Project Name: SIAS – UoE Field Course, 2023
Project Leader: Sanjaya Khatri
Partners and Collaborators: Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS) and University of Edinburgh (UoE)
Duration: April 8-21, 2023
Brief Description of the Project:
The Southasia Institute of Advanced Studies (SIAS) Nepal and the University of Edinburgh (UoE) Scotland (UK) have collaborated to enhance joint research, academic exchange, and collaborative publications. This collaboration was established through a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2019. As part of this collaboration, a two-week field course for UoE Master’s students in Nepal has been organized. The first batch of this course took place in Nepal in 2019, followed by the second batch from April 20 to May 1, 2020. However, due to travel restrictions and health concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the second batch of the field course was modified adopting a virtual modality. This year, the third batch of the field course was conducted from April 8 to 21, 2023. This field course is an integral part of their Master’s program as it allowed students gain valuable insights into the environmental and developmental challenges in Nepal as well as efforts of professionals and community members in addressing these challenges.
During the two-week field course, students had the opportunity to attend presentations by various experts, including research professionals and government officials. These presentations covered topics related to natural resource management, community forestry, protected area management, water management, women’s empowerment, and livelihoods in Nepal. Interactive question-and-answer sessions involving students, UoE faculty members, and the session presenters followed the presentation sessions. The students also had the opportunity of field visits and observations in Pokhara, Dhulikhel, and Kathmandu. They also had the chance to interact with students and faculty from the Institute of Forestry College in Pokhara, allowing an exchange of teaching and learning experiences and discuss academic courses focused on sustainable natural resources management. They also had the unique experience of staying with local families in Lwang, Pokhara, and gain firsthand experience of rural living conditions.
Similarly, in the second week of the field course, the students engaged in a group project where they explored various aspects of ongoing research at SIAS. With the support of SIAS researchers, they conducted fieldwork in Dhulikhel and Khokona, interacted with different partner organizations, analyzed data, and presented their findings to researchers from SIAS and UoE faculty.
This field course offered a unique opportunity for master’s students gain practical knowledge and insights into environment and development issues in the Global South. Twenty-five master’s students and two doctoral students, as well as two faculty members from the Environment and Development program at the University of Edinburgh (UK), participated in this enriching field course.
For reflections of the participants please read the blogs:
