Australia - South Queensland: Humans and the Environment
Program Description
This 3.5-week experiential
program uses the theme of sustainable development to explore the
relationship between people and their natural environment. Queensland
is known as the Sunshine State, and is home to the Outback and
Aboriginal communities, lush tropical rainforest, golden beaches,
uniquely Australian marsupials, and the marine diversity of the
magnificent and stunning Great Barrier Reef.
Our
experiential education focuses on learning through guided action.
Students spend about 70% of their time traveling the stunning national
parks, forests, wildlife reserves, coastlines, and islands of South
Queensland under the guidance of knowledgeable field professionals. We
begin our program in the modern, sophisticated city of Brisbane, taking
classes and local field trips with program faculty and Australian
experts. This is followed a 3-week field study of South Queensland.
We fly to Lady Elliot Island (an isolated island on the Great Barrier
Reef), visit with unique wildlife at Lamington National Park, and
explore the outback at Carnarvon Gorge. Typical program activities
include: snorkeling the Great Barrier Reef, experiencing Aboriginal
bush life, hiking tropical rainforests, and meeting koalas and
kangaroos.
This program can be combined with the 10-day program in Fiji or the 10-day program in New Zealand.
Interactive Map and Program Itinerary
Check out our
interactive program map and view a
sample itinerary for this program.
Program Pictures
Check out our Flickr page to view pictures of the Australia: South Queensland program!
Program Objectives
By the end of the program students will:
- Understand
the natural history, biogeography, ecological diversity, and related
social and cultural contexts of Australia through an exploration of
Queensland's network of national parks and protected areas, which
encompass the Outback, rainforests, coastlines, marine reserves, and
offshore islands;
- Understand the impacts of
human actions on the natural systems, and human responses to those
changes, using the case of Queensland, Australia;
- Develop
an understanding of ecological education practices, integrated natural
resource management, and conservation actions throughout Queensland,
Australia;
- Be able to address relationships
between human societies and their natural environments from multiple
disciplinary perspectives and to develop a complex, multi-faceted and
holistic view of human - environment connections that cross traditional
disciplinary boundaries.
Read the
program syllabus for this program.
Eligibility
We encourage students from all majors to apply, as we take an
interdisciplinary perspective to examine global issues in the
conservation of unique wildlife, natural systems, and cultural places.
Students should have a minimum GPA of 2.5 and be in good standing with
their home university or college.
Program Fee
The program fee (see
application page) includes:
-
Transcript
- Accommodation at hostels and motels
- Orientation
- Some meals
- Group activities
- In-country transportation
Additional costs that students are responsible for include:
Top Reasons to Choose this Program
- Queensland is world renowned for its spectacular
natural environment and unique culture, and we will help you discover
its many wonders.
- Where else would you have the chance
to snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, hike through pristine rainforest,
learn about Aboriginal culture, and visit the famous Outback?
- You
will spend much of your time (~70%) out in the field, visiting and
observing Australia first-hand. We believe that students learn from
study abroad experiences both in and outside of the classroom.
- You
will learn from leading Australian academics and professionals with
expertise in subjects related to the Humans and the Environment theme.
- Our programs offer the highest quality academics at the lowest costs available.
