We are fourteen undergraduate students and three faculty members from Dickinson College, PA who are exploring questions about risks to human security from weather extremes, climate change and other stresses and strategies for managing risks and building climate resilience. The interdisciplinary program consists of four semester-long courses and three-weeks of field research in Nepal. The courses are:
- Environmental Studies 311, Global Environmental Change and Human Security
- International Business & Management 300/International Studies 290, Collaboration as a Vehicle for Value
- Interdisciplinary Studies 250, Climate Resilience and Risks in Nepal
- Environmental Studies 550, Independent Research: Climate Change and Human Security in Nepal
For our research in Nepal we will interview and convene focus group discussions with a variety of stakeholders who are affected by climatic risks and have roles in managing those risks. These will include farmers, laborers, business owners and representatives of governmental and non-governmental organizations in communities in and near Pokhara. We will also meet with representatives of national and international agencies in Kathmandu.
After our return from Nepal to the Dickinson campus, the students will analyze, interpret and synthesize the collected data and produce research papers and an informational brochure about climate risks and risk management, which we will share with our collaborators in Nepal.