Witness the causes of climate change and its social-ecological impacts in hotspots across four continents and examine possibilities for local and global environmental justice.
16
Relevant previous coursework recommended
English
Aug 25 – Dec 7
Ecuador, Morocco, Nepal, United States
USA, Ecuador, Morocco, Nepal
Required
Climate & Environment
Development & Inequality
Explore some of the world’s most productive, unique, and vulnerable landscapes to witness how climate change impacts regions differently and how communities are responding to the climate crisis. In four profoundly different cultural, historical, and socioecological contexts, three of which have UNESCO World Heritage status, you will analyze the challenges of working toward more equitable food, water, and energy systems. Examine the problems and possible solutions for environmental justice with researchers, farmers, renewable energy producers, water managers, activists, non-governmental organizations, government officials, and policymakers.
In Ecuador, you will explore resilience strategies in and around Quito and travel to the Galapagos Islands to understand the threats of climate change and the challenges of decarbonization in a country with significant oil reserves. In Morocco, you will meet farmers striving to preserve and maintain their agricultural and water management practices and understand how the country, which has few fossil fuels, is navigating the transition to renewable energy. In Nepal, you will witness the accelerating impacts of climate change on high mountain ecosystems and explore numerous initiatives to tackle these challenges. Interact with renowned experts, see protected wildlife in Chitwan National Park, hike to Kapuche Glacier Lake, and learn about successful community forest conservation initiatives.
Photos on this page may depict program sites from previous semesters. Please view the Program Sites section of this page to see where this program will travel.
None, although previous coursework in political science, economics, or environmental science is recommended.
Students studying on this SIT semester-length program can choose to simultaneously complete a minor, with no additional coursework or cost. At SIT, a minor is a minimum of 16 credits taken within a content area. This standout credential can help boost your future job or graduate school applications.
The environmental studies minor provides students with a field-based, interdisciplinary understanding of climate change, exploring its scientific basis as well as its political, economic, social, and ecological effects.
(10 days)
Starting in Miami, Florida, study climate resilience and environmental justice in one of the most climate-vulnerable cities in the United States. Explore how race, immigration status, and socioeconomic inequality shape community experiences of sea level rise, extreme heat, and housing insecurity. Meet local organizers and environmental advocates working to protect frontline neighborhoods, and examine the role of urban planning and state policy in shaping climate adaptation. Learn from grassroots efforts focused on climate gentrification, disaster preparedness, and equitable access to clean energy and green infrastructure.
(4+ weeks)
Ecuador is home to distinct ecological and geographical regions with specific climate change impacts and vulnerabilities. In the capital city of Quito, located in the Andes Highlands, explore resilience strategies related to water scarcity, energy sovereignty, and land conflict, and consider how these topics intersect with challenges brought about by climate change. Visit the Galapagos Islands, where you will see firsthand how climate change is impacting one of the most biodiverse regions in the world.
(4+ weeks)
In the port city of Rabat, Morocco’s capital and diplomatic center, examine the complex social and political issues facing this country on the front lines of climate change. You will visit communities working to preserve their local water sources and meet with small-scale farmers striving to maintain their practices during periods of severe drought. You will visit an organic farm training center in Marrakech, and in Ouarzazate, the gateway to the Sahara Desert, you will have a unique opportunity to visit the largest concentrated solar power plant in the world.
(4+ weeks)
With a predominantly agrarian society in fragile mountain ecosystems, Nepal has one of the highest climate change vulnerability profiles in the world. You will develop your understanding of the region’s mountain people, their livelihoods, and the relevance of Himalayan ethnic identities and language endangerment to matters of equity and environmental security. You will learn about the biophysical and socioeconomic impacts that melting glaciers, shifting rainfall patterns, droughts, and floods are having on both highland and downstream agrarian communities. You will also examine how Nepal’s relationship to the global climate financing mechanism affects its climate policies focusing on adaptation and transition to a low-carbon economy.
Please note that SIT will make every effort to maintain its programs as described. To respond to emergent situations, however, SIT may have to change or cancel programs.
