University of Nebraska - Lincoln
AC-5: Immersive Experience

- UNL Faculty-Led: Ecuador: Sustainable Village-Based Design :: This course is an international service-learning education experience. Students will learn sustainable community-based design, cultural implications of working within communities, and extensive project planning, management, and evaluation. Partnering with the non-profit Verde Milenio and the community, students will work in teams alongside faculty to plan, design, conduct, and evaluate short- and long-term projects based on community needs. This program is open to UNL College of Architecture students in good academic standing. - UNL Faculty-Led: Greece: Sustainability, Environment & Society :: This program will begin in Athens, where students will be given the opportunity to tour one of the oldest cities in the world. From Athens, students will travel by ferry to the island of Santorini, nestled in the Aegean Sea, this semicircle island is the result of an enormous volcanic eruption that occurred over 3,500 years ago and shaped by several eruptions that have occurred since. The remaining caldera is home to some of the most unique ecosystems on earth. Visiting the volcano, the pre-historic site of Akrotiri, dry land vineyards and olive groves, wine museum, two wineries, and learning from local residents, students will learn firsthand the unique geography, history, agriculture, tourism, sustainability and ecology of this island. A ferry will take students from Santorini to the famous island of Crete. Students will learn first-hand from farmers, producers and ecologist, students will tour an organic olive grove and the Dourakis Winery. Lake Agia will showcase the unique ecology of this treasured island, walk the 18 km (downhill) of Samaria Gorge and discuss the ecology and wildlife of the area, tour an onsite herbarium of medicinal plants and herbs of the Mediterranean and take a cooking class using herbs selected by students. This program is open to undergraduate and graduate UNL students in good academic standing. - UNL Faculty-Led: Jamaica: Sustainable Tourism Development :: The academic purpose of this program is to explore the topics of sustainable tourism development and planning that have maintained local communities for generations. In addition, students will also examine issues of utilizing and conserving the natural, cultural, and historical tourism resources through educational travel, field trips, lecture presentations, seminars, and course activities. This study tour will also highlight diverse perspectives drawn from successful tourism development, sustainable tourism, agri- and eco-tourism, and natural-base and community-based tourism. The course will increase students' abilities to develop tourism industry, businesses and products to enhance the economic, social, cultural, and environmental impact to local communities through understanding the concept of sustainable tourism. Students will partake in five pre-departure sessions that will cover general information and logistics. Students will also complete a project or assignment that involves researching a topic on eco-tourism and community-based tourism in Jamaica. Once in Jamaica, students will write daily journal entries and a reflection article that addresses specific topics. Students will submit a written report, summarizing what they learned from the program on a daily basis and their overall impression. This program is open to any student enrolled at UNL.