Course Title: Transition Connections: Exploring Totnes and Cornwall Transition Initiatives 
Faculty: Jill Lewis
Course Number: TBD
Location(s): Totnes and Cornwall, England
Dates: June 4-June 18, 2013
Program Fee (approximate): $2,525 + airfare

*Course logistics are still being finalized for 2013. Details are subject to change.*

"Students Receiving an Onsite Lecture," Photo Courtesy of Jill Lewis via BigGreenCanoe Flickr

Program Description
This course combines the experience of small-town culture in southwest England with an exploration of the Transition Movement: a community-building, local organizing movement embracing politically diverse aspects of the environment, energy, food, local resilience, and local participation in building practical, constructive, collaborative initiatives (watch Transition 2.0 on YouTube!). Participants will build on the rising interest in Transition ideas in the Hampshire community and plans for launching Transition Hampshire.

The first week of the course will take place in Totnes, the founding town of the Transition Movement ,where students will  be housed by local families. The experience will connect us with the workings of the transition vision and some of its grounded, innovative initiatives and bring students into dialogue with people involved in its development and implementation (including, for example, Transition Streets; Food Link; REconomy ; Economics for Transition; Transition Network; Building, Housing, and Transition Homes; Trees for Health). Seminars and workshops will be facilitated by Transition Totnes trainers and project leaders.  


"Totnes at Dawn," Photo Courtesy of Jill Lewis via Totnes Transitions Flickr

Participants will spend part of the next week in Cornwall, based at the organic, Transition-linked Woodland Valley Farm. Here sessions with the farmers about low carbon, transition beef farming, and agri-ecology will combine with workshops such as survival/bushcraft, dawn chorus bird walks, and an evening of sausage-making. During our time in Cornwall, we will spend 2 days at the Eden Project exploring its world climate zone vegetation biomes, and meeting with people from its education section to hear about the development strategies of the project and its environmental, educational, cultural, and community outreach programs and vision. In addition, we will go by train to St. Ives--at the tip of southwest England--and spend a day around this old fishing and art-famous town visiting the Tate St. Ives gallery and Barbara Hepworth sculpture garden, possibly going out in a local fishing boat towards the island of Virginia Woolf's famous novel To the Lighthouse.


"Building," Photo Courtesy of Jill Lewis via BigGreenCanoe Flickr

The final 2 days of the course will be spent in Totnes, allowing participants time to digest and reflect on the experience and discuss ways of translating ideas encountered back into the Transition Hampshire. Participants should be aware that Totnes is a little town dating from the 10th century (it has a motte and bailey built by troops of William the Conqueror), with steep winding and cobbled streets (as has St. Ives) and steps connecting through ancient town stone walls. The trip includes plans for walks on Dartmoor hills, coastal cliff paths, and a potential kayak exploration of River Dart. 


"Canoes at Dartmore," Photo Courtesy of Jill Lewis via BigGreenCanoe Flickr

Preparation and Evaluation
The learning processes will be anchored in connections and dialogues with local community and land projects. A short packet of advance readings will include selections from: Rob Hopkins, The Transition Companion: making your community more resilient in uncertain times--Part 1: Wht the Transition Movement does what it does and Part 2: What the Transition Response looks like in practice; Tim Smit, Eden (2011 anniversary edition) and Lost Gardens of Heligan; exctracts from Michael Klare, Race for what’s left: The Global Scramble for the World’s last Resources, and Mark Hertsgaard, Hot: Living through the next fifty years on earth, and David Holmgren, Future Scenarios: Mapping the Cultural Implications of Peak Oil and Climate Change.

Students will be expected to keep a journal, present to the group an organized response to some aspect of the visit during the stay, submit a final paper based around experiences of transition undertakings (including an "inspirations, dreams, and strategies for Hampshire" list), take part in final group collective evaluation, and submit a self-evaluation at the end of the course.

Learning Goals
Develop creative abilities in expressive modes; understand multiple cultural perspectives on intellectual or artistic subjects; effectively present ideas orally.

Prerequisites
Students actively involved in Transition/environmental issues as well as those new to the terrain but inspired to start exploring are encouraged to apply.  Preparation for the course may include:

 A keen interest in the Transition Movement and community organizing (though no actual experience required).
 Some form of participation in Transition Hampshire activities across 2012 -2013 academic year is preferred, though not essential.
 Informal preparatory dialogues with the newly established Transition Mod in Greenwich..
 A beginning level class in some angle of environmental studies, social justice issues and in creativity/ arts/ design practice, and/or to participation in the spring semester Hampshire course, "Think Globally, Design Locally," a 200 level course taught be Colin Twitchell and Roxanne Finn. 

Housing Arrangements
Participants will live with local families while in Totnes, and dormitory-style accommodations will be provided for them at Woodland Valley Farm while in Cornwall.


"Ecohomes," Photo Courtesy of Jill Lewis via Totnes Transitions Flickr

Travel Plans and Requirements
Students are expected to make their own travel arrangements to and from London, Heathrow airport, where they will be met at the airport and transported to Totnes.

Program Itinerary
June 4: Arrive London, Healthrow airport
June 19: Group travel to London, Healthrow airport; participants depart

Program Cost and Additional Expenses
Hampshire program fee is approximately $2,525. This includes course expenses, accommodations, meals, in-country transportation, as well as excursions and cultural activities for the duration of the program.

NOT included in the program fee are the following: airfare from U.S. to London (approximately $900), U.S. transportation to/from the airport, passport fees, and personal expenses.

"Hiking in Dartmore," Photo Courtesy of Jill Lewis via BigGreenCanoe Flickr

HOW TO APPLY

Application Deadline: Thursday, March 7, 2013

All short-term applications are due to the global education office by 4:30 p.m. on the application deadline. Applications can be found in the global education office (GEO) or downloaded from this page. A non-refundable deposit of $500 (credited to the program fee) will be due April 1 to the GEO in order to reserve your place in the program.

Financial Aid
Students who receive need-based financial aid from Hampshire College are eligible to apply for financial assistance through the global education office to offset the program fee. Students are expected to cover all additional expenses, including airfare. Awards vary from year to year and are dependent on the number of applicants and the amount of aid available. Eligibility for financial assistance does not guarantee that aid will be awarded. Please indicate your eligibility and desire to apply on your application form.

Questions?
Questions about the application process or financial aid should be directed to Heather St. Germaine in the global education office at hstgermaine@hampshire.edu or x5542.

Questions regarding the academic content or itinerary should be directed to Jill Lewis at jlewis@hampshire.edu.