Landscapes enable various forms of interaction and experience. The interfaces of geological, biological and meteorological factors and cultural-historical patterns and aesthetic qualities create demands that are culturally embedded. Individuals have to respond as they expose themselves to natural places and elements. The responses that successfully prove themselves develop into firm patterns of interpretations and practical knowledge, which substantially determine various outdoor recreation and education cultures. These might also be symbolizing national identities; how the sea, the woods and the mountains may have given meaning to the national identities of England, Germany and Norway. Even though by now the various outdoor practices can be found world-wide, there may exist ideas that certain activities are typical for the specific countries, regions and locations, due to cultural traditions and predominant types of landscape, which may also be expressed in myths, fairy tales and arts. As part of the module, tentatively and for the time being, the sea, sailing and seakayaking are classified as 'belonging to' England, the mountains and mountaineering as well as skiing in winter to Norway, forests and forms of hiking (including cycling and boating on rivers) to Germany. The lack of clear rules of allocation that becomes apparent, together with different types of texts and pictures, offers a multitude of opportunities to research, problematize and discuss both the concept of unclear borders and the problem of rigid border markings, as well as transcultural ideas of national, regional or local landscapes as romanticized wilderness to be explored, as territories to be conquered and tamed, as environments to care for, cure and preserve, or as well-known places and even a homeland.

By a phenomenological hermeneutic approach the module will explore and discuss approaches that intend to take seriously humankind's direct, sensory experiences of the world; of the natural elements of water, fire, air and soil, and of landscapes; mountains, rivers, meadows, etc.. And thus explore the meanings and aesthetic-experiences of children and youth living within diverse and dynamic contemporary socio-cultural contexts, where new technologies and various pedagogical ideas and practices are also at work.

On completion of this module students should be able to:

• Explain how landscapes have been and are used, experienced, conceptualized, valued, managed, and  transformed in formal and non-formal outdoor education settings
• Demonstrate and understand the significances of sensuous, embodied experiences of landscape in upbringing, learning and enculturation
• Demonstrate an independent integration and critical investigation of literature and other research material related to a self-chosen topic relevant for the module.

The students must have satisfied requirements for attendance and active participation in the seminars, including the submission of individual and group assignments that will be given the Pass/Fail grad. The number of assignments to be submitted will be specified at the start of the course.

Each student must write an individual assignement on a chosen theme relevant for the module during the semester. The written assignement must not exceed a maximum of 8000 characters (1.5 line spacing), excluding the table of contents, references and attachments. All sources must be aacurately cited and referenced using the APA 5th edition (cf. www.nih.no). The essay will be due to the end of May in the second semester. It will be graded fram A to F.

The individual assignment has to be submitted to the Studenttorget as well as on the learning platform Fronter. Please note that all assignments will be scanned by the plagiarism control program Ephorus.

NB! To open electronic articles and books off campus, you must use the following VPN connection: Click here to download.

Jones, M. & Olwig, K.R. (Eds.). (2008). Introduction. In: M. Jones & K.R. Olwig (Eds.), Nordic Landscapes: Region and belonging on the Northern Edge of Europe. (pp. ?-?). Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Macfarlane, R. (2003). Mountains of the mind: A history of a fascination. Granta Books.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

McCulloch, K. H. (2004). Ideologies of adventure: Authority and decision making in sail training. Journal of Adventure Education and Outdoor Learning, 4(2), 185-98.
This article is available online: Click here to download.

Mitchell, A. (2009). Seasick: The hidden ecological crisis of the global ocean. Oneworld Publications.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA
 
Mullins, P. (2009). Living stories of the landscape: Perception of place through canoeing in Canada's North. Tourism Geographies, 11(2), 233-255.
The article is available online: Click here to download.

Newby, E. (1972). The Last Grain Race. London: Pan Books.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Pedersen, K. (2003).Discourses on nature and gender identities. In: K. Pedersen & A. Viken(eds.), Nature and identity. Essays on the culture of nature. (pp. 121-149). Kristiansand: Høyskoleforlaget.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Pink, S. (2009). Doing sensory ethnography. London: Sage.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Sandell, K. (2008). The right of public access: The landscape perspective of friluftsliv. In: B. Henderson & N. Vikander (Eds.). Nature first: Outdoor life the friluftsliv way. (pp. 90-99). Toronto: Heritage Books.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA
The book is also available online/electronic: Click here to download.

Slagstad, R. (2008). When the mountains were formed. In: N. Messel (Ed.), Oppdagelsen av fjellet. (pp. 151-157). Oslo: Nasjonalmuseet for kunst, arkitektur og design.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Slingsby, W.C. (2004). Norway: The northern playground. (Reprint of 1904). Findon: Ripping Yarns.com.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Thompson, I. (2010). The English lakes: A history. (pp. 19-46). London: New York and Berlin: Bloomsbury.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Tuan, Y-F. (2001). Space and place: The perspective of experience. Minnesota: University of Minnesota Press.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA
 
Urberg, I. (2007). "Svalbard's daughters": Personal accounts by Svalbard´s female pioneers. Norlitt, 22, 167-191.
This article is available online: Click here to download.

Wattchow, B. & Brown, M. (2011). A pedagogy of place: Outdoor education for a changing world. Monash, Australia: Monash University.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA

Wilson, J.K. (2012). The German forest: Nature, identity and the contestation of a national symbol, 1871-1914. University of Toronto Press.
You will find the book in the Library here: ORIA