Upon successful completion of the program, students will be able to:
The following syllabi are representative of this program. Because courses develop and change over time to take advantage of dynamic learning opportunities, actual course content will vary from term to term.
The syllabi can be useful for students, faculty, and study abroad offices in assessing credit transfer. Read more about credit transfer.
Science and Policy of Climate Change – syllabus
(ENVI3010 / 4 credits)
This course addresses the basic science of climate change and global warming through regular engagement with scientists, researchers, and practitioners. The course also aims to critically engage with the science/policy interface. Students examine local, regional, and national mitigation and adaptation strategies and learn about environmental governance mechanisms at local and regional levels; national climate policy frameworks; and global climate change negotiations.
Political Economy and Environmental Change since 1492 – syllabus
(ECON3010 / 4 credits)
This course analyzes the development and history of modern capitalism on a global scale. Topics of consideration include state formation, war, imperialism, technology, energy, environmental change, economic crisis, and capital accumulation. There is a particular focus on socialist economies; the political economy of the Cold War; “Third World” development; the global crisis of profitability in the 1970s; economic restructuring and the turn toward neoliberalism; the acceleration of neoliberalism and its deepening crisis; and the possibility of alternative economic models.
Comparative Issues in Food, Water, and Energy – syllabus
(SDIS3070 / 4 credits)
This course looks at interdependent food, water, and energy systems, and the attendant resources upon which they depend. Students visit farms, fishing communities, power plants, water management sites, and more, while examining the complexity of resource extraction, trade, and consumption using case studies and place-based analysis. Excursions and fieldwork will complement detailed studies of these systems as they undergo profound transitions. Students will experience and observe the impacts of regional and global forces on the landscapes, communities and economies of Morocco, Nepal, and Ecuador.
Fieldwork Ethics and Comparative Research Methods – syllabus
(ANTH3500 / 4 credits)
This course enables students to understand and benefit from field-based learning processes. It provides students with skills related to gathering, analyzing, and interpreting information from a range of sources, maximizing the knowledge provided by local contexts. The course intends to assist students in assessing their own cultural assumptions and in understanding people from different cultures. The seminar provides a framework for a research project involving data collection and comparative analysis to be undertaken in each of the countries visited.
Student accommodations will include a mix of homestays, hostels, guesthouses, and small hotels/dorms and students will be oriented as they move from place to place. In addition to homestays, students should expect a mix of double and small group housing arrangements.
More About Homestay Experiences:
Family structures will vary. For example, a host family may include a single mother of two small children, or a large extended family with many people coming and going. Please bear in mind that the idea of what constitutes a “home” (i.e., the physical nature of the house) may be different from what you would expect. You will need to be prepared to adapt to a new life with a new diet, a new schedule, new people, and possibly new priorities and expectations.
In most cases, students will be placed in homestays in pairs, with placements made to best accommodate health concerns, including allergies or dietary needs. Information about homestay families will only be available upon arriving in each country.
Recent positions held by alumni of this program include:
Legislative assistants for U.S. Senators and Congressional Representatives on Capitol Hill
Research assistant for the United Nations, conducting work in Ecuador
Truman Scholarship recipient, continuing research at the postgraduate level
Fulbright recipients, returning to work in the countries the program visits
Intern at EcoPeace Middle East, Amman, Jordan
The faculty/staff team shown on this page is a sample of the individuals who may lead your specific program. Faculty and coordinators are subject to change to accommodate each program’s unique schedule and locations.
SIT Study Abroad is committed to ensuring that international education is within reach for all students. We believe in the transformative power of immersive, intercultural experiences and are dedicated to supporting students in their educational journey.
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A critical step in preparing for your study abroad program is planning how you will maintain your health and wellbeing. Please review the following information carefully and contact [email protected] with any questions or concerns.
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Students are required to obtain a visa for this program. Your admissions officer will provide you further guidance on the process and support documents. Please do not apply without instructions from your admissions officer.
