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My academic studies and interests, as well as my personal passion, is focused on the nexus of ecological resilience and community empowerment. Transcending the false boundaries we draw around "nature" and "society" opens the door to "re-enchant the world." I'm currently working on my PhD at Colorado State University in Environmental Sociology.
After my undergraduate education at Texas Tech University I picked up my backpack to broaden my horizons. I spent a few years chasing winters in New Zealand and the Rocky Mountain West. A summer sleeping under the midnight sun and the shadows of "the High One" in a leaf and stick debris shelter outside of Denali National Park, and another one canoeing and kayaking in the Canadian Rockies. Several trips exploring the wonders of Central America and the Islands of the South Pacific, and most recently spent part of last summer trekking the lowlands of the Amazon and the peaks of the Andes in Peru and Bolivia. Along the way I picked up a postgraduate degree in Environmental Psychology at the University of Canterbury (New Zealand) and a masters degree in Environmental Sociology from the University of Montana. Prior to Colorado State I spent a year and a half in the University of Vermont's Natural Resource doctoral program.
Throughout my experiences I find myself constantly pondering the question of cultural relationships to nature and I'm fascinated by the diverse understandings of naturalists and indigenous peoples around the world. Through my studies, teaching, travelling, and adventure experience I've learned a lot. But nature constantly teaches me I know nothing. An inquisitive spirit is powerful, and always brings new understandings – if you just look, listen. Nature teaches amazing lessons, but it goes deeper than that. It is about gaining a sense of belonging, wherever you are. It's about living your potential as a human being and helping others to do the same.
I hope that by living under the stars, feeling the sun, knowing the land that this course and this experience will inspire you to critically examine our relationship with nature and help forge a vision of the world in which people, inspired by nature, create and maintain healthy and abundant livelihoods that enhance social and ecological relationships on the planet.
Kind Regards, Patrick
Humboldt State University
Office of Extended Education
Student and Business Services, Suite 211
Arcata, CA 95521
(707) 826-3731
Fax (707) 826-5885
info@sierrainstitute.org
Curriculum Vitae [coming soon]
program info | courses | field conditions | instructor | costs
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