Please find below the syllabi for all of our direct enroll courses.
Culture, Ecology, and Community Semester (CEC)
ISDSI’s Culture, Ecology, and Community semester is a rich hands-on learning expedition exploring the diverse cultures and landscapes of Thailand, traveling from remote mountain villages in the north to islands in the south, with hands-on Expedition Field Courses paired with intensive Thai language study.
CEC — Thai Language and Society: Thai Language Section: Beginner-level, competency-based Thai language course running throughout the CEC semester, focused on speaking, listening, reading, and writing for daily life and fieldwork.
CEC — Thai Language and Society: History Section: Explores Thai history and politics — from ancient Southeast Asian kingdoms through modern Thai society — with emphasis on how historical and ethnic complexity shapes contemporary Thailand.
CEC — Sustainable Food Systems: Social and Biological Factors in Sustainable Agriculture: Field-based course on agroecology, regenerative and smallholder agriculture in Thailand, with village stays and hands-on work in organic polycultures and cash crops (coffee, cacao, cannabis).
CEC — Political Ecology of Forests: People and Natural Resources: Examines the relationship between the upland Karen ethnic group and forest ecosystems in Mae Hong Son, through backpacking, homestays, and study of rotational farming and forest governance.
CEC — Culture and Ecology of Southern Thailand: Islands, Reefs and Mangroves: Advanced course on coastal and island communities in southern Thailand, covering mangroves, seagrass, and coral reefs via fieldwork on Koh Sukorn and sea-kayak-based reef study in the Adang-Rawi archipelago.
Society and Culture of Thailand and Southeast Asia Semester (SCT)
A Chiang Mai–based semester (with a Vietnam excursion) combining Thai language, history and politics, environmental sustainability, and arts and culture coursework through experiential fieldwork across Thailand and the region.
SCT — Thai Language 1: Daily, immersive beginner Thai course run throughout the semester, emphasizing active production of spoken and written Thai for daily life and field studies.
SCT — Thai and Southeast Asian History and Politics: Covers Thai history and politics from ancient kingdoms to the present, plus Thailand’s economic development, concluding with a regional Southeast Asia comparison (ASEAN, 20th-century conflicts) as a bridge to the Vietnam field study.
SCT — Sustainability and the Environment in Thailand: Field-intensive course spanning forests, water resources, sustainable agriculture (Mae Taa community), coastal and marine sustainability (Hua Hin), and biodiversity, climate change, and renewable energy.
SCT — Society, Culture, and the Arts of Thailand: Explores Thai culture through temple architecture, performing arts, craft and textile traditions (including a Karen weaving village excursion), media, food, and festivals via hands-on workshops.
Summer Courses
Three shorter, standalone summer courses in Thailand (and Laos) combining classroom seminars with intensive fieldwork, aimed at both undergraduate and graduate students.
Summer — Agroecology and Entrepreneurship: Coffee, Chocolate, and Cannabis: 4-week course studying the agroecology and business of coffee, cacao, and medicinal cannabis in the Chiang Mai region, through farm visits, production workshops, and an independent research project.
Summer — Elephants and Conservation Ecology: Thailand and Laos: 4-week field course on Asian elephant biology, welfare, and conservation, spanning a wildlife sanctuary, elephant camps and veterinary training near Chiang Mai, and a comparative module in Laos.
Summer — Marine and Tropical Coastal Ecosystems: Whales, Sea Turtles, and Reefs: 4-week Gulf of Thailand course covering sea turtle conservation, Bryde’s whales, and coral reefs, including SCUBA certification and hands-on marine research methods.