Honors Study Away: Big Island Hawai’i

Learn about and experience the Big Island of Hawai’i as few have done! Enroll in IDH 4200 during the Spring semester to prepare for an immersive 14-day community-engaged learning opportunity on the Big Island of Hawai’i.

Through interdisciplinary frameworks this course explores the multifaceted and dynamic past, present, and future of Hawai’i through the lenses of tourism, the largest industry, sustainability, and cultural revitalization. We will learn about and experience the many cultures of Hawai’i, from Native Hawaiian roots to the multiculturalism brought by the plantation era that can be heard through the modern-day pidgin language and tasted through the “mixed plate” of the island’s cuisine.

Beyond the Classroom: Big Island Hawai’i

• Course: IDH 4200 Beyond the Classroom: Big Island Hawai'i
• Location: St. Petersburg campus
• Time: Spring 2025 // T/R 3:30 - 4:45 p.m. 
• Study Away Program: May 12 - 26, 2025

Apply Here

Service learning will be a key focus as we model regenerative tourism and give back to this special place when we visit. We will work at an ethnobotanical garden, help maintain an ancient fishpond, tour organic cacao groves, and pick prized Kona coffee. The deep cultural kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) connections will be explored through our Hawaiian guides who will share their mana’o (wisdom) with us at sacred sites and revitalized landscapes.

SITES VISITED:

• Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
• Volcanoes National Park
• Kiholo State Park Reserve
• Hawaiian Crown Farm
• Akaka Falls
• Punalu'u Beach Park

Note on accessibility: Students must be able to navigate rough / uneven / possibly muddy surfaces, eat and sleep in tropical temperatures and humidity, and adapt to changes in the schedule with little notice.

Cost: $1,500 per person (plus air-fare not included)

Questions: Email Dr. Catherine Wilkins