Outdoor Education Minor

Introduction

Since 1970, the Wilderness Program at Earlham College has been at the forefront of training and developing outdoor leaders and educators. The program consists of both academic course work and the development of technical skills through a wide variety of on and off-campus outdoor activities. The academic courses emphasize understanding the field of adventure programming from theoretical, historical, philosophical, and practical viewpoints. Interdisciplinary ties and connections include both the Natural Sciences (particularly Biology and Geology) and the Social Sciences (Education, Human Development and Social Relations, and the Management program). Combining a major in the sciences, arts, or humanities with a minor in Outdoor Education is encouraged for professional preparation. Many students have also individually designed majors.

A unique aspect of the program is its emphasis on extended, expeditionary-based learning opportunities. With our month-long courses in Utah and Canada (August Wilderness), and our semester course in the Southwest (Southwest Field Studies), students have many opportunities for in-depth, intensive study combined with real, hands-on teaching and learning.

Post Graduate

Earlham has a national reputation for training outstanding outdoor educators. The unique combination of on-campus courses, field experiences, and leadership opportunities provide an excellent opportunity for development of both technical and interpersonal skills. Graduates have gone on to careers in environmental education, park management, wilderness guiding, and outdoor recreation. Recent Earlham alumni have found work with Outward Bound, the Student Conservation Association, the National Park Service, Eckerd Youth Corps, and the National Outdoor Leadership School, among others.

The Program

The Minor in Outdoor Education is offered in cooperation with the Wilderness and Education programs at Earlham College. The program is designed to prepare students for a leadership role in the professional field of outdoor education. Through a combination of course work and experiential learning, the minor emphasizes educational methodology, interpersonal and leadership skills such as consensus, group dynamics, judgment and decision making, and an introduction to technical skills such as backpacking, canoeing, rock climbing, and kayaking.

The Minor

Students completing the Outdoor Education minor take these required courses:

And at least two of the following:

And enroll/participate in at least one of the following field components:

Course Descriptions

For the current year's course offerings, please use WebDB.

Courses marked with a red dot (•) fulfill an Earlham general education requirement. (W) = Wellness, (AY) = Offered in Alternate Years

EDUC 110 AUGUST WILDERNESS (3 credits)

The 24-day August Wilderness experience in Utah (backpacking) or Canada (canoeing) combines active physical challenge with study, observation, and personal reflection. Course work in the local history, geology, and ecology of the area combines facilitated discussions on such topics as leadership, decision-making, communication, and conflict resolution. Readings, journal writing, skill assessments, and essay assignments provide the basis for academic credit.

EDUC 111 WILDERNESS SKILLS (1 credit)

Introduces the unique skills of wilderness living and travel including camp craft, equipment care and maintenance, rope handling, and Leave No Trace techniques. Often includes a weekend backpacking trip.

• EDUC 112 GROUP FACILITATION AND TEAM BUILDING (3 credits)

Explores the fundamentals of group facilitation and team building. Various theories of group development are explored in addition to principles of effective group facilitation. A practicum component includes students presenting activities and working with an outside group. (W)

EDUC 120 FOUNDATIONS OF EDUCATION

(3 - 4 credits)

An examination of the basis of the present educational system and the nature of its social impact and future implications. Designed to provide the foundation for further study. Recommended for first-year students. Includes a 25-hour practicum.

EDUC 121 PRE-PROFESSIONAL PRACTICUM (2 credits)

Observation and work as an aide in elementary, middle, or secondary schools. Activities include viewing teacher and student behavior and assisting by tutoring, working with small groups, preparing instructional materials, and conducting small research studies. Consent of the Education convener and on-site supervisor required.

EDUC 122 CROSS-CULTURAL EDUCATIONAL PERSPECTIVES (3 credits)

A cross-cultural study of the Japanese and American cultures and their perspectives on education. (Offered on SICE Program.)

EDUC 129 BASIC STUDIES (3 credits)

• EDUC 210 WILDERNESS LEADERSHIP (2 credits)

Examines the role of the instructor and leader in wilderness settings. Topics include safety considerations, route selection, logistics preparation, psychological models of adventure, leadership studies, gender and diversity, and risk management. (W)

EDUC 211 WILDERNESS FIRST AID AND EMERGENCY CARE (2 credits)

Preparation for Wilderness First Responder certification through SOLO — a national wilderness training organization. Emphasizes practical, hands-on first aid and emergency care in a wilderness context. Usually offered during Spring Break. Wilderness First Aid

EDUC 212 OUTDOOR EDUCATION (4 credits)

Explores the unique pedagogical considerations of outdoor education from a practical, field-based context. Topics include various educational and psychological models of learning, the role of the instructor, trip planning and preparation, outdoor teaching methods, and teaching practicums. Offered only on Southwest Field Studies. (W)

EDUC 238 METHODS OF PEACEMAKING (4 credits)

A practical course teaching methods for facilitating education and community organizing. The methods are for the most part those developed in South America by Paulo Freire and others engaged in popular education and grassroots development there. The community whose thematic universe is codified is Richmond, Indiana, and the work for the class includes interaction with local people in churches, labor unions, businesses, sports events, recovery groups, lodges, schools, shopping malls, senior citizen centers, and factories, as well as the thematic analysis of major elements of national and international popular culture which are consumed in Richmond. Also listed as PAGS 238.

