Programs

Honors Study Away: Big Island Hawai鈥檌

Group of Honors students and trip leaders in forest in Hawaii

PROGRAM INTRODUCTION

Learn about and experience the Big Island of Hawai鈥檌 as few have done! Enroll in IDH 4200 during the Spring semester to prepare for an immersive 15-day community-engaged learning opportunity on the Big Island of Hawai鈥檌.

Through interdisciplinary frameworks this course explores the multifaceted and dynamic past, present, and future of Hawai鈥檌 through the lenses of tourism, sustainability, history, agriculture, and cultural revitalization. We will learn about and experience the many cultures of Hawai鈥檌, from Native Hawaiian roots to the multiculturalism brought by the plantation era. Activities include hiking in cloud forests, snorkeling coastal reefs, visiting coffee and chocolate farms, and service learning to preserve native species and biodiversity. 

PROGRAM DATES

Beyond the Classroom: Big Island Hawai鈥檌

  • Course: IDH 4200 Beyond the Classroom: Big Island Hawai'i
  • Location: Tampa campus
  • Time: Spring 2027
  • Study Away Program: June 2-16, 2027
Honors students walking on a wooden path in rocky terrain

Program Details

Service learning will be a key focus as we model regenerative tourism and give back to this special place when we visit. We will work at an ethnobotanical garden, help maintain an ancient fishpond, tour organic cacao groves, and pick prized Kona coffee. The deep cultural kanaka maoli (Native Hawaiian) connections will be explored through our Hawaiian guides who will share their mana鈥檕 (wisdom) with us at sacred sites and revitalized landscapes.

Two Honors students smile in front of mountainous Hawaiian landscape

Sites Visited:

  • Kona Cloud Forest
  • Amy Greenwell Ethnobotanical Garden
  • Volcanoes National Park
  • Puak艒 Petroglyph Archaeological Preserve
  • K墨holo State Park Reserve
  • Mahi鈥檃i Made Farm
  • OK Farms
  • `Imiloa Astronomy Center

Note on accessibility: 手机看片 must be able to navigate rough/uneven/possibly muddy surfaces, eat and sleep in tropical temperatures and humidity, and adapt to changes in the schedule with little notice.

3 students on branch in water

How to Apply  

Application deadline: Oct.15, 2026

Program Cost

Cost: $2,750 (includes lodging, transportation, entrance fees, most meals; excludes airfare)

Questions: Email Dr. Brooke Hansen