| Abstract | Recent moves in environmental philosophy from the indoor classroom into the field suggest physical contact with the natural world enhances ethical learning by enabling connections to, and possibly an empathetic relationship with, the natural world (Preston 1999; Moore 2004). This shift reflects work in experiential and place-based environmental education, which shows the importance of active participation with course content for cognitive and affective learning (Kolb 1984; Sobel 2004). The suggestion is that to shape an empathetic environmental ethic we need to provide learners opportunities to understand the natural world physically, cognitively, and emotionally. But what actually happens when students learn environmental ethics in the natural world? How does experience with(in) the learning context stimulate student engagement with people, place, and learning content? Through a qualitative content analysis of student on-course journals and post-course reflections from three 1-week intensive field philosophy courses in Isle Royale National Park, I will 1) Describe and qualify the kinds of relationships students write about in their daily and final reflections, 2) Analyze shifts and changes in who or what students describe relationships with, and 3) Evaluate and interpret the meaning of these shifts alongside course pedagogy and content. Preliminary results demonstrate that students appreciate, and claim to benefit from, learning with multiple senses. Students explained the course context enabled personal growth as well as academic growth; social relationships were integral for both. Many students explained a greater appreciation for and confidence to address complexity, both ecologically and ethically. Finally, experience enabled point of view shifts related to empathy, awareness, and thoughtful engagement with other people, place, animals, and the natural landscape. Implications for this learning are important for environmental learning that aims to help students not just know about environmental ethics, but develop an empathetic environmental ethic that can contribute to environmental citizenship and the transference of classroom learning to everyday decision-making and environmental problem-solving. |
