Emory University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Emory University offers several venues for immersive, sustainability-focused, experiences. Each of these programs includes a combination of in-class and off-campus activities to provide students both with training in the history and theory of sustainability as well as in the field experiences. 1) Internships: Emory University offers undergraduate students majoring or minoring in Environmental Sciences (ENVS) the opportunity to receive academic credit for off-campus, unpaid internships in environmental or climate-based realms. In order to qualify, students must receive approval from the ENVS Department in advance of starting the internship, and then enroll in ENVS 497 in the fall semester after the internship has been completed. This course meets approximately every other week (8 sessions) during the fall semester. Grading is based on class readings, assignments, and participation in class discussion - which allow each class member to process their summer internship experience, then further develop networking skills, the ability to research future career pathways, and develop a career plan that extends forward through graduation. http://envs.emory.edu/home/documents/internship%20documents/Internship%20Program.html 2) Freiburg Environmental Studies and Sustainability Study-Abroad Program: Emory University, in partnership with Albert-Ludwigs-Universitat Freiburg, offers students a study-abroad opportunity focused on the eco-friendly industry which has developed in Freiburg, Germany. Students can take courses in environmental studies, forest ecology, and sustainable innovation – many of which include outdoor research activities in the Black Forest and Rhine River Valley. Courses are designed as three-week modules with an emphasis on hands-on study and experiences with ecological processes and human effects on the environment. Included in the program is also a carbon-offset for the approximate round-trip air travel of each student. https://www.iesabroad.org/study-abroad/programs/freiburg-environmental-studies-sustainability 3) Undergraduate Program in Global Research and Development (UPGRADE): Emory's Center for International Programs Abroad administers an undergraduate grant for Emory College students who wish to gain practical hands-on sustainable development training by doing service in developing countries over the summer. This non-credit bearing program allows students to approach their time abroad from a different angle and focuses on students with a distinct set of skills and experiences. In-country supervision and training is done through the Foundation for Sustainable Development. http://ethics.emory.edu/Initiatives_Programs/Undergraduate/UPGRADE.html 4) The Ethics and Servant Leadership program (EASL): EASL offers students an opportunity to participate in summer internships, alternative Spring Break trips, and the Forum (an academic year program) while teaching students about service and community involvement. Many of these opportunities provide sustainability-focused immersive experiences, including placements at Emory's Office of Sustainability Initiatives, Decatur High School Community Garden, The Carter Center, Greening Youth Foundation, Park Pride, Trees Atlanta, Urban League, CARE, and Gaia Gardens. http://www.ethics.emory.edu/pillars/citizenship/EASL/ 5) Environmental Sciences Service-Learning course (ENVS 491): This program allows students to combine environmental concerns with the planning and implementation of community-based projects. The spring 2014 section of ENVS 491 focused on coal and its impact on people and the environment. Throughout the semester, students investigated the environmental, social, and economic impact of each phase of the lifespan of coal, including extraction, cleaning, transport, and burning. The course incorporated readings on case studies, documentary films, guest speakers, and involvement in Environment Georgia’s Solar Campaign. Throughout the semester, students planned and implemented two major projects in conjunction with Environment Georgia: a Solar Town Hall and Lobby Days. http://envs.emory.edu/home/undergraduate/Independent%20Study.html#faq2 6) Emory sent a delegation to the UN Climate Conference of the Parties in both 2015 and 2016. The delegations were led by Emory faculty and included undergraduate students, graduate students, and staff members. 7) Social Change in Developing Countries: The course focuses on issues of globalization, particularly the influence of the United States and western corporations on the lives of the people we meet while in Ecuador. Each student writes a term paper on a topic of their choice that is relevant to the focus of the course. Students have written about alternative forms of cancer therapy, child birth in Ecuador and the U.S., the effects of global oil markets on the Ecuadorian economy, comparisons of the American and Quechua diets, and differences in childhood between modern and traditional societies. 8) Social Enterprise in Nicaragua travel module allows students to study and learn in the classroom and then experience it firsthand. A course-based trip, the module provides students a chance to study and experience issues related to sustainable economic development in Latin America through both class meetings on campus and a 9 day experience in Nicaragua. 9) Interconnected: Rethinking Place and Community in Charleston, SC seeks to explore the interrelated nature of housing injustice and homelessness, racial injustice and discrimination, and environmental injustice through a critical examination of how people conceptualize and interact with their place and their community. This trip includes an exploration of the darker side of Charleston’s history as a site of urban disregard for the environment as well as discrimination and racial injustice. 10) Children’s Environmental Health in Perry County, KY focuses on the environmental factors affecting the health of low-income communities in the coal mining region of Eastern Kentucky, specifically targeting the pediatric population. Students explore healthcare concerns in Appalachia, participate in public health advocacy/education, and gain exposure to hands-on clinical work. Students gain a greater understanding of how the unique environmental conditions of eastern Kentucky, the tragic lack of jobs and income, and the overall culture of the region all affect the health and lifestyle of the people of eastern Kentucky. Additional focus on the importance of environmental protection and nature preservation give students a newfound appreciation of the natural world around us. 11) The Farmworker Family Health Program is an interprofessional, in-country, cultural immersion service learning experience. Each summer in June, select undergraduate and graduate students from the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing, University of Georgia School of Pharmacy, Georgia State University Department of Physical Therapy, Clayton State University, and Darton College Departments of Dental Hygiene spend two weeks delivering vital health care to farmworkers and their children in a farming community in southwest Georgia. 12) Emory Global Health Institute (EGHI): The two main objective of the Emory Global Health Institute are to foster global health scholarships and help train the next generation of global health leaders. EGHI has many innovative multidisciplinary learning experiences, with programs and activities such as Emory Global Health Care Competitions, Field Scholars Award Program, Global Health Scholars Symposium, Global Health Student Photography Contest, and Student Advisory Committee. http://www.globalhealth.emory.edu/what/student_programs/index.html 13) Masters in Development Practice (MDP): The MDP combines hands-on learning and field experience with training in a range of disciplines. This way it is better able to meet the challenge of sustainable development in the face of political and ethical conflict, global poverty, a degrading of natural resource base, and irreversible climate change. http://web.gs.emory.edu/mdp/

Data reported for 2014-2016 academic years.