The Course
Unit one examines some of the ways in which humans understand and relate to nature through experiences of outdoor environments. The focus is on individuals and their personal responses to and experiences of outdoor environments. Students develop a clear understanding of the range of motivations for interacting with outdoor environments and the factors that affect an individual's access to outdoor experiences and relationships with outdoor environments.
Unit two students study nature's impact on humans, as well as the ecological, social and economic implications of human impact on outdoor environments. Students develop a clear understanding of the impact of technologies and changing human lifestyles on outdoor environments.
Unit 1 Topics
- types of outdoor environments, including wilderness, managed parks, and urban/built environments
- the range of motivations for seeking outdoor experiences and personal responses
- the influence of media portrayals on personal responses to outdoor environments
- the variety of personal responses to risk in outdoor experiences
- strategies for planning for safe and sustainable interactions with outdoor environments.
- the variety of ways in which people experience and respond to outdoor environments.
- the different ways of knowing outdoor environments, including through experiential knowledge, environmental and natural history, and ecological, social and economic perspectives
- the factors that affect access to and kinds of outdoor experiences, including socioeconomic status, cultural background, age, gender and physical ability
- relevant technologies and their effects on outdoor experiences.
Unit 2 Topics
- characteristics of outdoor environments, including alpine, marine, coastal, wetlands, grassland, forest and arid
- recreational users' understandings of specific outdoor environments
- scientific understandings of specific outdoor environments, including: - interrelationships between biotic and abiotic components - effects of natural changes to environments on people and places such as day to night, seasons, tides, fire, flood, drought, migration, succession, and climate change * land managers' understandings of specific outdoor environments, including the features which can be used to delineate one particular area from another such as landform, vegetation type, public and private land, types of parks and reserves, management zones
- other understandings of specific outdoor environments, such as artistic, Indigenous, and historical.
- the impact of conservation, commercial and recreational activities on outdoor environments
- community-based environmental action to promote positive human impacts on outdoor environments
- rationales for codes of conduct relating to recreational activities
- impacts of technologies on outdoor environments, including:
Learning and Assessment Activities
Unit 1: Surfing and Stand up paddle boarding camp at Inverloch Bushwalking (overnight walk in an alpine region).
Unit 2: Winter Activities Camp through Nayook looking at different activities like snow shoeing, cross-country skiing, downhill boarding or skiing and snow activities.
These units lead to
Units 3 & 4 Outdoor & Environmental Studies
Special considerations
A willingness to participate in camps and excursions, including bushwalking with a pack.
Costs involved
$400 for the year or $200 per semester (Costs to be confirmed)
Materials required
For further information see...
Study design link