UVM Theses and Dissertations
Format:
Print
Author:
Abbott, John D.
Dept./Program:
College of Education and Social Services
Year:
2011
Degree:
Ed. D.
Abstract:
Outing clubs and student organized wilderness opportunities have existed at a number of small liberal arts and Ivy League colleges and universities in the Northeast, for close to a century--including the University of Vermont Outing Club, established in 1932. The arrival of Outward Bound to the United States in the 1960's formalized a wilderness education curriculum that, in addition to development of wilderness travel skills, philosophically emphasized self-reflection, character development, community contribution, compassion and the creation of diverse and inclusive teams. While a laudable ideal, the University of Vermont Outing Club has struggled to meet the historical mandate of creating multicultural trip and leadership development opportunities for students of color on campus.
The objective of this dissertation is to provide historical and philosophic perspective on cultural conceptions ofwilderness, wilderness education theory and the way they may inform student development, identity and issues of inclusion in predominantly white, collegiate outdoor programs. Using Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) research methodology encourages inclusion of authentic narratives of experience and identity from the adventurers that feed my professional passion-UVM students. My research and exploration of multicultural wilderness programming is grounded in a multidisciplinary review of literature on Cultural Conceptions of Wilderness (Calicott, Cronon, Nietzsche, Roderick Nash), Wilderness Education and Leadership, (Hahn, Miner, Lipman-Blumen), Student Development Theory (Chickering, Reisser, Robert Nash) and Multiculturalism (Blum, Harper, Chapelle & Bigman).
To bring historic and philosophic breadth and depth to my research, I have addressed the following questions: 1) How is "wilderness" defined and how are differing cultural conceptions of wilderness understood today? 2) How did wilderness education programs evolve and what are the original, pedagogical and philosophical arguments for multiculturalism established by Outward Bound? 3) Who are college and university students today and in what ways can multicultural dialogue and wilderness experience inform their development? 4) In what ways can my personal identity, ally development and experience narrative inform efforts to broaden cultural diversity in wilderness programming at UVM?
A number of recommendations for advancing multicultural wilderness programming emerged: cultural and environmental construction, culturally conscious engagement, ally development training and historical mandates for inclusion by pioneers in the field. In the words ofsocial justice researcher Sharon Chapelle, "We want to learn from other cultures, ethnicities and genders. We want to acquire a wide range of friends and experiences, to thrive in our occupations that place us side-by-side with people of many backgrounds."
The objective of this dissertation is to provide historical and philosophic perspective on cultural conceptions ofwilderness, wilderness education theory and the way they may inform student development, identity and issues of inclusion in predominantly white, collegiate outdoor programs. Using Scholarly Personal Narrative (SPN) research methodology encourages inclusion of authentic narratives of experience and identity from the adventurers that feed my professional passion-UVM students. My research and exploration of multicultural wilderness programming is grounded in a multidisciplinary review of literature on Cultural Conceptions of Wilderness (Calicott, Cronon, Nietzsche, Roderick Nash), Wilderness Education and Leadership, (Hahn, Miner, Lipman-Blumen), Student Development Theory (Chickering, Reisser, Robert Nash) and Multiculturalism (Blum, Harper, Chapelle & Bigman).
To bring historic and philosophic breadth and depth to my research, I have addressed the following questions: 1) How is "wilderness" defined and how are differing cultural conceptions of wilderness understood today? 2) How did wilderness education programs evolve and what are the original, pedagogical and philosophical arguments for multiculturalism established by Outward Bound? 3) Who are college and university students today and in what ways can multicultural dialogue and wilderness experience inform their development? 4) In what ways can my personal identity, ally development and experience narrative inform efforts to broaden cultural diversity in wilderness programming at UVM?
A number of recommendations for advancing multicultural wilderness programming emerged: cultural and environmental construction, culturally conscious engagement, ally development training and historical mandates for inclusion by pioneers in the field. In the words ofsocial justice researcher Sharon Chapelle, "We want to learn from other cultures, ethnicities and genders. We want to acquire a wide range of friends and experiences, to thrive in our occupations that place us side-by-side with people of many backgrounds."