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SUST 380.LT01 (Montana Hodges)

Friday afternoon introduction to the Pleistocene Epoch, rocks and archaeological history of Tahoe Basin’s indigenous Washoe culture. Familiarization with geologic map reading, latitude and longitude navigation. Visit Alpine Meadows to view where an ice dam held back the much higher Ice Age Lake Tahoe. Discuss the ice dam burst and megaflood carving the Truckee River valley and transporting giant boulders east of Reno. Drive along the Truckee and look for glacial outburst rocks. Saturday departure to Donner Pass to view glacially polished rocks along an easy hike on the Pacific Crest Trail. Drive back to Truckee past glacial deposits and the view of Donner Lake from Rainbow Bridge. Stop at the petroglyphs carved into the rock by Pleistocene Washoe people. Brief stop at Donner Lake beach to discuss the formation. Drive to Boca Reservoir to explore the sedimentary rocks on the shore that were deposited by the ancient glacial lakes. Look for fossils where the mastodon was found in the Pleistocene diatomite rock. Sunday morning campus walk to glacial till deposits and the lake, map review and checkoffs.

ENG 215.LT01 (June Saraceno)

This course features a Friday evening literary presentation followed by Saturday and Sunday writing workshops. The workshops focus on multi-genre place-based writing. Over the course of the weekend, students will hone an individual work to completion and will present it in a student reading at the conclusion of the course.

SUST 380.LT02 (Brennan Lagasse)

A course centered on outdoor recreation as it relates to the greater Tahoe area. Special attention will be given to topics related to climate change, trail building, and access to outdoor spaces in the region. This course will collaborate with professional members of outdoor recreation and advocacy groups such as Protect Our Winters, the League to Save Lake Tahoe, the Tahoe Backcountry Alliance, Tahoe Area Mountain Biking Association, the Washoe Youth Outdoor Expedition Program, and the Outdoor Alliance. Friday will focus on an introduction to the topics, including a visit to Olympic Valley to attend the Alpenglow Sports Winter Speaker Series. Saturday we will snowshoe and/or hike in a special Tahoe area, such as the Mt. Rose wilderness or West Shore of Lake Tahoe depending on conditions. Students will be asked to craft a letter on sustainability and stewardship to future outdoor users/visitors of the area.

SUST 380.LT03 (Chris Lanier)

Friday will include a couple hour discussion on basic drone operation/instruction and brief historic context of the Donner Tunnels. Saturday, travel to the tunnels and document the area, taking video with drones. Total time in the field will be about 6 hours, including transportation. On return to the UNRLT campus, we can review the footage and do a writing exercise to draft a voiceover for the footage. A post-weekend follow-up will involve viewing and discussing video and the recording of voiceovers for the footage.

SUST 380.LT04 Honors (Katie Zanto)

n this course, students will explore trails in the Lake Tahoe basin, while reading tales written about the region and experimenting with creative writing, poetry, and journaling. Intermediate to advanced hiking skills, fitness and equipment required. Students will have the chance to reread, compile and share their writing with their cohort.

SUST 380.LT05 (Talley Kayser)

Are you curious about how your attention is shaped, and often hijacked, by social media? Do you want to reconnect with the natural world and reclaim your focus? In this weekend course, we’ll explore how digital life affects the way we engage with our surroundings. Students will leave with concrete tools to shift their attention away from digital platforms and toward more grounded, intentional experiences...not just when surrounded by stunning landscapes, but in everyday life. Whether you're a frequent doomscroller or a reluctant user, this course invites you to ask: What does it feel like to be more fully present?

SUST 380.LT06 (Montana Hodges)

Join a real fossil dig while learning about our natural resource heritage and management practices. Many people don’t know that Nevada is a treasure trove of hundreds of millions of years of our fossil record. This course offers students the unique opportunity to collect fossils for scientific research. Uncover 10-million-year-old critters like mastodons, bone crushing dogs, horses, camels, and more, while will learn about fossils ownership, management, protection, and exploitation in the United States. The tentative schedule includes a Friday afternoon lecture on fossil resources and management, followed by a campus tour. Saturday drive to the western Nevada fossil site and spend the day searching for fossils. Sunday morning lesson on fossil curation while preparing and cataloging the fossils collected. Requires light hiking.

SUST 380.LT07 (Chris Lanier)

Friday afternoon we will discuss the two locations we will visit on Saturday (Tahoe Meadows and Chimney Beach) do some drawing exercises and look at historic & contemporary examples of landscape drawing and photography. On Saturday, we will explore the Tahoe Meadows for a drawing experience in the morning and Chimney Beach for a photography experience in the afternoon. Total time in the field will be about 8 hours, including transportation. A post weekend review and discussion of the photos and drawings will also be held.

