Summer 2015: Semester Outside in the City

Full-time, 10 credits (DIAL 390W, 391W)  May 11 - June 25

A Partnership of CityStudio and SFU Semester in Dialogue

Join SFU Semester in Dialogue in partnership with CityStudio and Vancouver Park Board as we engage in a 7 week learning journey outside in the City of Vancouver.

The recently released City of Vancouver Parks Board Environmental Education & Stewardship Action Plan (EESAP) Rewilding Vancouver identifies the creation of special wild places in the city as its first priority area.  One of the Quick Start Actions is to determine the feasibility of an outdoor school in Vancouver. Increasing access to nature, increasing city-wide food assets and reducing the city’s ecological footprint are key priority actions for the City of Vancouver. Semester Outside in the City will be part of the CityStudio Outdoor Classroom Project that directly contributes to meeting these targets by engaging university students in the co-creative design of innovative outdoor classroom infrastructure in Vancouver parks and community centres to facilitate community learning and action towards these goals.We will focus on the exploration of an outdoor learning site in a Vancouver park. Exact location TBD.
Key Questions for the Site

●      What has happened here?
●      What is happening here now?
●      What should be happening here?

We will deeply engage in the site and learn about the history, context, place, ecology and communities that engage with it. The intention is to work with community towards a temporary intervention that encourages learning about the place.

We will explore concepts of outdoor learning, urban ecology, urban wilderness, aesthetics, ecosystem restoration and living in place. We will also consider the terms public space, wild space and what access to nature could look like #100yearsfromnow.

Be prepared to explore Vancouver by foot, bike and bus to investigate complex systems, deep connections and wild places. Cycling will be a big part of how we move through the city.  We will be traveling between CityStudio (in False Creek) and our Park site (TBD).  If you don’t have a bike, we can help you find one.

We are planning indoor and outdoor adventures and overnight opportunities in urban wilderness during this innovative and experiential Semester Outside in the City. Expect to spend approx. 3 days per week outside – be prepared to embrace the elements and dress for the weather.

INSTRUCTORS
Lena Soots and Laura Piersol - with support and guidance from Janet Moore, Duane Elverum, Lindsay Cole and Sean Blenkinsop.