Community, Technology, and Sustainability in Nepal
On this program, you can:
- Earn 8 quarter units.
- Enroll in UC Davis courses to fulfill degree, major, minor, or GE requirements as listed in the General Catalog.
- Experience academic coursework enriched by both the program’s location(s) and activities.
Syllabus
Community and Regional Development (CRD) 153A and 198 - Draft Syllabus (PDF)
The above syllabus is representative of this program. The instructor provides a term-specific program syllabus to enrolled students. The program syllabus and schedule, including the daily itinerary and planned activities, are subject to change at the discretion of the instructor.
Class Format
The program focuses on the roles of young people in processes of sustainable development and social change in Nepal, with special attention to the use of information communications technology (ICT). Program topics include water resources, disaster reconstruction, local and regional development, sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition, education, urban planning, democratic governance, and public health. Participants will also develop intercultural communication, transdisciplinary collaboration and community-engaged research skills.
Fall Introduction Course
The required 4-unit fall course will provide an overview of key background, including: (1) Nepalese history, geography, demographics, governance and current events, (2) rudimentary Nepali language skills, (3) systems of international aid, and (4) conceptual underpinnings of intercultural collaboration. This course will also emphasize team-building, getting to know some of our Nepalese collaborators online, introduction to Nepal’s northern California diaspora community, and travel preparation. The class will meet weekly over fall quarter and will be held in the evening to avoid scheduling conflicts with your other fall quarter courses.
In-Country Program
The in-country portion of the program will focus on the roles of young people in the rapid processes of social change in Nepal, with special attention to the use of information communications technology (ICT) in facilitating this change. The in-country program will pair UC Davis students with Nepalese university students. We will explore key development challenges facing Nepalese communities and civic and public policy responses to these challenges. These will include: water resources, disaster reconstruction, local and regional development, sustainable agriculture, food and nutrition, education, urban planning, democratic governance, and public health. Hands-on, community-engaged applied research projects will provide unique opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration and mutual-learning between US and Nepalese students.
Courses
- Community and Regional Development (CRD) 153A. International Community Development: Asia (4 units)
- This course will provide an orientation to the historical, cultural, political, economic, and environmental dimensions of Nepal. It will build students’ capacities for inter-disciplinary, inter-cultural, and international learning, and develop a framework for the collaborative action research projects that will form the core of the onsite activities in Nepal.
- Community and Regional Development (CRD) 198/298 (graduate students will pay regular graduation tuition). Directed Group Study (4 units)
- CRD 198 will provide students with an intensive immersion experience in Nepal’s dynamic historical, cultural, political, and environmental fabric. The program focuses on the rapid processes of social change in Nepal, with special attention to the role of information communications technology (ICT) in this change. Students from the many disciplines and programs at UC Davis will work in interdisciplinary project teams in mutual learning partnerships with Nepalese university student counterparts.
Eligibility
This program is open to UC Davis students who meet the eligibility requirements. The Nepal program is only open to registered UC Davis students.
Prerequisites
No prerequisites are enforced for this program beyond the general eligibility requirements. It is important for this program to have students representing different academic fields of interest in order to facilitate the project-based learning. Study Abroad reserves the right to waitlist students, if necessary, to ensure a pool of participants representing a wide range of majors and academic fields.