Cornell University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Cornell University offers several sustainability-focused, immersive educational study programs locally and all over the world.

NTRES 4520: Land Use and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Nilgiris is an amazing example of the immersive programs that focus on the ecological, social and economic aspects of a sustainability challenge. Through the Nilgiris Field Learning Program, Cornell students and members of local communities live, study, and research land use and land governance together for 16 weeks each spring in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve in Kadanad, India. Students explore how changes in land use shape prospects for sustainable livelihoods in connection with agriculture, non-timber forest products, and tourism. Students work with NGO partner the Keystone Foundation on community identified issues including: Community wellness, access to medical resources, and changing modes of healing; Dietary diversity, eating habits, and sourcing patterns in local food systems; Contested forest lands as spaces for food, farming, & trade; Infant feeding practices in the context of maternal health & social networks; and Water and waste infrastructure in an urbanizing environment.
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=930970&print)

Cornell also offers the following immersive service-learning courses, among many others:

- AEM 3385 - Social Entrepreneurship Practicum: Anabel’s Grocery - This course is a hands-on learning experience, introducing them to social entrepreneurship, food justice, systems thinking, collaborative leadership practices, and the day-to-day operations of Anabel’s Grocery - a student-run, non-profit grocery store offering fresh, nutritious, and affordable food for all Cornell students. The store is run by students with diverse interests who are passionate about making healthy food accessible to everyone through practical actions that further racial, economic, and ecological justice. This experiential-based course meets once a week. It includes small group discussion sessions and a practicum commitment of about 4 hours per week.
- ALS 2000: Leadership for Sustainability, is offered for students who are interested in becoming leaders for sustainability while on campus and throughout their lives. It is open to all levels. Students will focus primarily on sustainability issues in residence halls but opportunities to address similar issues across campus and/or in the community are also available. In the fall semester the focus is on reducing waste. During the spring semester emphasis is on reducing energy use and the risks associated with a changing climate. Students will increase their leadership and communication skills and better understand how to motivate themselves and others to change behaviors that will improve our stewardship of the world around us.
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=931309&print)

- BIOEE 2525/2526/2527: This on-campus and international field course combination provides participating students with a broad introduction to the research process in field ecology, with literature and hands-on examples drawn from the fauna and flora of coastal Patagonia (Argentina), an area that provides us with unprecedented access to both marine and terrestrial wildlife as well as exposure to conservation challenges and success stories. During the 2+ week field component in January (BIOEE 2526), students travel among field sites in Patagonia and put this knowledge to work in an experiential context by designing and implementing a series of research projects, including numerous short ‘blitz’ projects and several longer, more intensive independent projects; many of these field studies involve close-hand observations of marine mammals, penguins, or other seabirds.
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=929958&print)

- DEA 4401 - Adaptive Reuse Studio: Recycling the Built Environment - Utilizing sustainable principles and the LEED rating system, this comprehensive studio challenges students to complete all phases of a historic preservation project using an historic structure in the region. Site visits for building assessments, professional practice tutorials, and seminars on preservation enable students to develop a holistic understanding of how a building thinks and learns over time. This course directly immerses students in the process of rehabilitating existing infrastructure through creative design solutions.
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=925940&print)

- DSOC 3060 - Farmworkers: Contemporary Issues and Their Implications - The course examines issues related to primarily unauthorized immigrant workers, in particular immigrant farmworkers and their perceptions on their role in agriculture, their socio-economic interactions, labor concerns, opportunities for advancement in agriculture, and concerns stemming from the context in which they live. The students will examine participatory research methodologies and conduct interviews with community food farmers, focusing on sociological issues including: immigration detentions, farmworker access to health, education and other services, labor concerns, on-farm chemical safety issues, and integration into new home communities, pests. The students will then work to design and field test educational resources for farmworkers and develop publications to synthesize their findings.
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=925967&print)

- PLHRT 4270/4271: Seed to Supper: The Role of the Garden in Community Food Security - Students work in teams to facilitate workshops to present to garden educators in the spring semester, preparing to lead effective garden-based programs. Students examine the garden’s role in community food security/justice and learn about programs which address food security through gardening, such as Seed to Supper, based on an Oregon Food Bank model. Students observe and participate in effective programs and approaches in the community and learn the skills needed to prepare novice gardeners by connecting with others in their communities to successfully raise a portion of their own food on a limited budget.
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=931582&print)

- VTMED 6737 - International Experiences in Wildlife Health and Conservation -
The goal of the course is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about various non-native species and to gain hands-on experience working with these animals in a safe and supportive environment. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about local cultures and, through lectures, discussions and site visits, learn how the work that wildlife sanctuaries, refuges, and bioparks in these developing nations are helping to conserve their natural resources. Students will be graded on participation in daily clinical activities and case rounds, teamwork, organizational skills, medical records, professionalism, and punctuality. The course is currently being taught in Central America (Belize).
(https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_course.php?catoid=52&coid=928534&print)

Other examples can be found on the Community-Engaged Learning Course Guide here: https://courses.cornell.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=52&poid=27031