Few people have the opportunity to visit the seventh continent. It is not easy to reach and yet the voyage is absolutely beyond words. Like our Greenland expedition on the other far side of the world, this is the kind of expedition that brings to light the realities of climate change and the critical importance of the Ice Continent and the surrounding Southern Ocean. This is the expedition to be up close and personal with thousands of various penguin and seal species. And this is one of those rare opportunities to do a polar plunge on New Years Day where few people have. But most importantly, it is an opportunity to learn from the most unforgiving place on Earth about the dream of the earth and the future role of humanity that we all will carry with us far into our elder years. 6 CORE Credits (THEO 332 & PHIL 200 or PHIL 250 are offered for all undergraduate majors. Limit 14.

If you want to learn a different perspective on human wellness within an incredibly majestic, ancient setting, then this is expedition is right for you! We emphasize naturopathic perspectives on wellness from a Navajo context, which is quite different than how we may be formally taught about wellness. During this experience we will learn the connection between landscape, story, ceremony and human health. And what better way to learn this than from Dineh (The People, Navajo)? While we respectfully will not learn detailed medicinal practices, as these practices have long been safeguarded by the Navajo people for essential reasons, we will discover alternative perspectives to medicine which can impact our own clinical approach. And we will do this on the incredibly spirit-filled Navajo landscape—from Monument Valley to Canyon de Chelly—and we will listen and learn from those who live here, whose identities are here, whose stories are here. Naturally, we will include stops along the Southwest for hikes down into the Grand Canyon and we will have Navajo guides lead us on hikes into sacred lands. At the end of this expedition, our perspectives on human wellness will broaden. This expedition offers 3 CORE Credits (THEO 332) and 1 Course for Healthcare/Nursing Majors (NURS 444). Limit 14.

A once-in-a-lifetime African safari experience. Namibia is home to the oldest hunter-gather culture in the world and to the largest elephants in the world. Namibia is also a refuge for remaining black rhinos, white rhinos, pangolin, desert elephant, and cheetah. This expedition includes visits to Damaraland and the Namib Desert, the oldest desert in the world. We also visit traditional bushmen land, the Erongo Mountains, and Etosha National Park, the flagship park of Namibia. This expedition includes experiences of lions feeding up close and intimate visits to a rhino orphanage to meet orphans and learn about their stories and challenges that Namibians face in protecting them. Additionally, we also get the rare experience of tracking Damaraland’s rare desert elephants (only about 40 left in the world). Finally, we do game drive safaris to see wild hippo, rhinos, and matriarchal herds of elephants as well as cheetah, oryx, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, impala, springbok, baboon, jackal, giraffe, hippo, and lions. It is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime experience! You will also receive 6 CORE CREDITS towards your undergraduate degree. Students can choose any 2 of 3 course offerings (ENGL 205/140, MATH 125 or MATH 325, or THEO 332). Limit: 13 Students.

A once-in-a-lifetime African Wildlife Safari experience. Namibia is home to the oldest hunter-gather culture in the world and the planet’s largest elephants. It is also a remaining haven for black rhinos, white rhinos, Damara desert elephant, pangolin and cheetah. This expedition includes visits to the Cheetah Conservancy and to the and Okavango River as well as to Bwabwata and Mahangu National Parks. This includes game drives and boat safaris to see crocodiles and hippos on the banks. We also have opportunities to visit a rhino orphanage to meet the orphaned rhinos and to learn their stories in addition to the challenges that Namibians face to protect them. This expedition also includes elephant trekking, boat safaris and game drives to see rhinos, elephants, cheetah, oryx, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, impala, springbok, baboon, jackal, giraffe, hippo, and crocodiles. It is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime experience which offers 6 CORE CREDITS (THEO 332 and BIOL 108/109 or BIOL 280) towards your undergraduate degree. LIMIT: 14 Students.

