Iceland Geography

  Iceland

Reykjavik

Term: Summer 
Dates: 8-16 August 2009

Description: Landscapes are a weave of integral processes that continuously co-constitute our environment. This course deals with the development of settlement and natural history from the theories of both physical and human geography in order to understand the landscapes of Bardardalur valley and that of Svartárkot. The manifold processes controlling the development of geography, both human and natural, will be viewed from several angles, with lectures, field trips and project work. The days are themed around specific approaches to landscapes. Through appreciating the landscape, assessing it, analysing and finally through mapping controversies and contestations to try to lay out how the landscapes of the region emerges through continual interactions.

Cost in US$: 850

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to American, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants.

Participants Travel to Iceland Independently

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Svartarkot: Culture and Nature's Mission Statement: The Svartarkot Centre is an institute being developed in rural Iceland and dedicated to research and providing higher education on the interaction between culture and nature. The place, straddling the border between the settled landscape and the wilderness, is an appropriate place for investigating this interaction. The approach is multi-disciplinary, incorporating cultural studies, literature, history, anthropology, sociology, folklore, geography, geology, ecology and the natural sciences. Svartarkot is a farm giving participants first-hand experience of life on the edge of human habitation. Courses involve a generous number of excursions and field trips, capitalizing on the intriguing cultural and natural environment. The emphasis is on summer programmes intended for graduates or undergraduates. Courses are supervised by the Reykjavik Academy.