Learning and Experiencing
This Summer Honors Core Seminar was largely financed through a grant that Oakton Community College received from the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) in 2017. Out of the 200 recipients, only four went to community colleges and Oakton was one of the chosen ones.
“The grant, worth $98,957 over 30 months, will fund ‘People, Place, and Purpose: Fostering an Understanding of a Complex World,’ an interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance the college’s new environmental studies concentration. Humanities Connections grants are intended to expand the role of the humanities in the undergraduate curriculum at two- and four-year institutions, and the grant will make possible the addition of two new courses.
Professor of English Marian Staats, assistant professor of biology Paul Gulezian and Thomas Bowen, professor of philosophy, developed the program, which includes a summer field experience for Oakton students to help them understand how the natural environment links with art, literature, religion, philosophy and music in a variety of cultural settings.”
The 12 students responsible for creating this website were the first ones to participate in the field study: Allison Wallin, Ann Erdene, April Villalon, Callan Padron, Deborah Cesarini, Ethan McIntosh, Gabrielle Dizon, Gina Roxas, LeiLani Kobzina, Nosheen Majeed, Rushanas Hasan, and Sarah Kazakis.
We had 5 weeks of in-college classes prior to traveling, which was divided into a Humanities class (HUM 122 - Contemporary Arts and Culture) and a Biology class (BIO 109 - Plants and Society). HUM 122 included discussions about historical development in natural areas, conservation, naturalism, land ethic, indigenous culture and history, agriculture and migrant labor, ecofeminism, queer ecology and deep ecology. On the other hand, BIO 109 included learning about plant biology and physiology, agriculture, and plant usages (i.e. fabrics and cloth, medicine, psychoactive drugs). Each class worked to complement the other, giving insight into the biological aspects of plants and how they have their intrinsic value and how they relate the land and animals - including humans.
The next stage in our seminar was our field trip, which included traveling through six states: Wisconsin, Minnesota, South Dakota, Wyoming, Montana, and North Dakota. Going through lots of states gave us a chance of experiencing different ecosystems and landscapes. During the trip, we had field guides - as well as the guidance of our instructors - to take us through the numerous hikes we did. We were also given the task to maintain a field journal relating different plant species that we’ve found in each location and our encounters with natural areas and features.
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TRIP ITINERARY
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Day 1 - July 7, 2018
Departure from Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
Mirror Lake State Park, Baraboo, WI
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Day 2- July 8, 2018
Aldo Leopold Foundation and Shack (WI)
Blue Mounds State Park, Luverne, MN
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Day 3 - July 9, 2018
Prairie trail and Sioux quartzite cliffs (MN)
Cedar Pass Campground, Badlands National Park, Interior, SD
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Day 4 - July 10, 2018
Cedar Pass Campground, Badlands National Park, Interior, SD
Day 5 - July 11, 2018
Saddleback Pass and Medicine Loop/Castle Rock Trail (SD)
Notch/Door/Window Trails (SD)
Sylvan Lake Campground, Custer State Park, Custer, SD
Day 6 - July 12, 2018
Black Elk Peak (SD)
Sylvan Lake Campground, Custer State Park, Custer, SD
Day 7 - July 13, 2018
Bear Butte (SD)
Leigh Creek Campground, Bighorn National Forest, Ten Sleep, WY
Day 8 - July 14, 2018
Ten Sleep Fish Hatchery (WY)
Canyon Campground, Canyon Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Day 9 - July 15, 2018
Ranger Hike at Canyon Rim and Clear Lake (WY)
Canyon Campground, Canyon Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Day 10 - July 16, 2018
Norris Basin geysers and geothermals (WY)
Mammoth Hot Springs (WY)
Elephant Back Mountain Trail (WY)
Canyon Campground, Canyon Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Day 11 - July 17, 2018
Specimen Ridge (WY)
Canyon Campground, Canyon Village, Yellowstone National Park, WY
Day 12 - July 18, 2018
Hauser Lake Park (MT)
Greenough Lake Campground, Custer Gallatin National Forest, Red Lodge, MT
Day 13 - July 19, 2018
Cains Coulee Campground, Makoshika State Park, Glendive, MT
Day 14 - July 20, 2018
Cap Rock Nature Trail and sandstone span (MT)
Cottonwood Campground, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND
Day 15 - July 21, 2018
Scenic Loop Drive of South Unit at the Theodore Roosevelt National Park (ND)
Ranger Hike at Petrified Forest Trail (ND)
Cannonball Concretions (ND)
River Bend Overlook (ND)
Cottonwood Campground, Theodore Roosevelt National Park, Medora, ND
Day 16 - July 22, 2018
Drive through North Dakota, Minnesota and Wisconsin
Day 17 - July 23, 2018
Arrival at Oakton Community College, Des Plaines, IL
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