Cape Horn Field Station

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Study Abroad

To learn more about upcoming courses, or the experiences of our students from this year’s course, please select one of the below links:

Upcoming Courses

Tracing Darwin’s Path Winter Semester 2007-2008

Tracing Darwin’s Path 2007-2008 Winter Semester

The University of North Texas (UNT) has been holding courses in the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve for the past two years, in collaboration with the Universidad de Magallanes (UMAG), the Omora Ethnobotanical Park, the Omora Sub-Antarctic Research Alliance (OSARA), the Institute of Ecology and Biodiversity (IEB) and the Center for Environmental Philosophy (CEP).  The course is interdisciplinary and international in nature, as participating students include UNT students from many disciplines (Anthropology, Journalism, Biology, Philosophy, Art) and Chilean students from the University of Magallanes.

student hiking

Student Kelli Moses, hiking in the Los Dientes de Navarino mountain range. Photographer Alexandria Poole, Chile-UNT Archive.

This year, Dr. Ricardo Rozzi and Dr. James Kennedy, of UNT, co-taught an interdisciplinary course coupling both the cultural and biological factors within conservation.  This three week long course consisted of a tour of the Patagonian region surrounding Punta Arenas including time at the Institute of Patagonia and the Universidad de Magallanes, a visit to the Otway Sound Penguin Colony, a visit to the  Pali-Aike Park, a 40 hours tour of the glaciers through the beagle channel on a ferry, camping at the foot of the Los Dientes de Navarino mountains near Robálo Lake, biological sampling of the freshwater invertebrates throughout the Robálo watershed and an exploration of the Miniature Forests in Omora Ethnobotanical Park.  Throughout this journey, an ongoing Ethnobotanical study was conducted recording bird calls and taking pictures of the many avian species of the region.

rozzi & kennedy

Dr. Ricardo Rozzi (left) and Dr. James Kennedy (right).  Photographer Alexandria Poole, Chile-UNT Archive.

The course was broken into two classes, philosophy and biology.  The philosophy class, taught by Dr. Rozzi, was broken into two groups:  the Ethnobotanical group responsible for compiling images of local birds for a publication, along with recording of their names in various languages, and the miniature forest group which was working with the bryophytes in Omora Ethnobotanical Park.  The biology class, taught by Dr. Kennedy, studied freshwater aquatic invertebrates within the Robálo Watershed.  Throughout the trip, both English and Spanish was translated to maintain an open and continuous dialogue with all the participants.

hiking students

Students hiking near the headwaters of the Robálo Watershed in Los Dientes de Navarino.  Photographer Alexandria Poole, Chile-UNT Archive.

Continuing the interdisciplinary theme of the course, we asked students of both the biology and philosophy portions to write about their experiences in Chile.  Throughout the website you will find short essays and stories from undergraduate and graduate students, international voices from both the Northern and Southern Hemispheres, and the many professors and others who are part of the Cape Horn Biosphere Reserve effort detailing the philosophies and projects ongoing in the area.

penguins

Magallanes Penguinos of Otway Sound.  Photographer Alexandria Poole, Chile-UNT Archive.

Contributor:
Alexandria Poole, Masters Candidate, Department of Philosophy, University of North Texas.