Michigan State University: India - Ecology of the Mountains

This four-week summer study abroad experience is based in the high Himalayan Range in the state of Uttarakhand, India. The focus of the program is ecology in a broad sense:  the environmental ecology of the mountains – the geologic, soil, water, forest, and agricultural systems; and the ecology of the people – their history, beliefs, cultural expressions, and livelihood systems. Students spend the majority of the time (two weeks) trekking to the Pindari and Kafni Glaciers near the border of India and Nepal. While traveling, they learn about the history, geology, water sources, flora, and fauna of the mountains; spend time studying the water, forest, and agricultural systems; stay in remote villages to learn about the people, their lives,  culture, and women's role, and their education, health, and medical systems; learn how NGOs and other organizations are working with communities to address a variety of environmental, social, and economic issues; and visit holy places to experience the spirituality of these sacred mountains and their people.