爱豆社区 River Studies and Leadership Certification

Offered in partnership with the , the introduces students to the multidisciplinary nature of river-related professions through its unique combination of classes and real-world experiences. Participating undergraduate and graduate students complete complete coursework in science, policy, geographic information systems (GIS) and river safety; enlist in a river-based course or internship; and present research findings or a capstone project summary in person at an RMS event, such as the biennial River Management Symposium or through an article published in the quarterly RMS Journal. Students enrolled in the program have opportunities to participate in regional and national events, and receive news, resources, and jobs curated for current and aspiring river professionals.  

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What Can You Do A River Studies and Leadership Certificate?

Students who complete this certificate program have a competitive advantage in careers associated with any and all aspects of environmental education. Here are just some of their career choices:

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Course Requirements

The River Studies and Leadership Certificate is an interdisciplinary program that combines learning about river science, geographic information systems (GIS), policy and river field experience with a chosen emphasis in one of three areas: river science, river-based policy, or river-based education, recreation and tourism. RSLC students demonstrate 鈥渞eal-world鈥� application of their knowledge and skills through professional experience or an internship with a river project. The River Studies and Leadership Certificate program is structured as follows:

Core Courses (4 courses):

Students must successfully complete approved* courses in the following subjects:

• Geographic Information Systems (1 course)
• River Science (1 course)
• River Policy (1 course)
• River Safety (1 course) ()

Emphasis Courses (2 courses):

Students must take at least two approved* courses from ONE of the following emphasis areas:

• River Science
• River-based Policy and Management
• River-based Recreation, Education, and Tourism

Professional Experience Requirement

In order to enable students to become effective leaders and river professionals, one of the requirements of the River Studies and Leadership Certificate is that 鈥渓earning must be applied in a professional context鈥�.  This requirement may be met through a credit-earning internship, paid internship, paid professional experience, independent study or course-related professional experience.  The experience must encompass a minimum of 90 hours of work (or 2 credit-hours) and will be reviewed and approved by the River Studies and Leadership Certificate Committee to certify the adequacy of the experience for the professional experience program requirement.  Students with relevant, recent professional or internship experience may request that those experiences be used to fulfill this requirement. 

Oral or Written Presentation Requirement

Students are required to either present aspects of their work at either 1. an RMS Symposium, trip or conference hosted by RMS or partners, or 2. write an article for the RMS Journal about their experiences. For RMS Journal submissions, students should work with their RSLC advisors to make sure the article is consistent with Certificate requirements. In addition, articles should steer away from topics that duplicate the findings or reflections of previously-published articles. Articles may:

• Describe or report on a topic related to a research paper you鈥檝e written or the results of a research project.
• Reflect on an immersive river course, internship, or experience attending (and possibly presenting your work at) the River Management Symposium or other RMS-sponsored events.

Why this program?

This immersive workshop introduces students to mono-printing as an expressive foundation for relief and mixed-media printmaking. Through hands-on demonstrations, guided studio practice, and group critiques, students will explore both traditional and experimental approaches to mono-printing, including additive and subtractive inking, layering, stenciling, and ghost printing.

Emphasis is placed on creative risk-taking, sustainable studio practices, material exploration, and personal visual language development. Students will leave with a cohesive body of prints, a working sketchbook, and practical skills applicable to future printmaking and mixed-media work.

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What will this program look like?

DAY 1 鈥� Foundations + Controlled Exploration

• Welcome Introductions, Images + Demo
• Exercise 1: Direct Mark-Making
• Exercise 2: Additive + Subtractive Layers
• Structured Challenge: Limited Palette Composition
• Registration Intro (Simple Method)
• Texture & Transparency
• Independent Studio Work
• Group Critique + Clean Up

DAY 2 鈥� Advanced Layering + Series Development

Editioning Practice, Critique and Reflection

Review + Advanced Demo

Project 1: 3-Layer Registered Print

Ghost Print & Variation Series

Ink Modification + Experimental Techniques

Final Project: Thematic Print 鈥� Solo work

Program Overview

This 5 day yogic river immersion takes place in a spectacular southwest canyon adjacent to Monument Valley in Utah. This program brings together the outdoor skills inherent to a multi-day river trip with a focus of connecting to Place through yogic practices. Participants will have numerous opportunities to practice yoga asana, breathing and meditation while flowing through the San Juan river鈥檚 upper corridor. Participants will share in the daily work required to paddle down stream and live harmoniously in the river environment. Each day will be a blend of landscape exploration and personal exploration through a variety of yoga practices in this natural outdoor setting. Discussions and reflections around yogic philosophy and principles will allow participants to dive deeper into their understanding of yoga and consider what aspects are most relevant and meaningful to them.

