A recently piloted bilateral exchange course is providing new engaged learning opportunities for students from Ithaca, New York to Quito, Ecuador. The partnership between Cornell University and the Universidad San Francisco de Quito (USFQ), Cornell’s Global Hubs partner in Ecuador, is fusing collaboration in the classroom and in the field.
The engaged course “Culture, Communities & Development: From Upstate NY to Quito, Ecuador” meets online weekly while also allowing immersive international field experiences during spring breaks: USFQ students traveled to upstate New York over their break in March, with Cornell students traveling to Quito in April. In both contexts, students met with community-based organizations to learn how they are confronting local challenges with culturally relevant approaches.
For her work co-developing and implementing the program, Julie Ficarra, professor of the practice in Global Development in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences (CALS), received a 2024 Community-Engaged Practice and Innovation Award from the Einhorn Center.