Courses at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus
Immersive summer courses at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) give students the opportunity to learn via hands-on, place-based education and deepen their appreciation for the natural world. For the last three weeks in May, students live and study at LUREC, which offers 98 acres of prairies, woodlands, and wetlands about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. Students stay on campus in a dormitory setting, eat meals together in the cafeteria, and complete the equivalent of one semester-long course in only three weeks.
Faculty members teaching the courses take advantage of the LUREC facilities and the nearby natural areas and farms in McHenry County to combine classroom learning, lab activities, and hands-on experiences in the field. View the video above for an overview of the LUREC experience or read more here.
In addition to the summer session, faculty members use the facilities at LUREC throughout the academic year for field trips for courses such as plant biology, bird conservation, and ecology.
LUREC Summer Session 2026
The 2026 Summer Session at LUREC will run from May 10 through May 29. Registration begins February 9.
The following courses will be offered:
ENVS/HIST 297 North American Environmental History
Writing intensive
Instructor: Ben Johnson
This class satisfies the writing intensive requirement for all LUC students and the "society, ethics, and justice" elective category for all SES majors, except the environmental health concentration, where it fulfills the "environmental health and society" elective.
Environmental history examines how plants, animals, and diseases interact with humans and our culture and social institutions over time. Major topics include: how Native peoples altered the continent's environment, how European colonialism brought about more dramatic changes, why Americans waged war on predators, and how environmental movements sought to limit our destructive impact. We will combine conventional readings and class discussions with field examinations of the Indigenous co-creation of the prairie landscape, the coming of invasive species, fire suppression, the war on coyotes, pollution in the Fox River valley, and suburban sprawl.
ENVS 326/426 Agroecosystems
Instructor: Ray Dybzinski
This class is a 300-level environmental science elective for all SES majors and fulfills the science elective choice for the food systems and sustainable agriculture concentration.
In this hands-on course, students will build knowledge and skills in agriculture and ecology through practical experiences in the greenhouse, laboratory, classroom, and on many visits to local farms. Students will build on the foundations of environmental science and biology by examining challenges of food production, management decisions, and environmental change facing agroecosystems both locally and abroad. Students will develop an understanding of agricultural systems in relation to sustainable practices and acquire skills in ecological analysis of these systems.
ENVS 369/469 Field Ornithology
Engaged learning, undergraduates only
Instructor: Steve Mitten
This course satisfies the 300-level science elective for majors/minors in biology or environmental science/sustainability. It also satisfies the University's engaged learning requirement in the Service-Learning category.
The class meets during the peak of the spring migratory season. It provides an applied introduction to the theory and practice of field ornithology. While many aspects of avian biology and ecology will be discussed, such as evolution, species diversity, anatomy, physiology, and reproduction, the course will place significant emphasis on field identification and song recognition, field census techniques, avian behavior, and various field techniques used to study and monitor birds for their conservation and management. Field trips for viewing birds in the wild, observing their behavior, and collecting data on avian populations are highlighted. Students will participate in an ongoing community service project that gathers critical data necessary for avian conservation in McHenry County, IL, and will have the opportunity to undertake their own research project. While helpful, students need not have taken Ornithology BIOL/ENVS 215 for enrollment in this course. You are guaranteed to see more than 100 bird species!
Scholarships
Students who register for an SES LUREC class before April 1 will receive a scholarship between $300 and $600, depending on the availability of funds. Email SES@luc.edu for more information.
Archaeology Field School
In addition to the SES classes listed above, the Department of Anthropology will host an Archaeology Field School at LUREC during the May session. Learn more here.
Immersive summer courses at the Loyola University Retreat and Ecology Campus (LUREC) give students the opportunity to learn via hands-on, place-based education and deepen their appreciation for the natural world. For the last three weeks in May, students live and study at LUREC, which offers 98 acres of prairies, woodlands, and wetlands about 60 miles northwest of Chicago. Students stay on campus in a dormitory setting, eat meals together in the cafeteria, and complete the equivalent of one semester-long course in only three weeks.
Faculty members teaching the courses take advantage of the LUREC facilities and the nearby natural areas and farms in McHenry County to combine classroom learning, lab activities, and hands-on experiences in the field. View the video above for an overview of the LUREC experience or read more here.
In addition to the summer session, faculty members use the facilities at LUREC throughout the academic year for field trips for courses such as plant biology, bird conservation, and ecology.
LUREC Summer Session 2026
The 2026 Summer Session at LUREC will run from May 10 through May 29. Registration begins February 9.
The following courses will be offered:
ENVS/HIST 297 North American Environmental History
Writing intensive
Instructor: Ben Johnson
This class satisfies the writing intensive requirement for all LUC students and the "society, ethics, and justice" elective category for all SES majors, except the environmental health concentration, where it fulfills the "environmental health and society" elective.
Environmental history examines how plants, animals, and diseases interact with humans and our culture and social institutions over time. Major topics include: how Native peoples altered the continent's environment, how European colonialism brought about more dramatic changes, why Americans waged war on predators, and how environmental movements sought to limit our destructive impact. We will combine conventional readings and class discussions with field examinations of the Indigenous co-creation of the prairie landscape, the coming of invasive species, fire suppression, the war on coyotes, pollution in the Fox River valley, and suburban sprawl.
ENVS 326/426 Agroecosystems
Instructor: Ray Dybzinski
This class is a 300-level environmental science elective for all SES majors and fulfills the science elective choice for the food systems and sustainable agriculture concentration.
In this hands-on course, students will build knowledge and skills in agriculture and ecology through practical experiences in the greenhouse, laboratory, classroom, and on many visits to local farms. Students will build on the foundations of environmental science and biology by examining challenges of food production, management decisions, and environmental change facing agroecosystems both locally and abroad. Students will develop an understanding of agricultural systems in relation to sustainable practices and acquire skills in ecological analysis of these systems.
ENVS 369/469 Field Ornithology
Engaged learning, undergraduates only
Instructor: Steve Mitten
This course satisfies the 300-level science elective for majors/minors in biology or environmental science/sustainability. It also satisfies the University's engaged learning requirement in the Service-Learning category.
The class meets during the peak of the spring migratory season. It provides an applied introduction to the theory and practice of field ornithology. While many aspects of avian biology and ecology will be discussed, such as evolution, species diversity, anatomy, physiology, and reproduction, the course will place significant emphasis on field identification and song recognition, field census techniques, avian behavior, and various field techniques used to study and monitor birds for their conservation and management. Field trips for viewing birds in the wild, observing their behavior, and collecting data on avian populations are highlighted. Students will participate in an ongoing community service project that gathers critical data necessary for avian conservation in McHenry County, IL, and will have the opportunity to undertake their own research project. While helpful, students need not have taken Ornithology BIOL/ENVS 215 for enrollment in this course. You are guaranteed to see more than 100 bird species!
Scholarships
Students who register for an SES LUREC class before April 1 will receive a scholarship between $300 and $600, depending on the availability of funds. Email SES@luc.edu for more information.
Archaeology Field School
In addition to the SES classes listed above, the Department of Anthropology will host an Archaeology Field School at LUREC during the May session. Learn more here.