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: Botswana: Sustainability, Conservation in Southern Africa :: The purpose of the course, Conservation in Southern Africa, is to provide a firsthand understanding of natural history of the bushveld of southern Africa, but more specifically eastern Botswana. It exposes students to the conservation issues relevant to the region and associated conservation management challenges. Small research projects are usually integrated into the trip with students getting a hands-on approach to different and very exciting conservation work conducted in the area. Various students also complete research projects on components of data collected during the course trip as part of their undergraduate or graduate degree requirements. This course, held in the Mashatu Game Reserve in Botswana, offers many opportunities and challenges. Like much of the African continent, this part of eastern Botswana encompasses a large number of challenges and opportunities for modern conservation efforts including ecotourism, biodiversity, fragmented ecosystems, and human impacts. This is not one of the few large expanses of intact biodiversity now found in just a few places on the continent, but a place where humans and wildlife are in close proximity and often in conflict. UNL Faculty-Led: Iceland: Landscapes, Sustainability, and Tourism:: This faculty-led study abroad program to Iceland will take place over two weeks and will be based in various cities/locations in Iceland including Reykjavik, and the Solheimar Eco-Village. With a low crime rate and booming tourism, Iceland is an excellent location for students to gain leading-edge experience. The country is a case study of multiple themes attractive to students of various disciplines including engineering, environmental studies, outdoor recreation, sustainability, geography, geology, climatology, natural resources, and more. The goal of the program is to expose students of diverse majors to the country of Iceland, so that in experiencing the course's core themes of landscapes, sustainability, and tourism, students have a rigorous understanding of and ability to speak to working with such themes in a variety of future settings. Some themes students will be exploring within the broader themes of landscapes, sustainability, and tourism include cultural and human geography, economics, politics, Icelandic culture, physical landscapes, hydrothermal features, ecotourism, urban planning, and much more!