Sewanee Pre-college Field Studies Experience

Sewanee's Pre-College two week Field Studies Experience provides an interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies. Students participate in ecological exploration with faculty, examining the plant & animal species that inhabit these ecosystems and using archaeological techniques to study how people have changed these ecosystems over time.

Led by full-time faculty and staff at the University of the South and utilizing its 13,000-acre campus atop the ecologically diverse Cumberland Plateau, the program provides an interdisciplinary introduction to environmental studies.

‌‌This two-week experience explores the diverse ecosystems of the Cumberland Plateau: its forests, coves, streams, lakes, wetlands, and caves. Students participate in ecological exploration with senior faculty examining the plant and animal species that inhabit these ecosystems and use archeological techniques, along with GIS and GPS technology, to study how people have used and changed these ecosystems over time. Students learn how conservation strategies are currently being employed to protect the integrity of Plateau ecosystems into the future.‌

The experience is conducted almost exclusively in the field, featuring field mapping equipment, digital photography, ecological assessment techniques and group research projects. As part of this experience, students have the opportunity to take part in a number of outdoor recreational activities such as hiking, bouldering, canoeing, caving, and mountain biking.

WHO IS THE PROGRAM FOR?  The program is designed for rising high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors interested in all aspects of environmental studies.