People, Ecology and Development
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Expedition Field Courses are academically rigourous, intensive, and challenging. Designed in collaboration with local communities, each EFC focuses on a specific place and set of issues related to the study of sustainable development. The EFC course model was designed in consulation with the National Outdoor Leadership School, and includes training in field research, leadership, and expedition skills.
Students earn 16 units of credit each semester.
| Foundations: Thai Language, Society and Development. [Language/Sociology] This intensive course focuses on the acquisition of the Thai language and understanding of Thai society and key issues in development. In addition to small intensive language classes, students study the urban geography of Chiang Mai city and selected topics in Thai culture and society. Fall and Spring. |
| Political Ecology of Forests: Ethnic People and Natural Resources [Anthropology/Ecology] This course explores the ethno-ecological relationship between people and forests. The course is located in upland forest-dwelling communities in the mountains of Northern Thailand, learning from and working with Ba'ken'yaw (Karen) ethnic people. Fall and Spring. |
| Agroecology: Social and Biological Factors in Sustainable Agriculture [Biology/Sociology] Food--or the lack of it--is probably the most important challenge facing the poor. This course looks at the problem of sustainable food production by examining agroecology--sustainable farming based on ecological principles. This course includes extensive field studies of both upland and lowland agriculture and communities. Fall. |
| Islands, Oceans and Sustainability: Marine Protected Areas and Reef Ecology [Ecology/Geography] Island communities are on the front line of the ecological impact of marine resource depletion and global fish stocks. This course examines islands, focusing on the human communities that depend on fishing and on reef ecology. The course is in the Adang Archipelago in the Andaman Sea, Southern Thailand. Fall. |
| Human Rights and The Environment: Rivers, Dams and Local Struggles [Political Science/Ecology] This course examines the linkage between human rights and the environment by focusing on the environmental and social impact of dams. The course studies two river ecosystems--the Mun and the Yom, including paddling the Yom--one of the last undammed rivers in Thailand. Spring. |
| Coastal Ecology and Culture: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves [Biology/Sociology] Mangroves and the zone between land and sea are a key component of global biodiversity and sustainability. This course examines the ecology of coastal zones, as well as the human communities that live and depend on the rich biological resources of coastal areas. Spring. |
| Service Learning Internship: Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Development [Internship/Supervised Research] The service-learning internship is a chance for students to work with a local organization focused on sustainable development issues and apply what they have learned during their field expedition courses to a specific project and problem. January/Summer. |
Semester schedule
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PLEASE NOTE: Expedition Field Courses are cross-listed in both the social and natural sciences. The subject to which the credits transfer is determined by the student's home institution.
Foundations - Forests - Villages - Islands - Rivers - Coasts - Internship