This Early Fall program includes travel to the west coast of Greenland, as well as time in Seattle. The program will depart August 22 (evening flight that departs from Seattle), with arrival in Greenland on August 23. The program will be in Greenland from August 23 through September 7 (17 days). Following the Greenland abroad component, there will be in person class meetings on the UW campus and course work required as part of the program from September 8 to 12 (5 days).

We will travel along the west coast of Greenland to experience the unique physical environment, learn about changes in ice and climate, and engage in project work that connects to the people and the places we visit. The course focus is based on physical science, but the destinations and experiences will be rich in exposure to different perspectives on the culture, history, and aspects of policy. The academic motivation is for students to understand how the Greenland Ice Sheet is changing due to climate change, how this affects people in Greenland, and contextualize their experiences with respect to ongoing global climate change and policy and around the world. Since no roads connect towns and cities in Greenland, we will go by plane and ferry to locations that will span smaller towns, stunning natural environments, and the country’s capital city.

The program has generous support from the Scan Design Foundation, which reduces the program fee for all undergraduate students. The course fee includes round trip airfare from Seattle to Newark, NJ to Nuuk, Greenland. The course fee also includes flights, ferries, and tour travel within Greenland, as well as all accommodation in Greenland. Multiple group dinners are included and most locations we will stay have shared kitchen facilities, but the primary additional program costs abroad are meals and incidentals. Students are also required to have somewhere to stay in Seattle between September 7 to 12 so that they can attend the on-campus portion of the course; that may add costs depending on housing in Seattle during early Fall.

The course will be led by two instructors and three graduate students. The graduate students will lead in defining project themes, guiding project work, and contributing to project outcomes. The undergraduate students will work together with the graduate student(s) on projects that connect most to their interests and relate to the interdisciplinary course themes. This work is aimed at developing new skills and knowledge to address real-world issues, engaging with community-led priorities and community members in Greenland, and producing a shareable outcome from the project work. The project work will build from exploration and engagements in Greenland, but will primarily be completed during the last week of the course in Seattle.