This program offers a 4-week long immersion into the ecology, history, agriculture, and human cultures of the Driftless Bioregion of southwestern Wisconsin. Taking place between mid-May and mid-June, one of the most dynamic times of the agricultural year, the Field School program is an opportunity to experience a rich tapestry of activity and life here in a ecologically and culturally vibrant rural community in the company of a small cohort of fellow seekers and learners.
Thoreau College strives to cultivate a harmonious balance of activities that engage head, heart, and hands across all programs and all periods of time. In practice, this means an integration of open discussions of ideas and perspectives with the arts and hands-on physical activities in all courses. A typical day at Thoreau College begins with a Morning Circle with students and faculty incorporating singing, movement activities, and announcements. The rest of the morning is devoted to a single block of class time focused on an academic topic or an artistic or manual skill workshop. Following a mid-day break, afternoons are devoted to labor activities in the greenhouse, gardens, farm, or community partners. On Friday, there is a community-wide meeting over lunch where important questions of shared governance are discussed and decided upon. Evenings and weekends are generally unscheduled, although students will have opportunities to participate in elective courses offered through the Driftless Folk School and the Thoreau College Community Seminar.
The Field School program lasts 4 weeks, from May 13 to June 7. Each week of the Field School will include at least one day-long canoe-trip, hiking expedition, or field trip to important sites around the region. Many other days will feature shorter field trips to farms and natural sites as well.
Some of the things Field School participants will experience include:
Hands on experience with growing and transplanting plants in gardens, vineyard, and greenhouse.
Care for domestic animals, including sheep, chickens, and pigs. For those who are interested, this will include an opportunity to learn chicken butchering.
Introduction to the geological and ecological history of the Driftless Bioregion, including field trips to significant locations and identification of local plants, animals, insects, birds, and fungi.
Introduction to the human history of our region, beginning with the Ho Chunk and other indigenous peoples, and including European conquest and settlement, the African American Cheyenne Valley community, the Amish, and the back-to-the-land movement.
Exploration of the American agricultural and food system, through farm visits, readings, films, and guest speakers, including an introduction to the principles of biodynamics, permaculture, rotational grazing, and regenerative farming.
Workshops in folk crafts and homesteading skills such as basketry, foraging wild plants and fungi, scything, cheesemaking, metal work, or spoon carving.
Short canoeing and hiking expeditions in the local area.
Life together in a self-governing shared household of fellow students, including shared meals, meetings, and celebrations, including community singing.
Reviews (2)
I found my time at...
Reviewed
on Apr/09/2024 by julian-a-krebber
I found my time at Thoreau College very valuable because it taught me a lot of life skills I did not learn at a 4-year college, and it taught me a different way of being than I had experienced growing up in the very scientific and materialist culture of Silicon Valley. Prior to Thoreau College I thought that AI taking over the world and replacing humanity might be an okay thing, since we seem to be doing a fairly poor job at creating healthy societies and sustaining the earth. I left Thoreau College with the feeling that humanity has something unique and valuable to offer the world, and that human society has something unique and powerful to offer to the universe that we could unlock through cultural change and collective action.
As for the specifics of the program, it was full of philosophy, labor, and community activities, as well as art and good food (Viroqua has some seriously good food, trust me). Overall, I would recommend this program to anyone looking to learn more about agriculture, alternative philosophies to scientific materialism, or holistic education. Going beyond the classroom, Thoreau College teaches you how to live with other people, manage conflicts, and become an active part in shaping the curriculum and your own learning. Combining all of that with the numerous transformative and quieting trips into nature, I found Thoreau College to be a profoundly valuable experience. I first went to Thoreau College just for the Field School program, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided to stay over the summer and take a semester off of my 4-year college to take their Metamorphosis Gap Semester in the Fall (I have since returned to college and am about to graduate with a bachelor's in psychology). I think that the Field School program was a wonderful introduction to alternative education and Viroqua, and I think that the number of fellow Field School participants who either stuck around or came back to visit shows how powerful and transformative of a place Viroqua is.
My participation in the summer...
Reviewed
on Mar/18/2024 by adrubarahanna
My participation in the 2023 summer field school program is definitely one of my favorite educational experiences of all time. Not only did I get to see the big picture by learning the history and geography of Viroqua and the surrounding regions, but I've also learned the small details like how to canoe, create garden beds, weave baskets, cook delicious foods, and my most favorite: turning wool into yarn. Most of the activities I learned were things I've had an interest in a while, but the program gave me an opportunity to go through with learning it in a fun and collaborative way. The weekly readings were something I've also enjoyed since they were related to the activities that we did throughout the week and created interesting conversations with fellow classmates about history, nature and our place in it. This program was a fun adventure and truly gave me the much needed motivation to do my own outdoor projects at home like gardening and beekeeping. Highly recommend this program to anyone wanting to learn different ways of gardening, dip their toes in nature appreciation, homesteading, pick up a few new hobbies, or just enjoy learning about nature in the country. Overall, 10 outta 10, glad I went on this program.
I found my time at Thoreau College very valuable because it taught me a lot of life skills I did not learn at a 4-year college, and it taught me a different way of being than I had experienced growing up in the very scientific and materialist culture of Silicon Valley. Prior to Thoreau College I thought that AI taking over the world and replacing humanity might be an okay thing, since we seem to be doing a fairly poor job at creating healthy societies and sustaining the earth. I left Thoreau College with the feeling that humanity has something unique and valuable to offer the world, and that human society has something unique and powerful to offer to the universe that we could unlock through cultural change and collective action.
As for the specifics of the program, it was full of philosophy, labor, and community activities, as well as art and good food (Viroqua has some seriously good food, trust me). Overall, I would recommend this program to anyone looking to learn more about agriculture, alternative philosophies to scientific materialism, or holistic education. Going beyond the classroom, Thoreau College teaches you how to live with other people, manage conflicts, and become an active part in shaping the curriculum and your own learning. Combining all of that with the numerous transformative and quieting trips into nature, I found Thoreau College to be a profoundly valuable experience. I first went to Thoreau College just for the Field School program, but I enjoyed it so much that I decided to stay over the summer and take a semester off of my 4-year college to take their Metamorphosis Gap Semester in the Fall (I have since returned to college and am about to graduate with a bachelor's in psychology). I think that the Field School program was a wonderful introduction to alternative education and Viroqua, and I think that the number of fellow Field School participants who either stuck around or came back to visit shows how powerful and transformative of a place Viroqua is.