ALS 3600 - Climate Change Awareness and Service Learning in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam - Part I

(crosslisted) ASIAN 3360
(CU-CEL, CU-ITL, CU-SBY)

Fall (weeks 8-15). 3 credits. Letter grades only.

Permission of instructor required. Students must take both ALS 3600 and ALS 3601 to receive course credit. This yearlong course includes seven weeks during the second half of the fall semester and first half of the spring semester, and a January in-country two-week service-learning experience.

M. Hoffmann, T. Tranviet.

The combination of seminar and international service-learning course provides a unique opportunity to connect classroom instruction with experiential learning while gaining a broad understanding of the impacts resulting from climate change. In addition, the course includes background on Vietnamese history and culture. A two-week field trip in the Mekong Delta, Vietnam offers students opportunity to experience firsthand the dire situation in the region and gain a deeper and more personalized understanding of these pressing issues due to a rapidly changing climate.

Outcome 1: Respect and appreciate the culture, history and resilience of Vietnam and its people.

Outcome 2: Comprehend what climate change means to an agrarian country like Vietnam and implications for the global food system.

Outcome 3: Formulate solutions to the challenges posed by climate change to the Mekong Delta of Vietnam and beyond.

Outcome 4: Assess what was gained from the course and integrate this into their personal and professional life-path.

Outcome 5: Realize the importance of sharing the climate change story with others.

Outcome 6: Gain practical and meaningful international experience and leadership skills.

Outcome 7: Enhance the sense of worldview and civic engagement and social responsibility.