Academics

What is sense of place? What does it take to truly know a place? What can we learn about the world at large through where we are right now? What is my relationship with nature and my community? These are just a few of the questions we'll explore this summer.

At HMI, we believe that the world around us is an endlessly fascinating subject and teacher. The academic program at the Summer Term focuses on developing each individual student's sense of place, leadership skills, and environmental ethic. Our curriculum is interdisciplinary, allowing us to consider topics and ask questions from multiple perspectives. Balancing rigor with fun, the Summer Term is designed for students who are intellectually curious and enthusiastic about learning by doing.

During the Summer Term, you will spend two and  a half weeks in the backcountry of Colorado and over three weeks on the High Mountain Institute's campus outside the town of Leadville. In both settings, you will participate in an enriching and engaging academic curriculum that emphasizes transferable skills such as the application of the scientific method, essay writing, and leadership. Summer Term students take two classes: HMI's keystone course, Practices & Principles, and the core Summer Term class, Developing a Sense of Place: Social & Environmental Science in Colorado's Rocky Mountains. At the end fo the summer, you will receive a transcript for these two courses.