Walking: Nature and Society

Full Course Title:

Walking the World with Paul Salopek: Environment, Society, & Slow Journalism

This seminar explores the intersections of environmental change, landscape, culture, and migration, inspired by Paul Salopek's Out of Eden Walk. Following Salopek's footsteps across the globe, students will engage with storytelling, mapping, reflective walking exercises, and critical readings to deepen their understanding of human movement and environmental transformation over time.

Course Details

Prefix:

UCO

Course Number:

1200

Section Number(s) and Day/Times Taught:

139: TR 2:00pm - 3:15pm

140: TR 3:30pm -4:45pm

Term:

Spring 2026

Categories:

Global Issues

Sustainability

Well-Being

Instructor(s)

Anders Sjostrand

A native of Boone, Anders' research interests concern the interface of socio-political processes and environmental change, particularly related to natural resource conflicts. He received a B.A. in Economics and Enrivonmental Science at NC State University in 2012. He went on to Stockholm University where he lived for six years, completing the Globalization, Environment, and Social Change master's program. During this time he undertook fieldwork in the Georgian Caucasus, where he investigated access rights and resource conflicts in Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park from a political ecology perspective.

After graduate school, he worked in Malawi for a Swedish NGO called MUD Africa, who advocates for land and women's rights throughout the country. He still serves as a board member for MUD. Following this period, he worked as a research associate for Purdue University, leading a research project that sought to conserve the endangered whooping crane. He is excited about the prospect of being back in Boone, and utilizing his interdisciplinary experience and research to teach the complicated social and environmental problems of today.

University College

Walking: Nature and Society