University of Mount Union
AC-5: Immersive Experience

There are four programs: Social Responsibility and Well being is a full semester class that offers students an immersive experience in a developing country working directly with people there to solve some of their needs (building latrines, housing, water supply) The Wilderness is an immersive experience in the Adirondacks that is coupled with reflections on the value of wilderness. It is linked to a course in Environmental Ethics. Global Engineering is in immersive experience for engineering students who travel to a developing country to assist in the design and construction of cost-effective and sustainable infrastructure such as water and waste water treatment systems. Brumbaugh Scholars is an 8-week summer program at the University's Nature Center. Student proposals from any discipline or area of interest are welcomed and encouraged. The unifying elements of appropriate research or other projects are: 1.) Place-based. The project should relate to the natural and cultural heritage of northeastern Ohio and be explicitly related to the Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center and its mission. 2.) Student-centered. The intent is to provide students with opportunities to engage in meaningful hands-on activities that complement their classroom education. 3.) Collaborative. Students should identify a Mount Union faculty or staff member who will serve as the project mentor. Each project should allow students and mentors to work together in ways that provide genuine experiential learning for the student while also allowing the mentor to further their own scholarly or professional interests.

Information from Dr. Steve Kramer - PSY 350 Social Responsibility and Personal Well-Being. This is an experientially-based course that looks at what it means to operate in a socially responsible manner in today’s world. It is assumed that service and other forms of helping behavior can be a significant component of social responsibility and so the class discusses service extensively and provides both local and international opportunities for service. One of these service components involves a week-long Spring Break service project in a developing country. In addition to service, the course examines such concepts as sustainability (environmental, economic and social), responsible consumer behavior, economic fairness and social justice. By examining these issues and participating in the service projects, it is hoped that students emerge committed to living in a more socially responsible way. Information from Paul Tidman - PHL 291 The Wilderness. This course focuses on the nature and value of the wilderness. Is there an ethical obligation to preserve wilderness areas? How can humans visit and use wilderness areas responsibly? Students participate in an extended trip to a wilderness area and will engage in service learning, discussion, and reflection activities exploring the nature and value of the wilderness and problems associated with wilderness preservation. Information from Hans Tritico - EGE 320 Global Engineering. This course provides the student with an interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and international exposure to engineering projects, specifically projects in the developing world. The course will expose students to the grand challenges of engineering and the need for various stakeholders (engineers, scientists, policy-makers, etc,) to collaborate and to develop, test, and implement innovative, appropriate, cost-effective, and sustainable solutions. Information from Chris Stanton, Director of the Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center. The Brumbaugh Scholars program is an 8-week summer program at the University's Nature Center. Student proposals from any discipline or area of interest are welcomed and encouraged. The unifying elements of appropriate research or other projects are: 1.) Place-based. The project should relate to the natural and cultural heritage of northeastern Ohio and be explicitly related to the Huston-Brumbaugh Nature Center and its mission. 2.) Student-centered. The intent is to provide students with opportunities to engage in meaningful hands-on activities that complement their classroom education. 3.) Collaborative. Students should identify a Mount Union faculty or staff member who will serve as the project mentor. Each project should allow students and mentors to work together in ways that provide genuine experiential learning for the student while also allowing the mentor to further their own scholarly or professional interests.