The Himalayan Geography course I took while studying abroad in India provided a broad overview of northern Indian cultures and environmental systems and the interactions between them. The emphasis of the course was experiential learning, so our written coursework only involved reports field trips, examining or researching one aspect of the trip that had particularly struck us. During the trips, our instructor took us on smaller hikes, showed us traditional and nontraditional influences on local life, and gave mini lectures on local topics. The lectures between field trips gave us general knowledge on much of the Himalayas, such as the movements of glaciers in the mountains and the effects climate change has already wrought on the area.

This was one of the first times I had the opportunity to experience first-hand an environment and culture influenced by colonialization and climate change. Our instructor told us about the effect of the British Raj on the mountains in Uttarakhand, especially on the health of the jungle there and the consequences for local farmers. The British government encouraged cutting down trees in the jungle to increase their own economic gain, and the massive loss of oak trees that followed left the remaining trees, underbrush, and even farmers’ cows struggling to grow as lushly as before. The British influence also extended to systems of privilege in the area – although India has been independent for more than fifty years, people with ties to Europe or with English ability are much better able to comfortably support themselves and their families, and people without the opportunity to form those connections must remain on small farms in poverty.

Our instructor is also a part of a local NGO, Lok Chetna Manch, and part of his work with them involves finding ways to rehabilitate the jungle around Ranikhet. Lok Chetna Manch participated in an international project to reinstate traditional lifestyles and farming methods in villages, including some in northern India, in an attempt to show that traditional ways of life can successfully support people. Their project was so successful that nearby villages asked to be included. From these experiences and stories I learned something new about sustainable agriculture – small-scale, traditional agriculture is more sustainable than the one-size-fits-all monocultures used farther south in India and in the Midwest in the United States. Adapting farming methods to a small region and rehabilitating the local environment can lead to more stable and successful agriculture.

The Sustainable Agriculture course taught me more nuances about different types of agriculture and the reasons why people use certain methods. Often organic agriculture is portrayed by people who do not farm as the only good way to farm, but it is not always perfect or the most reasonable, and there are many other possibilities. Hearing perspectives other than my own opened my eyes to the importance of always hearing many sides to the same story before making a decision about who is right and who is wrong.

I took Himalayan Biodiversity during my semester abroad in India. Our instructor taught us about different species or groups of species in the Himalayas – we covered everything from their lifespans, habitats, and migration to the effects humans and climate change have on them. It was my first time learning about an ecosystem in such detail. Our discussions on anthropogenic effect on networks of plants and animals in the Himalayas was of particular interest to me. India’s large population leads to complex politics and a greater human effect on ecosystems, and India is also experiencing more effects from climate change. This class combined with Himalayan Geography gave me a comprehensive idea of the complex interactions between government, people, and the environment, and of the work it takes to ensure the health of an ecosystem.

The Atmosphere, Oceans, and Climate course gave me a good background in how the global climate functions and how different regions of the world are connected. We learned about the different cycles in the atmosphere and oceans and how they connect, as well as how changes in some factors to those cycles can lead to feedback loops that eventually lead to climate change. That information is essential now, since climate change is currently happening and knowing the reasons behind it can help in the search for solutions.

This World History course looked for a common thread of energy and prime movers throughout history. We discussed the use of human energy as the prime mover for most of human history, as well as the use of fire, and related those energy sources to the effects of the agricultural revolution. We contined to discuss the development of the uses of coal, gas, oil, and electricity, and the rapid changes those energy sources caused worldwide beginning with the industrial revolution. We also discussed the possibility of a new geological epoch, the Anthropocene, based on the idea that humans have caused enough changes to the planet through the use of nuclear weapons, among other things, to permanently alter the appearance of rocks. This class gave me a good overview of the ways humans have changed the planet over time, and the ways human systems like capitalism and neoliberalism affect not only other people but also the environment. Human change and environmental change are inextricably interconnected, and this class helped me realize the extent of those connections.