Gracie Stevens reflects on her visit to the “House of Little Wings”: The first thing our group did upon arriving in Arizona was visit the refugee hospitality center, Casa Alitas. It is a program run in Tucson, Arizona that helps get refugees or asylum seekers off the roads and starts them on their new lives … Keep reading »
Indigenous Economies
A cultural perspectives course based on the Goshen College campus with the bulk of our time spent outdoors, student will explore the interactions between people, land and production in a Native American context.
First Days in Tucson
Tucson is a sprawling and vibrant city of a half million people in southeastern Arizona. June is a hot month in this part of the world, with temperatures reaching 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the afternoons. But “it’s a dry heat,” as people often say, with low humidity and cooler temperatures in the mornings. Running in … Keep reading »
Learning Objectives
Here is what we hope students will learn while spending three weeks in the Desert Southwest.
Welcome to Ecological Economics in Arizona
Today is the first day of a new and innovative course, a partnership between the Business Department and Athletics. Jerrell Ross Richer, professor of economics, and Rustin Nyce, head coach of the men’s and women’s cross country and track teams, are team-teaching a class called Ecological Economics in Arizona. Here is how we described the … Keep reading »
Reciprocity: Learning by Doing
All good things must come to an end, including experiential learning in outdoor settings that give our lungs a chance to breath fresh air and our minds an encounter with paradigm-shifting perspectives, a.k.a. the Indigenous Economies May Term course. Most of us did not realize how different indigenous worldviews would be until we met George … Keep reading »
Mnomen — Wild Rice
The author of this post is Naomi Ross Richer, a first-year Deaf Studies major from Goshen, Indiana: The southern shore of lake Michigan is home to Mnomen, known as wild rice in English. This staple in the traditional Potawatomi diet was almost lost when swales (swamp lands) were drained for the expansion of nearby … Keep reading »
10,000 Years of Human History
The author of this post, Oskar Sunderland, is a junior Graphic Design major from Seattle, Washington: Our group’s tour to the Bailly Homestead and Chellberg Farm at Indiana Dunes National Park was a unique and compelling window into the past. We gathered at the start of a trail to hear from Co-Chief of Interpretation and … Keep reading »
Hiking the Dunes
Simon Graber Miller, a senior Biology major from Goshen, Indiana, shares his perspective on one of our outdoor activities: After a captivating talk from Billie Warren on indigenous perspectives of ecology and economy, we had a delicious lunch of hummus and pita provided by our chef for the week, Tom Hartzell. We loaded into the … Keep reading »
Indigenous Perspectives on Ecology and the Economy
Ariana Perez Diener is the author of this post. A senior Environmental and Marine Science major from Goshen, Indiana, Ariana reflects on our time with a member of the Pokagon Band Potawatomi while at Indiana Dunes: On Tuesday morning our group had the privilege to hear from Billie Warren, a Potawatomi woman and speaker. We … Keep reading »
Biodiversity Showcase in Miller Woods
Liam Elias shares his thoughts about a ranger-led hike near Lake Michigan. Liam is a senior Environmental and Marine Science major from Bothell, Washington: To start off our second full week of May term, we traveled to Indiana Dunes National Park to camp for three nights. The stoke was high because we could see … Keep reading »