Cornell University
AC-5: Immersive Experience

Cornell University offers several sustainability- focused, immersive educational study programs locally and all over the world.

For example, the spring course offered during the 2020-2021 academic year, COMM 3080 - Capstone Course in Environmental and Sustainability Communication: From the Lab to the World - is a seminar required for a new engaged learning “track” and students will be matched with an organizational partner for a paid summer internship. This Capstone course in Environmental and Sustainability communication bridges students’ understanding of communication theory with a spring seminar and summer internship focused on the communication goals of our partner environmental organizations. Class meetings will involve a mix of lecture, readings, activities, case studies, and guest visits from local and national environmental organizations, focused on understanding and addressing communications challenges common to the field as well as those specific to individual organizations.

Cornell also offers the following immersive service-learning courses, among others:
- ALS 2000: Leadership for Sustainability, is offered for students who are interested in becoming leaders for sustainability while on campus and throughout their lives. It is open to all levels. Students will focus primarily on sustainability issues in residence halls but opportunities to address similar issues across campus and/or in the community are also available. In the fall semester the focus is on reducing waste. During the spring semester emphasis is on reducing energy use and the risks associated with a changing climate. Students will increase their leadership and communication skills and better understand how to motivate themselves and others to change behaviors that will improve our stewardship of the world around us.
- DEA 4401 - Adaptive Reuse Studio: Recycling the Built Environment - Economic forces have created the need for the adaptive reuse of existing structures vs new construction throughout the built environment. Utilizing sustainable principles and the LEED rating system, this comprehensive studio challenges students to complete all phases of a historic preservation project using an historic structure in the region. Site visits for building assessments, professional practice tutorials, and seminars on preservation enable students to develop a holistic understanding of how a building thinks and learns over time.
- ENTOM 3350: Naturalist Outreach Practicum - An interdisciplinary course on how to do effective scientific outreach. The goals of the course are 1) to train students to speak about science with passion and clarity, 2) for the students to be able to teach science effectively in classrooms, science centers, and in large community outreach events, and 3) to train a generation of civically engaged scientific outreach leaders. Students give presentations in schools.
- PLHRT 4270 + 4271: Seed to Supper - Students work in teams to facilitate workshops to present to garden educators in the spring semester, preparing to lead effective garden-based programs. Gardens are a powerful catalyst for learning and are important to community development. Students examine the garden’s role in community food security/justice. Learn about programs which address food security through gardening, such as Seed to Supper, based on an Oregon Food Bank model. Consider the capabilities and skills needed by facilitators who prepare novice gardeners to connect with others in their communities, grow in confidence, and successfully raise a portion of their own food on a limited budget. Students are expected to take PLHRT 4271 in the spring semester and use their facilitation skills with community audiences. Some gardening included, but the focus is on facilitation.
- NTRES 4001 - Global Citizenship and Sustainability - As part of the Global Citizenship and Sustainability Program sequence, this actual in-country experience provides students with hands-on introductory experience of community-based research. In addition, students will have an exposure to the higher educational system in Malaysia, its philosophy and approach toward community-based research and the opportunity to work and learn together with UNIMAS, and UCTS students regarding sustainable development, community and cultural resilience for indigenous communities.
- NTRES 4520 - Land Use and Sustainable Livelihoods in the Nilgiris -
This course addresses land use and land governance in the Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve. Students explore how changes in land use shape prospects for sustainable livelihoods in connection with agriculture, non-timber forest products, and tourism. This course is offered in conjunction with Cornell Abroad’s program: Cornell in India: Nilgiris Field Learning Center (NFLC). The NFLC is an engaged learning and research program where Cornell students and members of local communities live, study, and research together for 16 weeks each spring.
- VTMED 6737 - International Experiences in Wildlife Health and Conservation
The goal of the course is to provide students with the opportunity to learn about various non-native species and to gain hands-on experience working with these animals in a safe and supportive environment. Students will also have the opportunity to learn about local cultures and, through lectures, discussions and site visits, learn how the work that wildlife sanctuaries, refuges, and bioparks in these developing nations are helping to conserve their natural resources. Students will be graded on participation in daily clinical activities and case rounds, teamwork, organizational skills, medical records, professionalism, and punctuality. The course is currently being taught in Central America (Belize).

More Community-Engaged Learning Courses can be found here: ​​http://courses.cornell.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=41&poid=20019