Abstract
This presentation explores the creation, implementation, and evaluation of Honoring the Ocean, an inter-institutional experiential learning program designed to strengthen students’ understanding of the valuable connections between Humanities disciplines and Marine Science. While the ocean is both a driver and recipient of the human experience, and though nearly half the world population lives within 50 miles of the coast, many individuals - especially those from marginalized populations - struggle to feel connections to the sea. Honoring the Ocean is an interdisciplinary learning experience that seeks to ignite a deeper relationship between students and the marine environment by engaging in a multimodal, immersive study of the critical issues facing the sea and humanistic reflections thereof. Developed by the Florida Institute of Oceanography (FIO) and Honors partners at five Florida public universities, this innovative program brings together faculty, researchers, and Honors students from these institutions to explore relationship between people and the ocean through the lenses of various humanistic disciplines such as Art, Creative Writing, and History. This presentation will discuss the formation of the program, which includes a 6-week online synchronous mini-course, hands-on experience aboard a FIO research vessel, and creative reflection project. It explores how recruiting Pell-eligible first-year college students from Humanities majors and from historically underrepresented groups led to diverse perspective-taking and meaningful content exploration. Finally, results from student surveys and examples of reflective work are shared, demonstrating student learning outcomes around issues of interconnectedness and interdisciplinarity.
Presenters
Catherine WilkinsProfessor of Instruction, Judy Genshaft Honors College, University of South Florida, Florida, United States
Details
Presentation Type
Theme
2025 Special Focus—Oceanic Journeys: Multicultural Approaches in the Humanities
KEYWORDS
Interdisciplinarity, Pedagogy, Experiential Learning, Blue Humanities, Inter-institutional
