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Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures & Ecosystems
SPICE attracts students who want to understand environmental, political, and cultural changes from an interdisciplinary perspective and in an historical context. This writing-intensive program is particularly appropriate for environmental studies/science majors, but students of any major are encouraged to apply. Limited to 24 students per... read more
SPICE attracts students who want to understand environmental, political, and cultural changes from an interdisciplinary perspective and in an historical context. This writing-intensive program is particularly appropriate for environmental studies/science majors, but students of any major are encouraged to apply. Limited to 24 students per cruise.
Tahiti, Bora Bora, Nuku Hiva, & Moorea are names which evoke romantic images of sandy beaches, lush palm trees, and exotic native people. Polynesians reached this remote region of the South Pacific in voyaging canoes as early as 3,000 years ago. They developed cultural practices and technologies influenced by the unique environmental challenges of each island. Europeans arrived in these islands 250 years ago and described a paradise of abundance. When the two groups met, European diseases devastated the Polynesian people and commercial interests forced the abandonment of traditional practices that had developed in fragile, limited ecosystems.
The islands of French Polynesia have a history of demonstrated sustainability despite the fact that they have been profoundly shaped by European colonization. Today, they are thought by many to be so dependent on those colonizers that they cannot sustain themselves without foreign financial support. At the same time, a movement for independence looks towards a sustainable future that acknowledges the persistence of the Polynesian culture. In this semester, we examine what the future holds for these islands, and whether they can give us answers that apply to other regions of the globe as well.
Shore Component - Woods Hole
For the first 4 weeks, students will take academic classes on our campus in Woods Hole to prepare for their voyage. This will include collaborations with nearby institutions including the Peabody Museum at Harvard University, which holds an important early collection of Polynesian artifacts. At the John Carter Brown Library in Providence and the New Bedford Whaling Museum we will work with records of Yankee voyages to the South Pacific. Additionally, relationships with the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, Marine Biological Laboratory, and Woods Hole Research Center give students access to world-renowned scientists in public and classroom lectures, and to one of the worlds leading oceanographic libraries.
SEA Component - Pacific Voyage
After the Shore Component, students then join the crew of the SSV Robert C. Seamans to sail among the islands of Polynesia for approximately 7 weeks. Students visit historical, cultural, and agricultural sites on the islands and meet local people. Using state-of-the-art shipboard laboratory and research facilities, they also investigate the complex factors that threaten fragile island ecosystems and the surrounding marine environment. During the passages between the islands, students will become functioning crew members of the ship and will develop a first-hand perspective on the practical challenges of navigating these waters. On board research facilities will be utilized to develop an understanding of the oceanographic and marine biological systems that sustain these islands.
A final week-long shore component at the University of Hawaii in Honolulu rounds out the program. Less
