Experiential Learning: 2023 J-Term
GEHW prioritizes experiential learning as part of its pedagogy for understanding the crisis of the Melting Mountains. In collaboration with NYUAD Global Education, Sophia Kalantzakos and Kunda Dixit have designed two Jterm classes “The Himalayas: Geopolitics and Ecology of Melting Mountains” and “The Media, Climate and other Calamities” in which students study the relationship between climate change and geopolitics, and media coverage of the Himalayan climate crisis. Students travel to Nepal as scholars to conduct research, hold meetings with experts and civil society, participate in a conference, and learn through experiential and classroom. Daniel Lewis, Dibner Senior Curator of the History of Science and Technology at the Huntignton, faculty member at Caltech and author of Twelve Trees: The Deep Roots of Our Future, designed a special course on "Birds in Endangered Ecosystems".
“It was an overwhelming sense of admiration that I felt witnessing the living heritage of this amazing country, where traditions and cultural practices are preserved with dedication.”
Hoor Ahli
“This class made it clear that similarities, common concerns and interesting discussions could be found and had with people truly from across the globe. Even though our class was filled with people from various backgrounds, all microfocused on Nepal, we were able to have interesting and productive discussions.”
Andreja Zivkovic
“Nepal’s nature and beauty helped show me why we must keep fighting to preserve our planet.”
Mohammad Hindieh
“I felt a profound sense of interconnectedness and a powerful motivation to protect and preserve our planet for future generations.”
Lina Janajreh
Constantinos Sofikitis
Professional Photographer
"We don't need objects, we need adventures and this trip to Nepal was exactly this. It created memories that filled my soul."
Harry Jang
Student
"What struck me most about Nepal was the blurring of the line between past and present - as geological disasters strike the region and monuments to its history, the people of Nepal were just as quick to repair and renew what was lost, and to conserve and perpetuate the knowledge that will insulate them against future disaster. ...to me this spoke volumes of the resilience and spirit of the Nepali people in the face of powerful and unpredictable adversity."
Liana El Eid
Student
"An emotion I felt was internal peace. Whether it be touring on the streets during the day or at night, during class time or time with friends, I think that's just the energy Nepal, as a country, has on people."
Ivana Drabova
Trip supervisor
"Things take time."
Matthew Abate
Student
"I have been thinking a lot about the duality of shared religious spaces in Nepal. It was really really fascinating to me."
Joe Mrad
Student
"The trip to Nepal for Jterm unveiled the unspoken realities of our planet's suffering, the changing ecologies, and the melting Himalayas, and it left me with an overwhelming sense of interconnectedness and responsibility towards nature."