SUST 380.LT08 (Katie Zanto)
Honors Freshman/Sophomores

This course focuses on personal reflective writing and community building while hiking and exploring unique parts of the Lake Tahoe basin. We will spend time observing natural places, writing, and sharing our reflections with our cohort. Activities will include an orientation to Lake Tahoe, Leave No Trace ethics, a marathon writing activity as we explore the east shore, and possibly a sunrise hike. Students will have the chance to reread, share and compile their reflective writings. Intermediate hiking skills, fitness and equipment required.

SUST 380.LT15 (Molly Allen and Rick Parsons)

In this course we will explore the Lake Tahoe landscape while image making with cyanotypes. Using these experimental images made with natural object collected from nature, we will design a graphic that will be translated, and silk screened onto t-shirts. Through these processes and outdoor exploration students will gain a historical and contemporary understanding of image and word. (Time permitting) This course will also utilize the laser cutter and design concepts to create further interpretation of image and word.

SUST 380.LT09 (Lyndsay Munro)

This weekend course introduces students to the fundamentals of generative artificial intelligence (GenAI), including its capabilities, limitations, environmental impact and ethical implications. Through hands-on activities and an outdoor experiential component around Lake Tahoe, students will integrate natural-world observations with GenAI-powered tools, fostering both technical understanding and creative problem-solving.

SUST 380.LT10 (Kelly Keselica)

This weekend course explores leadership through the practice and philosophy of yoga, intentionally designed around the Lake Tahoe environment. Students participate in guided yoga sessions both indoors and outdoors, using movement, breath, and stillness to develop awareness, self-regulation, and presence under changing conditions. Outdoor practices and walking reflections leverage Tahoe’s natural terrain, elevation, and scale to surface attention, discomfort, and perspective, while indoor sessions provide space for discussion, integration, and reflection. Drawing from yoga philosophy and leadership concepts, the course focuses on foundational leadership practices such as awareness before action, values-based decision making, intentional direction, and presence with others. No prior yoga experience is required. Yoga is approached as a practice of inquiry rather than performance, with students leaving with practical tools they can apply in academic, professional, and personal contexts.

SUST 380.LT11 Honors (Brennan Lagasse)

A course centered on the history, perspectives, and current work of the original stewards of Da ow aga, the Wašiw Peoples. This course will spotlight the work of Washiw Zulshish Goom Tahn Nu (Washoe Warrior Society), the Washoe Youth Outdoor Expedition Program, along with other Elders and community members working in various fields of local cultural sustainability. Friday will focus on an introduction to the topics, including the rights of nature movement. Saturday will be spent in the field locally at choice locations around the lake. Locations and activities to be determined depending on partner availability. Students will be asked to write a final course reflection on the Rights of Nature for Lake Tahoe.

SUST 380.LT12 (Chris Lanier)

Friday afternoon we will discuss the two locations we will visit on Saturday (Tahoe Meadows and Chimney Beach) do some drawing exercises and look at historic & contemporary examples of landscape drawing and photography. On Saturday, we will explore the Tahoe Meadows for a drawing experience in the morning and Chimney Beach for a photography experience in the afternoon. Total time in the field will be about 8 hours, including transportation. A post weekend review and discussion of the photos and drawings will also be held.

SUST 380.LT13 (Montana Hodges)

Interdisciplinary science course covering the hydrology, geology, and geography of the Tahoe Basin watershed. Friday afternoon lecture on the Tahoe Basin and campus tour. Saturday morning communicating science lecture, brunch, then departure to explore Lake Tahoe. Saturday early morning departure to circle Lake Tahoe with stops along the shore where students will create social media posts about the Tahoe watershed. Sunday water sampling along beautiful Incline Creek.

SUST 380.LT14 (Talley Kayser)

Every fall, with the season’s first heavy rains, countless Kokanee salmon surge up Taylor Creek only to die gruesome deaths when they arrive. What drives this extreme behavior? What is its larger purpose? And what can humans learn from it?

In this weekend course, we will explore the natural history of the salmon in Lake Tahoe: how they got here, why they spawn, and what they have to teach us about life, sex, and death in their own species and beyond. On Friday, we delve into the natural and cultural history of salmon using both science and literature, gaining a richer understanding of Kokanee salmon and their relatives. Saturday is spent outdoors, observing the spawning run firsthand, with opportunities to spot bears, eagles, and other wildlife. Through guided readings, field journaling, and reflective discussion, we’ll consider what the salmon’s story reveals about sex, death, and transformation. We will distill our insights into a final reflection (due Sunday) that uses scientific and/or creative writing to process the events of the weekend.