Although Lives of the Mind is on break for the summer, we’d like to share this special bonus episode to tide you over until the school year begins again this fall.
Augustana College recently made the switch from trimesters to semesters. This January was the school’s first crack at intensive J-Term courses, many of which included trips throughout the country and abroad. In this special bonus episode, we go behind the scenes of one of the College’s new J-Term experiences–a Geography course called Water and Environmental Justice focused on the Louisiana Gulf Coast region of the United States and led by Augustana Associate Professor of Geography Dr. Christopher Strunk. The course begins and ends with an on-campus component, with a seven day trip to Louisiana as its centerpiece. In the middle of January, 2020, 15 Augustana students traveled from snowy western Illinois throughout warm Louisiana, including stops in Baton Rouge, Lafayette, and New Orleans.  Along the way they learned about the impact of coastal land loss, pollution, and environmental hazards, as well as efforts to build more sustainable and socially just communities.
Students in the course recorded interviews with experts from research organizations and community advocacy groups along the way, focusing on a variety of topics like coastal land loss, “Cancer Alley,” and Cajun culture, which were edited together to create this bonus episode. We hope you enjoy it!
This special bonus episode was produced through the Lives of the Mind Augustana Podcast Network Initiative. As of the 2019-20 academic year, Lives of the Mind became an Augie-focused podcasting network. As an established podcast, we’re happy to provide the infrastructure for Augie students and faculty to use this popular medium to express themselves and share knowledge with the greater college and Quad Cities communities. Have a great idea? Apply now!
This episode was edited and produced by Christian Elliott. The voice-over was written and recorded by Thea Gonzalez. Special thanks to Dr. Christopher Strunk, Hunter Ridley, and all the students involved in the project.

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