Dan Johnson
Department of Geography
&
John Rueter
Department of Environmenal Studies

Program Description: A set of three courses in the "Environmental Sustainability" cluster (University Studies) will be offered in a single term and include a twenty-day field trip to Western Spain. The three courses include the Sophomore Inquiry course and two 300-level courses. The international travel component of the class will be during the middle of Spring term, 2006, when airfare is cheaper, when housing is more available and during a season of long daylight hours and excellent weather for field work. This program provides an opportunity for students to get an affordable international experience early in their academic career while fulfilling necessary university requirements.

Schedule:  The intent is that this three-course package be the sum total of each student's courseload for the term, thereby freeing them for the international travel component.  The schedule will be as follows:

Weeks One - Five:       PSU - 6 hours/week classroom experience
Weeks Six - Eight        International Travel to Spain
Weeks Nine - Eleven:  PSU - 6 hours/week classroom experience

Program Content:   Content of the three courses will be blended together for scheduling purposes.  Faculty will team-teach the Sophomore Inquiry course; and faculty will have individual responsibility for their respective 300-level courses.  The three courses in the program are:

       UNST 224:   Environmental Sustainability (4 credits)
       ESR 355U:    Understanding the Environment (4 credits)
       GEOG 349U: Mountain Geography (4 credits)

Note....all courses are all in the Environmental Sustainability Cluster; students who need only the upper-division credits may contact the instructors for additional independent-study credits.