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Community-based Development and Environment Course in Sri Lanka

Course is currently not offered

Course Overview

American University intends on offering a 3-credit summer course (graduate and undergraduate level) based in Sri Lanka.  This course is offered through AU's Washington Semester Program and AU's School of International Service. The Sri Lanka course will help students better understand the multiple sets of connections between local-level community building efforts and their connections to international assistance; environment and development connections; and the role of culture in environmental conservation as well as in socio-economic prosperity. The primary objectives of the 3-week, 3-credit summer program is to give students an opportunity to better understand:

• how community-level development projects (including health initiatives, sustainable agriculture, primary education, ecotourism, and beyond) work on the ground

• how environmental issues are linked to the socio-economic well-being of local populations

• how local NGOs (our main local NGO partner is Sarvodaya) work with village communities 

• how international aid institutions work with the various Sri Lankan actors, including government agencies, community organizations, formal NGOs, and for-profit entities

• how cultural traditions, especially in the form of Buddhist philosophy and traditions, help to foster (or inhibit) positive socio-economic outcomes and responsible environmental stewardship

• how the above issues are changing in the context of the post-tsunami foreign assistance environment 

The course is taught by a full-time American University faculty member.  The course will consist of a rigorous academic component, homestays, volunteer work with local communities, meetings with international aid agencies, community groups, NGOs, and government officials as well as visits to the many project sites, historical sites, wildlife sanctuaries and the like.  You can view a draft itinerary here.  Some of the more specific types of issues that we are likely to address include:

• ecotourism as a mechanism for environmental protection and income generation

• micro-enterprise and microfinance initiatives

• role of women's groups in health, education, and job creation

• cultural tourism as a mechanism for economic development

Actual dates and timeline of course are as follows: 

• Two weeks of online reading and writing assignments prior to departure from your own home, according to your own schedule.

• In Sri Lanka, you will be picked up from the airport in Colombo, Sri Lanka and all of your meals, lodging, transportation, and related program costs will be covered by your program fees for your three weeks in-country.

Academic Component

The academic requirements will be built around the intense study of real life project proposals, grant proposals, and project appraisal documents that are actually in use in Sri Lanka.  Approximately two weeks prior to departure, students will be required to participate in the online pre-trip academic assignments and exercises.  Through the online sessions, students will be briefed on Sri Lanka as well as on how to write grant proposals, where to find funding, and the like.  This exercise will help students focus in more succinctly on the challenges faced in the different settings, how existing initiatives are working or not, and what potential exists for improving existing conditions.  Students will not only learn more about the country and different local contexts and needs through these documents, but will also learn how the different actors operate, what their priorities are, and what key issues are addressed.  Furthermore, students will be required to evaluate and discuss the merits of several of these project proposals and project appraisals prior to our departure and during our time in Sri Lanka.  At the end of the course, each student (with guidance from their professor) is responsible for writing his or her own grant proposal on a project of his or her choosing. 

Through a 2-week online component, students are required to:

• complete an extensive set of assigned readings on Sri Lanka

• develop an annotated bibliography on required and supplementary readings

• review and critique grant proposals of different types (some on Tsunami relief projects, some on community development, some on environmental protection, etc.)

• one of the assignments will be to read about the basics of writing a grant proposal, which can be found at the Foundation Center in Washington, DC.

In Sri Lanka, students will use their experiences to:

• identify a challenge or opportunity in Sri Lanka that they would like to address

• submit written descriptions of their observations of these challenges and opportunities

• draft a grant proposal, to be reviewed by the professor, including a series of subsections within the proposal

• executive summary of proposal

• identification of granting institutions

• background on the situation or problem

• statement of need (for project / funding)

• project description and budget

• monitoring and assessment plan

• profile of organization or individuals to carry out the project

• a timeline for the project

• bibliography

Upon returning to the U.S., students will be required to submit a final grant proposal.

Who Should Apply?

The community-based development and environment course in Sri Lanka is open to students of all majors (graduate and undergraduate level credit is offered - according to different academic requirements).  This challenging academic program is particularly rewarding for students who want to work for international organizations, aid agencies, the United Nations, non-profit organizations, advocacy groups, and government agencies involved in international development or environmental fields.  Academically qualified juniors and seniors (undergraduate) as well as graduate students are eligible. 

This course is temporarily on hold until internal situations change in Sri Lanka.