Somerville Secondary College

Around the World in 80 Days

Featured Learning AreaHumanities – Geography
Additional Learning AreasHumanities – History, Civics, Economics, Science
Learning Capabilities DevelopedCritical/Creative Thinking

COURSE DESCRIPTION

Are you ready for travel and adventure? Then sign up now for this virtual backpacking experience – around the world in 80 days – featuring Africa, Central Asia, South Asia and the Pacific Islands. Your first stop is West Africa, where erratic weather, low rainfall, flooding and poor harvests have created a food crisis faced by more than 18 million people. Here you will volunteer for Oxfam to support an emergency relief effort. While in this role you will meet environmental scientists who teach you about biomes and food shortages in the region. Next, you visit the megacities of China. Your tour guide, Bolin, is a student who studies human geography at Zhejiang University. He is keen to discuss the complexity of interconnectivity in these crowded locations. The speed relaxes upon arrival in South Asia where you are introduced to wellness tourism. Here you meet a social start-up guru who teaches you about the problems of tourism in “paradise” and the phenomenon of eco-tourism. Your final experience is in the picturesque Pacific Islands where you observe the shocking impact of global warming. This life changing expedition will expand your social consciousness and your understanding of the world.