EDUC 240 SEMINAR (3 credits)

EDUC 241 INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA AND TECHNOLOGY (2 credits)

The study of various instructional media and technology appropriate for use in teaching. Recommended for sophomore or junior year. (AY)

EDUC 248 THEORY AND PRACTICE OF EDUCATION (4 credits)

Reflects the central premise that prospective teachers need both to teach and to read about teaching and its circumstances; they need to integrate doing and learning. Likewise, students need to work as much as possible with master teachers who can model the craft and science of teaching. Taught at Earlham focusing on readings, research, writing, and experiences connected to the course and especially to teaching. Students also attend and observe in local schools.

• EDUC 310 EXPERIENTIAL EDUCATION (3 credits)

Explores the historical, theoretical, and practical elements of the field of experiential education. Emphasizes gaining a firm foundation of the field’s roots — placing it within the context of the larger movements within education — in addition to exploring the various strands of its growth and development. (W)

EDUC 311 WILDERNESS INSTRUCTORS COURSE (3 credits)

Offered only in May Term. An intensive practicum for the developing outdoor educator. Emphasizing opportunities for practice and feedback, students travel in the backcountry learning and teaching such outdoor skills as navigation, campcraft, group facilitation, judgment, risk assessment, and leadership. Required of all instructor candidates for August Wilderness. Prerequisite: EDUC 210 or consent of the instructor(s).

EDUC 344 STUDIES IN LANGUAGE LEARNING AND TEACHING PROGRAM (4 credits)

Combines theoretical foundations of second-language acquisition with practical classroom techniques and procedures. Examines such issues as the comparison of first- and second-language acquisition, proficiency-oriented instruction, and socio-cultural variables. Also listed as TESOL 344.

EDUC 353 PHILOSOPHY OF EDUCATION (3 credits)

Examines a variety of historical and contemporary texts that present alternative views of the nature and goals of education. Topics may include feminist pedagogies and contemporary education; interdisciplinary perspectives on multicultural education; the role of education in historical and modern democracies; and teaching toward social justice in the contemporary classroom. Prerequisites: Interpretive and Comparative Practices and one previous course in Education or consent of the instructor. Also listed as PHIL 353. (AY)

EDUC 359 HISTORY OF EDUCATION (3 credits)

Begins in the 17th century, but focuses on the 19th and 20th centuries. Emphasizes the United States while drawing up the history, experiences, and philosophies of other countries or regions to help explain or clarify the U.S. development of education. Defines education not so much as what takes place in the classroom, but as the transmission of culture; this approach permits students to have a broader understanding of the forces and factors that have shaped and continue to shape public and even private education at the primary and secondary level in the U.S. Also listed as HIST 359. (A)

EDUC 371 SOCIOLOGY OF EDUCATION (3 credits)

This examination of schools addresses the question, “Why are things the way they are?” The course takes the view that schools are not just for the education of students, that other interest groups exercise a consistent and pervasive impact on what happens in our nation’s schools from the elementary school through college. Explores persistent issues in education using a critical perspective. Also listed as SOAN 371.

EDUC 373 MORAL EDUCATION (3 credits)

Aims at a basic understanding of psychological theory and research on moral development, various techniques of moral education, and philosophical and psychological perspectives of moral goodness. A mixture of both lecture and class discussion. Students required to develop their own moral education curriculum as part of a small group project. Also listed as PSYC 373. (AY)

EDUC 469 INTERNSHIP IN EDUCATION (3-9 credits)

Supervised internship which involves a student in the application of knowledge and skills related to a specific educational focus (for example, museum education, adult education, recreation). Consent of the Education convenor and on-site supervisor required.

EDUC 481 INTERNSHIPS, FIELD STUDIES AND OTHER FIELD EXPERIENCES

EDUC 482 SPECIAL TOPICS (3 credits)

Selected topics determined by the instructor for upper-level study.

EDUC 483 TEACHING ASSISTANTS

EDUC 484 FORD/KNIGHT RESEARCH PROJECT (1-4 credits)

Collaborative research with faculty funded by the Ford/Knight Program.

EDUC 485 INDEPENDENT STUDY (1-3 credits)

Investigation of a specific topic conceived and planned by the student in consultation with a faculty supervisor. Culminates in a comprehensive report prepared in the style of a thesis or paper.

EDUC 488 SENIOR SEMINAR (3 credits)

Faculty

(Biographies)

Jay Roberts, Director

Tom Ferrell, Associate Director

Contact Us:

Wilderness Programs
801 National Road West, Drawer 87
Richmond, IN 47374
phone:(765) 983-1327; fax: (765) 983-1207
Wilderness@earlham.edu