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Sustainability Programs in Study Abroad
How does studying abroad in a Sustainability Program benefit students?
Sustainability, broadly defined as the Triple Bottom Line (People, Planet, Prosperity), touches every aspect of the human condition. And thus it is that a sustainability thread can be found running through every Major offered at Ramapo College. As such, we would argue that every student benefits immensely from participation in a Sustainability-oriented Study Abroad Program.
Of course, travel really does broaden the mind. But more significantly than that, a Sustainability-oriented Study Abroad experience gives us the ability to switch contexts, to be able to see the world through a lens that is entirely different than the one we are accustomed to using. The ability to switch perspectives, to view things from a point-of-view other than our own, to change the frames we make in how we take the world, this is probably the most extraordinary gift that such a Study Abroad experience can give. We become transformed, in the process of stepping into someone else’s worldview. And our capacity for empathy is hugely enhanced.
Experiencing life in other countries and cultures, developing foreign language skills, broadening our views of the world, and making lifelong friends while earning college credits are just some of the ways students benefit from their time abroad. For many students, the Study Abroad opportunity triggers the move to graduate school, or opens entirely new prospects for future employment. Over the years, we have found that students remember and value their Sustainability-oriented study abroad experiences for the rest of their lives. It is, in a word, transformative.
Featured Programs
Ramapo College of New Jersey
South India: Sustainable Development
16 credits, Spring Semester Program
The Ramapo College South India Semester Program is based at the Fireflies Intercultural Centre, thirty kilometers from Bangalore, in a beautiful grove of fruit trees and flowers on a hill that slopes down to a lake. Fireflies is concerned with promoting Earth spirituality, the resolution of ethnic violence, and the deepening of democracy and civil society in India. Fireflies hosts international events and seminars on social transformation. Pipal Tree, an organization located at Fireflies, conducts local workshops for the cultural revitalization of religion, myth, folk traditions, dance, arts and crafts, as well as conflict resolution, environmental resources and spirituality. Students will also travel widely in South India as part of their coursework.
Students register for 4 sequential courses (each worth 4 credits) for a total of 16 credits:
Required Courses:
- Indian Culture & Society (INTD 201)
- Field Research Project (INTD 409)
Additional Courses (pick 1):
- Sustainable Development in India (INTD 231)
- Global Indian Media & Culture (COMM 357)
Additional Courses (pick 1):
- Human Rights in India (INTD 303)
- Micro-Enterprise in South India: From the Bottom of the Pyramid (INTD 3xx/MGMT 3xx)
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
South India: Grassroots Communities
4 credits, Summer Program
The course will introduce students to emerging India; especially focusing on culture, social diversity, political and economic discourses of emerging India. Taking a grassroots community perspective, the course will enable students to explore Indian culture, live and engage with rural communities, and learn about social innovation projects led by grassroots communities in rural and urban India. Each student will have the unique opportunity to contribute toward successful project development and execution by Bangalore-area non-profit and nongovernmental organizations.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Ramapo College of New Jersey
Peru: Engaging with Amazonian Livelihoods
4 credits, Summer Program
This course provides students with an immersive experience with people, ecology and issues of the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon, which has one of the highest levels of biodiversity on earth. As an interdisciplinary course, students engage with a wide variety of communities, professionals, ecosystems and related topics. An underlying principle of the course is that students benefit from the diverse perspectives and expertise of the instructors, resource people and each other. The first nine days of the course take place at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where students gain extensive background about the ecology, culture, language, community structure, livelihoods, and economics in Madre de Dios. Subsequently, a three-week trip to Peru combines field excursions to indigenous communities and other sites along the Tambopata and Madre de Dios Rivers with lectures, discussions and independent projects designed for each student to explore her/his own specific interests in close consultation with the instructors. Topics include Amazonian ecology, ecological culture in indigenous communities, community governance, traditional uses of Amazonian forest medicines, perspectives of diverse stakeholders, ecosystem services, supply chains, sustainable development, ecotourism and subsistence and market-oriented, organic agriculture, forestry, and natural resource management as practiced by small landholders.
Program Website (Information & Application)
Student Testimonials & Videos
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Other Approved Programs
There are a variety of other approved program options available for Sustainability. Click on the link below for a list of these options:
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Mahwah, NJ 07430
p: 201-684-7500
e: information@ramapo.edu
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