View from the Balkans Via Dinarica White Trail

Outdoor adventure master’s students present on Balkans trip

Outdoor adventure master’s students present on Balkans trip

Graduate students returning from a 35-day trip to the Balkans will offer a multimedia presentation on their adventures in SOU’s Meese Auditorium from 6 to 9 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 3. The free event includes a short film, refreshments and a Q&A session.

The students of SOU’s Master of Outdoor Adventure and Expedition Leadership Program (MOAEL) backpacked along the Via Dinarica White Trail, which travels through Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia, Montenegro and Albania. The trail includes ancient castles to explore, beautiful waterfalls to observe and challenging cliffs to climb.

Culminating trips such as the Balkans expedition take place during the summer quarter of the MOAEL course, and are followed by the fall quarter’s presentation. The event comes at the tail-end of the MOAEL track, and counts as the final thesis for the course, synthesizing the graduate study experience.

The master’s program, which is now in its second full year, spans five consecutive quarters at SOU and incorporates a cohort model in which learning communities of 10 to 12 students work together toward their summer quarter international expedition. The program prepares students to be leaders and entrepreneurs in the outdoor adventure field, combining classroom theory with experiential field work.

A bachelor’s degree program in Outdoor Adventure Leadership has been a popular option at SOU for the past several years. It teaches technical abilities, judgment and interpersonal skills, preparing students to work in outdoor adventure positions.

Story by Blair Selph, SOU Marketing and Communications student writer