This immersive interdisciplinary Wintersession Travel Course is for art and design students interested in exploring past and current efforts to conserve biodiversity in South Africa and Namibia while also developing their communication and documentation skills.
Course Dates: Jan 6, 2025 — Jan 25, 2025
Minimum 2.5 GPA required. First year students are not eligible for this course.
Bushwise Field Guides
Includes accommodation, all meals, field trips, local transportation, museum entrances, health and travel insurance. Airfare to South Africa is not included.
This immersive interdisciplinary Wintersession course offered by RISD Global is for art and design students interested in exploring past and current efforts to conserve biodiversity in Southern Africa while also developing their communication and documentation skills.
On location for two weeks in South Africa and one in Namibia, this course will be co-taught by longtime RISD faculty member, scientist Dr. Lucy Spelman (Senior Lecturer/HPSS) and Susan Doyle, Professor, Illustration (or an alternate ILL faculty member.) Students will study the local biodiversity, how local people and visitors interact with nature, and how art, science, and traditional ecological knowledge influence and inform conservation decisions. Once back on campus, students spend two weeks on a final art/design project that explores the concept of conservation based on their African experience. In addition to a completed work of art or design, the final project will include 1) an artist statement that describes the student’s artistic aim/inspiration/process and 2) an annotated essay/summary of the scientific references and literary influences that informed their art.
The application for Wintersession Travel Courses 2025 will close on October 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
The entire application process will be completed using an online application portal. You will be able to upload, request and submit all required documents there. Apply to a Wintersession Travel Course
If you are a RISD or Brown University student with a GPA of 2.5 and up, you are eligible to apply. Permission of the instructor is required and is based upon application and selection.
RISD reserves the right to cancel a course due to under-enrollment or for reasons related to health and safety.
Requesting to withdraw from a RISD global learning program, including Wintersession Travel Courses, prior to the start of the course is highly discouraged and requires a formal process outlined in the RISD course withdrawal policy.
The application for Wintersession Travel Courses 2025 will close on October 3, 2025 at 11:59 PM.
Have questions? The RISD Global team is available to meet for a 1:1 advising session. We can give you more information about your study options, help you figure out which program makes sense for you, and assist you with the application process.
Schedule an AppointmentNo announcements for this program.