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Schedule

Day 1: Drive to Sand Island. Dinner, evening yoga practice + camp setup

Day 2: River safety + cultural introductions + petroglyph panel stop + evening yoga + camp

Day 3: Layover for am + pm yoga practices, side hike option, and sense of place overview, art + reflection

Day 4: Sidehike explorations and place-based yoga practices and discussions

Day 5: Silent float, contemplative practice. Take out + drive

Why this program?

This four-day studio intensive introduces students to the creative possibilities of solar plate printmaking and collage based monoprinting. Participants will learn how to transform high contrast photographs, drawings, textures, and found imagery into richly layered prints using light-sensitive solar plates and non-toxic printmaking methods.

Students will create a series of original prints while learning both traditional and contemporary approaches to image-making. The workshop is designed for artists, educators, students, and creative individuals interested in expanding their printmaking practice. No prior printmaking experience is required.

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What will this program look like?

Through demonstrations, guided exercises, and independent studio exploration, students will experiment with relief intaglio printing, monoprint techniques, transparent color layering, and collage processes. Emphasis will be placed on creative experimentation, personal expression, and the development of a unique visual language through printmaking.

Each day will conclude with a reflection, group discussion, and review of successful exposures and troubleshooting techniques 

Day 1: Introduction to Solar Plate Printmaking 
Learning Focus: Understanding solar plate processes and producing successful first prints.

Day 2: Layering, Texture, and Monoprint Exploration 
Learning Focus: Building visual complexity through layered imagery, texture, and color.

Day 3: Collage-Based Print Construction 
Learning Focus: Developing personal imagery and integrating collage into printmaking practice. 

Day 4: Final Projects and Portfolio Development 
Learning Focus: Completing a cohesive body of work and reflecting on artistic growth. 

Materials and Techniques Covered 

Solar plate exposure 
Photographic transparency crea3on 
Hand-drawn plate creation 
Intaglio inking and wiping
Registration methods
Monoprinting
Layered color printing
Collage construction
Mixed-media integration
Print presentation and portfolio development 

Why this program?

The Foundations in Community Journalism microcredential invites participants into the practice of journalism as a tool for collective power, resilience, and accountability. Through four interconnected, experiential workshops, students will gain both a grounding in the values of community journalism and practical skills they can immediately apply. Together, we will explore what makes community journalism distinct from legacy models and how it overlaps with community organizing. Students will learn why authentic, trust-based relationships are central to ethical reporting, and they will practice strategies for showing up within communities with transparency, humility, and care. Participants will sharpen their ability to ask strong, open-ended questions鈥攃ultivating curiosity, cultural awareness, and active listening as cornerstones of ethical storytelling. Finally, students will step behind the scenes of the full journalistic process, moving from idea to impact while reflecting on the rights and responsibilities of both journalists and news consumers. By the end of this program, students will leave with a holistic understanding of community journalism: its principles, practices, and potential to create meaningful stories that are accurate, ethical, and rooted in community trust.

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What will this program look like?

To successfully complete the pathway and earn the Foundations in Community Journalism badge, participants must:

• Engage with all four modules by completing required readings, videos, and non-lecture learning resources.
  
• Submit one artifact per module (e.g., a short written response, audio/video reflection, or activity worksheet) demonstrating engagement with key concepts:
  • Module 1: Reflection on how community journalism differs from legacy journalism.
  • Module 2: Example of a relationship-building strategy or community map.
  • Module 3: A set of open-ended, intentional interview questions.
  • Module 4: A brief outline of a story idea following the journalistic process.
    
• Participate in at least two cohort-based discussions (online discussion prompts, peer feedback, or synchronous conversations).
  
