Adventure is calling! RRU Mongolia Field School real-world learning

RRU School of Business faculty member, and head of RRU MBA program, Charles Krusekopf is serving as the lead organizer for the second annual interdisciplinary Mongolia Field School to be held in Ulaanbaatar and other locations in Mongolia in summer 2020.

This is a truly unique experience for our School of Business students as well as Royal Roads University staff, faculty, students, or any interested person. The Field School includes a choice of 7 courses in Mongolia to be held over three sessions. It provides a unique educational travel opportunity that is open to all participants, including undergraduate and graduate students, teachers, and life-long learners. In 2019, five RRU School of Business students and alumni participated in the summer Field School program and you can read about their experience here.

For Liz Brown, a Royal Roads students in the MGM program, this was an opportunity for not just adventure but applied learning. “We talk a lot about international trade and economics in global management, so I thought it would be interesting to apply what’s happening with energy as it relates to biophysical, geopolitical and socioeconomics,” says Brown. “And I love adventure. I’m not one to go to a beach resort for my time off.”

The summer 2020 program offers an expanded opportunity to travel in Mongolia with local and international experts, learn and apply field research techniques, and explore important topics such as how local people are balancing the need for economic development with the need to preserve the local nomadic herding culture and the unspoiled local environment, and how climate change is impacting the livelihoods and health of local people. Other courses will explore the role of Mongolian Buddhism in environmental conservation, Mongolian music and literature, and visual storytelling techniques. This infographic gives you an overview of the activities that were carried out in 2019 and can give you an idea of what to expect from the 2020 Field School.

Each session of the Mongolia Field School will begin and end in Ulaanbaatar with an orientation course that will include lectures by Mongolian and international experts and visits to local sites of interest. All Field School participants will then travel outside Ulaanbaatar to the field locations related to their particular course. A significant number of scholarships are available for participants of all nationalities through the generous support of the Henry Luce Foundation and other donors. Previous experience with field studies or in Mongolia is not required for participation.

Participants may choose one or more of the courses offered. All courses are open to participants of any nationality and background, with past participants ranging in age from 18-80. The priority deadline for applications is March 1, 2020, and the final program application deadline is April 30, 2020. Applications received by March 1 will have priority consideration for fellowship awards and placement in the field school concentration area of their choice.

Visit Mongolia Center for Mongolian Studies for more information on the program, fellowship awards and application process.