06 March 2005

College of the Boundary Waters

What if you could major in BWCA studies? What if you had to design the curriculum? If it was up to me, it'd look something like this:
  • BW101: Introduction to the Quetico-Superior Wilderness

  • BW202: Ecology of the BWCA. Fire history, predator/prey relationships, and aquatic ecology.
  • BW205: History of the Fur Trade. European exploration, the Voyageurs.
  • BW215: The Literature and Legacy of Sigurd Olson

  • BW300: Indigenous Peoples and Cultures of the Northwoods
  • BW315: Wilderness Management
  • BW340: Political History of Wilderness
  • BW350: Geology & Limnology of the Boundary Waters
  • BW370: Seminar - Climate, Ecology, and Global Warming

  • BW400: Independent Study
  • BW450: Senior Thesis

What would you add? (or subtract?) If this was a vocational college or community college, we could add some "hard skill" courses, such as canoeing I, canoeing II: whitewater, and fishing. Any ambitious home-schoolers out there, feel free to dig in. Just don't ask me to proctor your final exams. I'd love to read some BWCA senior theses, though.