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Grand Canyon Semester is an intellectual immersion into the science, culture, arts, humanities, and politics of the Colorado Plateau region. The GCS calendar generally follows the pattern of classroom time early in the week followed by field time later in the week, but the schedule will vary over the course of the semester as we take advantage of unexpected opportunities and experiences.<\/p>\n
You will participate in class lectures and discussions on campus on Mondays and Tuesdays. Wednesdays will generally be study days that can be used to work on independent research projects. Thursdays and Fridays will usually be spent in the field, either on short day trips or extended trips that sometimes last until Sunday afternoon.\u00a0You will keep a field journal for all courses in the applied core, recording your ecological, geological, anthropological observations as well as sketch what you encounter along the way.<\/p>\n
August\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n August<\/strong><\/p>\n November<\/strong><\/p>\n December\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n Students arrive in Flagstaff<\/p>\n Orientation<\/p>\n Thanksgiving Holiday<\/p>\n Students may leave Flagstaff<\/p>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n All Grand Canyon Semester courses are seminars with substantial fieldwork that that interconnect content, projects, and site-specific, place-based learning experiences. The semester is centered on the Applied Core,\u00a0Humans and the Environment. The Integrative Seminar and Directed Study courses complement the Applied Core by providing students the opportunity to contextualize their experience and choose a portion of the semester for in-depth study.<\/p>\n The three-course natural and social science core allows students to study contemporary cultural, environmental, and management issues through an interdisciplinary lens. The Applied Core will make extensive use of integrated field trips that expose students to residents, stakeholders, and land manager across the Grand Canyon region.<\/p>\n\n 3 credit hours in Anthropology, Native American Studies, or Humanities<\/strong> 4 credit hours in Natural History, Environmental Science, or Ecology<\/strong> 3 credit hours in Political Science or Environmental Science<\/strong>\n \n
\nGrand Canyon Semester 2026 Courses, tentative<\/h2>\n
Applied Core: Humans and the Environment<\/h3>\n
\n \n \n ANT 306H: Peoples of the Southwest Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n
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\nFor at least 12,000 years, peoples of the Southwest have developed diverse and flexible adaptations to scarcity and unpredictability of water and other critical resources. Emphasizing writings and media by Native American authors and filmmakers together with scientific research, this course explores the relationships among past and present human communities in the Southwest and their unique environments. Students will be immersed into contemporary southwestern cultural traditions by visiting tribal reservations and interacting with indigenous people (i.e., Hopi, Zuni, Navajo, and Hualapai) and behind-the-scenes explorations of museums and ancestral (archaeological) sites. Particular emphasis will be placed on the many issues that Southwestern Native Peoples face on a daily basis.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n \n ENV 250H: Environmental Conservation on the Colorado Plateau Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n
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\nThere are few places on earth where ecological relationships are more starkly apparent and where the underlying geologic strata are more readily visible than the Grand Canyon Region. Students will focus their study at the intersection of natural history, geology, and ecology to discover the patterns and processes that frame regional biodiversity. This stunningly beautiful landscape is also host to a myriad of environmental issues ranging from endangered species management to uranium mining and the impact of humans on native vegetation and animals. Climate change and adaptation drive many of these pertinent ecological issues.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n \n \n POS359H: Environmental Policy Accordion Closed<\/span><\/h4>\n <\/span>\n <\/div>\n <\/a>\n
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\nThis course will introduce students to some of the major environmental and political issues of the region, including climate change, water, forests, fire, restoration, development, tourism, and places sacred to indigenous populations. Students will interact with primary stakeholders, such as federal agency land managers, non-profits, environmentalists, and indigenous people to understand the complexity of managing one of the world’s most valuable treasures.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n