Here is what we hope students will learn while spending three weeks in the Desert Southwest:
1. Economics: Turning what we have into what we need
Given three weeks of cultural immersion in the American west – featuring presentations, conversations, explorations and other experiential learning opportunities with our hosts — students will develop an understanding of how people living in Arizona turn the resources they have — natural, physical, human, social, financial, spiritual and cultural — into the goods and services they need in order to maintain and improve their standards of living.
2. Protecting cultures and environments
Given encounters with ranchers, scientists, environmentalists, indigenous leaders, business owners, migrants, community leaders, advocates and people of faith, students will develop capacities to assess and evaluate efforts to protect distinct cultures, environments and livelihoods in an era of globalization and rapid change.
3. Place and Identity
Given three weeks of exploration in this arid, wide-open, “basin and range” landscape, students will come to realize how they – as residents of the world’s largest economy, visitors to Arizona, and emerging global citizens – are connected to these unique places and peoples, actively and critically reflecting on their own identity and position in the world.
4. Communication and Leadership
Students will learn critical skills related to communication and leadership. Students will learn how to communicate and lead in situations that require precise and succinct feedback in order to accomplish a task. Students will also provide productive debriefing feedback and planning. Students will gain and utilize skills to effectively communicate and lead a group of peers.
5. Adventure
Given opportunities to experience new activities in outdoor settings, students will gain confidence and aptitude as they challenge themselves physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