A once-in-a-lifetime African Wildlife Safari experience. Namibia is home to the oldest hunter-gather culture in the world and to our planet’s largest elephants. It is also a remaining haven for black rhinos, white rhinos, Damara desert elephants, pangolin, and cheetah. This expedition includes visits to the NyaeNyae Conservancy in Bushmenland in the heart of the Kalahari. It includes game drives and nighttime hikes with experiences of lions feeding up close. This expedition also offers intimate visits to a rhino orphanage to meet the orphans and to learn about their stories and the challenges Namibians face to protect them. It invovles safari game drives to see rhinos, elephants, cheetah, oryx, kudu, wildebeest, zebra, impala, springbok, baboon, jackal, giraffe, hippo, and lions. It is undoubtedly a once-in-a-lifetime experience for 6 CORE CREDITS (ARTS 111, THEO 332 or PHIL 200/250--choose 2 of 3) towards your undergraduate degree. LIMIT: 14 Students.

A once-in-a-lifetime Endangered Species and clinical/cultural experience for Nursing majors!!! Rwanda and Uganda are home to the remaining populations of the endangered mountain gorillas, which do not survive in captivity. So this is the only place in the world to see them, and you will see them in an intimate setting in their home. These triple-canopy forested mountains are also home to chimpanzees and various primates, elephants, lions, leopards, hippos, giraffe, zebra, etc. This expedition would include visits to two gorilla families, a troop of chimpanzees, troops of golden and blue monkeys. It also would include visits to communities in Rwanda and Uganda dedicated to protecting gorillas and to sustainable agriculture and to community projects committed to securing clean-drinking water, clinic development and community wellness education. This expedition also includes safari game drives and boat cruises (especially along the Nile River) to see hordes of elephants, hippos, lion prides, giraffe, hosts of various antelope and birds. This you can do for 6 CORE COURSES (THEO 332 and NURS 132) towards your undergraduate nursing degree. LIMIT: 14 Students.

A once-in-a-lifetime Polar Icecap experience! Greenland is the largest island in the world and now made famous because of the Greenland Iceshelf and the impacts of climate change. Like our Antarctica expedition on the other far side of the world, this is an expedition to learn about the history of climate change through periods of glacial advance and retreat and to discover how local people have adapted to these changes over centuries. It is an opportunity to witness firsthand that climate change is real and to be inspired about creative solutions. But, first, we visit Iceland. Icelandic and Greenlandic peoples both have innovative solutions from which we have much to learn! This is the opportunity to sail via icebreaker ship around massive icebergs, to see Humpback and Greenlandic whales and Ringed seals. It is a chance to learn from Icelandic and Greenlandic peoples, to get up close to the most active glacier in the world, to feel like you are standing at the “Ice at the End of the World!” Most importantly, it is an awakening moment—to be able to state that climate change is a nonpolitical reality—and to understand the historical context and scientific basics at the very moment you yourself are actually standing atop the Iceshelf! And you will also receive 6 CORE CREDITS (THEO 332 and ENGL 205 or ENGL 140) towards your undergraduate degree. LIMIT: 12 Students.

A once-in-a-lifetime Remote experience! In fact, it is among the remotest of the remote! Imagine flying by floatplane into Gates of the Arctic National Preserve, the least visited of all the National Parks because access is limited to floatplane only. Imagine setting up a basecamp on a lakeshore somewhere 250 miles north of the Arctic Circle at a lake visited the last 30 years only by our pilot and Xavier people! Imagine not seeing any humans other than our group and our pilot for the entire week! Imagine that your home is also shared by caribou, grizzly bears, wolves, porcupine, wolverine, eagle, Dahl’s sheep and a host of migrating birds. The opportunity to learn communal survival techniques are lessons that you will take with you for a lifetime. Experiences of drinking from a lake so clean that the water need not be filtered. Imagine your first experience of fly fishing or gathering foods (like berries) done iN such a majestic, vast, quiet space where the sun never sets. 6 CORE CREDITS (THEO 388 and PHIL 200 or 250) for all undergraduate degrees. LIMIT 12 Students.