• Complete a final capstone reflection (2鈥�3 pages or a short multimedia submission) synthesizing learning across all modules. The capstone must demonstrate:
  • Understanding of the historical roots and purposes of community journalism.
  • Application of relationship-building and ethical accountability strategies.
  • Ability to craft effective, curiosity-driven questions.
  • Familiarity with the journalistic process from idea to public engagement.
    
    

Why this program?

In a dance improvisation, we are all equal. Whether we choose to stand still or to leap, our decision will shape the form of the dance. Each moment requires us to sense the movement feeling, to perceive how it is developing and then to choose how to respond, in movement in that moment. When we join with others to make something new, we create a microcosm of human relationship. When should we lead? When should we follow? When is it time to join? When do we resist? How do we initiate change? How do we include everyone while respecting our differences? This microcredential course addresses the challenges of establishing a democratic community and uses creative dance improvisation as a metaphor for the process and principles required in that task.

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What will this program look like?

Each studio session will introduce creative dance material. After day one, students will be invited to suggest various issues and challenges to democracy and then address those challenges through movement improvisations. The Course will culminate with a sharing of dance, readings, and other expressions by the students.

Participants will develop and refine their own creative movement resources. These resources include, but are not limited to:

The dance material is presented as a series of creative problems that individuals and groups will solve with improvised movement drawn from the everyday language of movement expression. It is based on the ideas and principles developed by Barbara Mettler (1907-2002), an American dance pioneer, who believed that everyone could (and should) dance. She frequently said that freedom is the basis of her approach, but that our humanity requires relationships. She taught that the individual and group were dependent on each other in order to realize their full creative potential. Mettler became known for her work with large groups improvising together. Today her work is referred to as Mettler-based dance.

Why a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Field Ecology and Conservation?

Field Ecology and Conservation at 爱豆社区 is about connecting with the natural world and conserving it towards the long-term sustainable future of the planet. Our students truly engage with nature and experience it up close, in person. Our students spend over half their time outdoors, identifying and inventorying native plants, monitoring seabird nesting behavior on offshore islands, and restoring riparian ecosystems to health and vitality. In the classroom, we learn evolutionary theory, the life histories of organisms, and field methods for ecological research. We take the knowledge and skills we learn in the greater Southwest and apply it worldwide on field studies. We travel to the rainforest of Costa Rica, the coast of the Gulf of California, and to the alpine tundra of the Sierra Nevada.

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What can you do with this degree?

Our students become the conservationists of the twenty first century. Amidst a modern
world of ecological upheaval, they do this by focusing on place-based conservation
projects, restoring the planet one community at a time. Graduates find livelihoods as
research technicians, ecological consultants, ecotourism guides, naturalist educators,
and park rangers. They work for organizations such as The National Park Service, The
Nature Conservancy, Rio Grande Returns, and The Center for Biodiversity. They
monitor the return of rapids along the Colorado River, changes in gallery forest stands in
the Hassayampa Preserve, and restore wetlands at the headwaters of the Rio Grande.
Many of our students also go on to attain graduate degrees in related fields, such as
Botany and Biology. By providing unparalleled opportunities to engage with and explore
the natural world, 爱豆社区鈥檚 Field Ecology and Conservation major is designed
to give students the knowledge, skills, and experience to be the best field ecologists and
conservationists of our times.

Here are some careers of our graduates:

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What will this program look like?

We are experiential and field-based; our goal is to graduate ecologically informed,
competent, skilled field practitioners. Our classes have an average of a dozen students
and integrate teaching methods specifically developed for small, interactive student
groups. Students should expect rigorous classroom academics complimented by
immersive field studies, often in remote field settings. The field begins the moment we
go outside to our campus gardens and botanically-oriented grounds, and extends to
field stations and wild places around the planet. While some courses happen entirely in
the classroom and others happen entirely in the field, most courses integrate both
indoor and outdoor learning elements, and on average we spend at least 50% of our
time outside.

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Available Concentrations within Field Ecology and Conservation

Marine Studies
Natural History Interpretation
Sustainable Food Systems
Environmental Education

Other Available Concentrations

Adventure Education
Equity Studies in Outdoor Leadership
Outdoor Leadership

Certificates

Environmental Education
Sustainable Food Systems

Why Get a Bachelor鈥檚 Degree in Critical Social Justice and Solidarity?

