Student Originated Studies: Travel-Based Education

Description

This SOS is for students seriously interested in study-related or research projects involving an individually designed journey or travel. There is a long and revered tradition of humans embarking on journeys for the purpose of learning to develop self-awareness, get to know the world outside of what is familiar, engage in a spiritual quest, or expand the student's sense of what is possible. Travel has been a powerful academic, experiential and research component in the life of many scholars, artists, writers, mystics, and scientists. For thousands of years, humans have developed intercultural awareness, valuable communication skills, resourcefulness, spiritual awareness, cultural understanding, and a sense of the relativity of their personal views by engaging in it. Travel can be deeply transformative. This program is an educational offering designed for self-directed students who desire to benefit from engaging in educational travel as part of their learning at Evergreen.

Students interested in registering must have a project in mind that requires travel as a central component of their learning. Individual projects should involve or prepare for some form travel for the purpose of learning, research, interdisciplinary studies, writing, volunteering, learning languages, studying historical events at their source, studying spiritual quests, understanding or studying other cultures, learning about a culturally relevant artifact or artistic expression at its source, developing a career in the leisure or tourism industry, or any combination thereof. Serious, self-directed, and responsible students are encouraged to register.

Students will spend the first one or two weeks finishing intensive preparatory research on their specific destinations, to acquaint themselves the historical and cultural context of their place of destination, understand cultural norms, and study any relevant legal issues. Participants will prepare plans to be ready for emergencies or eventualities as well, as each student might have a different project and the faculty will remain as a resource for all participants. Students will be responsible for making all necessary arrangements for their travel, room and board, as well as budgeting for individual expenses related to their projects.

Once the initial one or two weeks of preparation are completed, participants in the program will embark on their travel-related practicum or project, and report regularly to the faculty using a procedure negotiated in advance. Participants will be required to document their experience effectively in order to produce a final report. Participants will return to Olympia by week 10 to present the final report of their experience and project to the class at the Olympia campus, unless specifically arranged in advance with the faculty by week two.

Please Note: This program is not a Study Abroad academic offering. Students interested in Study Abroad should work on an Independent Learning Contract with Ariel Goldberger separately, or pursue offerings listed in the corresponding section of the catalog. Those students who have demonstrated academic progress and who have projects that take more than a quarter are advised to negotiate an ILC with professor Goldberger to accomodate their learning needs.