Course Details

Students will participate in field study trips to Mount Rainier National Park, Olympic National Park and North Cascades National Park as well as National Parks sites in the Seattle metropolitan area. No camping or backpacking experience is required, but an open mind and a sense of adventure are! Students should be comfortable hiking moderately strenuous trails during the field trips, camping in remote locations, and traveling and lodging in primitive and close quarters.

America’s National Park system, the first of its kind in the world, has been called, “the best idea America ever had”, a sentiment echoed repeatedly since it was first uttered by James Bryce in 1912. This course will examine the history of this unique idea, as well as the mission and values behind it. What do national parks mean to people? To the flora and fauna within? And what does it mean for a country to set aside the space for nearly 400 natural, cultural, and recreational sites and attempt to leave them “unimpaired for the enjoyment of future generations”? We will think critically together about what public these public lands were initially imagined for and how has that mission evolved over time? How is this idea progressing? How might it be in peril? The mission behind this unique system provides an excellent framework for discussing America’s history, environmental ethics, political values, and much more.

This course will take students on an exciting weekend field trips to the three “wilderness jewels” of Washington state’s National Parks: Mount Rainier NP, Olympic NP, and North Cascades NP in September and October as well as in class time in Autumn Quarter. By examining the Park Service’s goals of enjoyment (recreation), education (in both history and culture, and nature and science), and inspiration, students will answer for themselves some important questions: Why does this system exist and what is its purpose in our culture? How have current political, economic and environmental pressures challenged the mission and values of the park system? Does this system, given these challenges, effectively accomplish its own goals and are those goals still relevant in America today? If so, why? If not, how might they be adjusted to become culturally viable?

Through a combination of our immersed field study to three major national parks, site visits to local cultural and historical national parks, readings, and expert speakers, students will not only introduce themselves to these diverse and unique places in our country, but also gain a greater understanding of the purpose of such a system and look critically at the cultural and environmental issues impacting the National Parks today.