Students in ENG 102: “The Bayou Country” got a close view of the areas they call home during an excursion down Bayou Lafourche on April 18.

Becky Leblanc, instructor of English who teaches the two sections of the class, said a major component of the class is the study of “Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana’s Cajun Coast,” a narrative by Georgia native Mike Tidwell about his journey through the bayou and his discovery of the rapidly disappearing coastline. After reading the book, students must write a research report on an issue raised in the book.

Although many students in the class are natives of the area, Leblanc recognized that many were unfamiliar with the rich culture of Louisiana.

“Of course, there are a number of students in those classes who have direct knowledge of the bayou region and the issues that we face,” Leblanc said. “Many of them are children and grandchildren of shrimpers, crabbers and fishermen; others have parents and grandparents directly associated with these industries in their line of work.”

“Then there are the students from other states and other countries who have never been further south than Nicholls State University, but are fascinated by what they have read,” Leblanc said.

Because of this, she set up a field trip for the class to give them a unique firsthand experience of the bayou region. Over several weeks, Leblanc and her husband drove along Bayou Lafourche to put together a trip to visit the places in Tidwell’s book. They mapped out places where the bus could stop along the way to let the students observe and reflect on the experience, ending at the State Park in Grand Isle.

Students also took part in presentations and guided tours by Bollinger Shipyard and Blanchard’s Shrimp Company and beach explorations at Grand Isle State Park and the north end of the island.

“This excursion would result in what I expected to be very meaningful and possibly publishable papers,” Leblanc said.

Although she has been to Grand Isle several times, Nicollette Terrebonne, freshman from Raceland, said going on the trip really made her think about the disappearing coastline.

“It is quite scary, and before then, I did not think about erosion that much and how rapidly it is affecting our state,” Terrebonne said. “How fast we are losing land was on my mind the entire trip.”

Terrebonne said she got the most out of the Bollinger Shipyard presentation and plans to write her research paper on their successes and the family atmosphere of the company. She also plans to write about the erosion in Leeville and the reactions from the students not from the area.

“The shock on their faces when they saw all the water that used to be land was interesting to see.”