, life histories, local adaptations and uses of Adirondack flora and fauna. Basic ecological concepts such as succession, competition, energy flow, food webs and nutrient cycles are studied by means of field trips and field studies. Study may also be made of stars, seasons and the movement of principal parts of the solar system as they apply to the Adirondacks. Students learn how to record observational data as well as how to conduct an experiment.

202. Creative Expressions of Nature.
Offered as part of the Adirondack Semester. This course looks at our interaction with the natural world through an individual and artistic eye. We consider the purpose of art in general through a look at nature writing, nature journaling, papermaking, sketching, poetry and artistic representation. Students try their hand at various modes of artistic expression and mine their own experiences in the outdoors for raw material, to explore the intersection of self and the natural world, that internal landscape where the “eye” and the “I” meet. Through a series of focused reading and creative writing assignments, sketching exercises, creative workshops and a gallery visit, students are encouraged to slow down, observe and reflect on the personal relationship they have with the natural world.

203. Land Use Change in the Adirondacks.
Using the Adirondacks as a case study, this course examines current activities in land planning and the importance of historical context. Study of Adirondack history begins with 16th-century information from European explorers and Native Americans. Emphasis is then placed on industrial and recreational use in the 19th century. The course highlights formation of the State Forest Preserve and the Adirondack Park, and regulations governing private land use. Study of the present utilizes political theory such as internal colonization and core-periphery. The course employs local examples through discussion and field trips.

310. Philosophy of the Environment.
Offered as part of the Adirondack Semester. Environmental problems are due primarily to the volume of human consumption. Is this high consumption necessary for happiness or could we be happy while doing less damage to the natural world? If we could, as many environmentalists argue, why do so few of us choose lower consumption? Is it possible to consume less, either as individuals or as a society? What kinds of changes are feasible in society to reduce our damage to the natural world? The course offers a theory of happiness intended to make it possible to answer these questions. Also offered as Environmental Studies 310 and Philosophy 310, and through Peace Studies.