Academic Courses

The Kennedy Mountain Campus will provide a rich environment that inspires the entire DU community and fuels innovation across disciplines. Faculty and staff are encouraged to propose courses, programs and experiences that will spark creativity and growth within the great outdoors while advancing the 4D Experience for our students.

A Place for the Arts

violinist

DU’s faculty in the arts—from creative writing to fine art, theatre, music and more—will use the Kennedy Mountain Campus to supplement and deepen their curriculum. Inspired by nature and new contexts, their students are positioned to create in new and surprising ways.

A Place for Science

student examining vial outdoors

The Kennedy Mountain Campus provides a natural fit for enhanced science education. Faculty members from across disciplines—ecology, geology, biology, geography and so much more—will use the Kennedy Mountain Campus as an extension of their classrooms and laboratories, offering students opportunities to experience the hands-on field work that might someday contribute to their careers.

two students in a creekbed

A Landscape for New Contexts

Learning happens wherever our students and their educators are engaged. And magic happens when new ideas are encountered in inspiring new contexts. At the Kennedy Mountain Campus, DU’s faculty are invited to think expansively about how their field and curriculum can benefit from the majesty and invigoration found in this new educational setting.

Previous Academic Courses at the Kennedy Mountain Campus:

  • Feb 10 – 12, 2023 - Post Study Abroad

    The Post Study Abroad Course provided an intentional and structured space for returning students to build community based on their shared experience, process their time abroad, grow from their intercultural interactions while away and turn toward re-integration and future application of their learning toward public good.

  • March 10 – 12, 2023 - Putting People in Nature

    Building on the curriculum of the ARTS 3125 course, Figure Painting Workshop students finished their painting depicting a person in the natural environment of the Kennedy Mountain Campus. Instructed by Deborah Howard and Damary Beltran, students explore the Kennedy Mountain Campus in search of the perfect natural backdrop for their final project.

  • April 21–23, 2023 - Developing Character: A Transformative Leadership Course

    Students enrolled in the COMN 3230: Principles of Leadership, instructed by Chris Tietsort, Assistant Professor and Internship Program Director for the department of Communication Studies, examined and reflected upon their course material during their integrated Kennedy Mountain Campus weekend.

  • April 28 & June 7, 2023 Daniels College of Business Denver Master's Capstone Experiences

    During the student’s last class session of their program they participated in a culminating Capstone Experience at the Kennedy Mountain Campus. The capstone experience is both celebration of the cohort’s achievements over the past two years and a personal reflection of what each student has learned about themselves and the plans they have set in motion upon graduation. By sharing with their cohort their reflection and plans, this action reinforces the student’s commitment to their future professional success. 

  • April 28–30, 2023 - Experience Management (XM)

    Students explored the stakeholder's experience and its impact on brand reputation by integrating a weekend at the Kennedy Mountain Campus into their Spring quarter Experience Management Course. Lead by Assistant Teaching Professor Cristin Tarr and a consultant team from Slalom, students made and presented their own products addressing industries most challenging issues such as; climate change, social advocacy, globalization, and corporate responsibility.

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  • June 22–25, 2023 - Leadership in Action: An Immersive Leadership Experience

    The University College, Leadership in Action course instructed by Ellen Winiarczyk, Molly Smith, and Michelle Kruse-Crocker integrated placed based learning opportunities into a five-week-long online course. The graduate students engaged in a four-day Kennedy Mountain Campus experience learning leadership development and how to apply their new skills in the mountain environment.