You believe in the power of change, and the power of people to make it. You believe that building a more socially and environmentally just world for all takes equal parts strategy, persistence, and vision. You want to move beyond opinions and learn to analyze our social systems and while growing your own sense of purpose. You are ready to mobilize and support movements for justice more than you already do.

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What Can You Do With a Bachelor’s in Critical Social Justice and Solidarity?

In the march for social justice, there are a myriad of roles one can take. Our graduates go on to to pursue masters, doctorate, or law school degrees, or work in non-profit organizations, international work, education, and community activism. Some of their careers are listed here:.

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What will this program look like?

Interdisciplinary and immersive, students in this program gain first-hand knowledge and experience on the study of social change. By studying and engaging with both the theories and skills undergirding social justice and solidarity movements our students will  learn how to critically analyze, research, collaborate, and participate directly in environmental, socioeconomic, and political justice work. Additionally, our students will learn to integrate national and global perspectives with hands-on civic engagement through studies and practice in the field, community organizing work in partnership with organizations across Arizona and across the country, 

Keep your studies broad, or focus around one specific area of interest, such as indigenous studies, migration studies, global systems, communications and storytelling, community education, environmental justice and communities, or law and policy. All that and you can integrate with one of our accelerated Master’s programs such as the Organizing and Community Justice program.

Why a certificate in sustainable food systems?

Food insecurity and inequity has risen dramatically due to human-induced climate change and increased pressure on natural resources and organisms. It’s imperative that we ensure a healthy food system, in every way it nourishes us: growing, harvesting, processing, distributing, marketing, consuming, and waste. You want to not only study food systems, but learn how to lead the way in sustaining all living beings now and in the future.

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What can you do with a certificate in sustainable food systems?

Students who complete this program have a competitive advantage in careers associated with any and all aspects of the food system. Here are just some of their career choices:

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What will this program look like?

Food system perspectives are emerging to ensure our food security and well-being in the face of inequities, the profound impact of human-induced climate change, and increased pressure on natural resources and organisms. The Sustainable Food Systems Certificate is grounded in the of the United Nations .

This 20-credit certificate will be available to all 爱豆社区 undergraduate students from any major and provides an incentive for students across the curriculum to consider accelerating into our MA in Transformative Food Systems.

Why a degree in Organizing and Community Justice?

You are committed to a more just and equitable future for all. You are dedicated to your community and know that change is possible. Whether you are an organization leader, an advocate, or activist, you want to learn how to harness the theories, principles, and practice of community organizing in the march toward social justice. In this era of escalating inequality and vulnerability, there’s never been a more pressing time or more urgent need for passionate and effective changemakers like you.

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What can you do with a degree in Organizing and Community Justice?

Given the leadership-building nature of this program, it’s no wonder that our graduates end up in integral roles across communities, organizations, and institutions, where they can make the greatest difference:

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What will this program look like?

Rooted in decolonization, abolition, and anti-racism, this program is community-based, flexible, affordable, and collaborative. Students gain practical skills in liberation-based theoretical frameworks and community organizing methodologies, as they learn to devise strategic, intentional, and specific strategies aimed at addressing the injustices facing communities of color, immigrant communities, Indigenous communities, incarcerated communities, Queer and Trans communities, and more. In this program, students from many different communities and backgrounds will work together to develop new and innovative solutions that address systemic oppression as they seek to build to justice and organize communities – through movements for environmental, socio-economic, political, and racial justice. Students will not be learning to help communities, they will be learning to understand and own their own power as they seek to organize and teach others to move towards more just and resilient communities. Studies include: strategic organization praxis, leadership and collaboration, systems of oppression and community-based education.

Available Concentrations

Agroecology & Biodiversity

Conservation Biology

Education for Social Justice

Innovative Entrepreunership

Environmental Education

Food Justice

Media & Communications

Organizational Leadership for Social Impact

Outdoor Education

Resilience Planning and Climate Solutions

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Certificate

Entrepreneurial Leadership and Organizational Management