The Bridges Agenda is about tourism, but it is not for tourists (in the usual sense of the word). The curriculum entails both structured coursework and rigorous independent analysis of the trekking experience from a consumer's point of view as well as from the perspective of current and prospective marketers.
An optional pre-program course on Himalayan development will be offered to SUNY Cortland students. The curriculum will focus on Himalayan Perceptions: Environmental Change and the Well-being of Mountain Peoples, by Jack D. Ives.
Lectures: Nepal's cultural panorama; Ecosystems of Nepal; Sport and Development; Tourism opportunities and challenges; Trail Safety; Analysis of tourism impact and opportunities
Coursework: lectures and workshops on 1. Sport, Culture, and Society (Perceptions of risk and adventure among mountain sport participants and among host communities) and 2. Sport Marketing (Mountain ecotourism, backpacking, and non-traditional sports in the context of a developing country; close reading and analysis of guidebooks)
Assignments in Heritage Interpretation (written and video)
Meetings with tour operators, students, development professionals, Olympic Committee
Optional break-out excursions
Everest Trail I (26 days)
Analysis of site-specific tourism opportunities and challenges
Heritage interpretation: personal logs, interviews, short writing assignments
Assessment of sport event feasibility (Everest Classic trekking rally)
Kathmandu II (14 days)
Welcome back to the lap of luxury: Yak and Yeti buffet dinner
Oral/video reports: Feasibility of Everest Classic; Perceptions of a first-time tourist in Nepal
Lectures: Ecology and sociology of Rolwaling Valley
Rolwaling (22 days)
Assessment of sport event feasibility (Heroes of Rolwaling triathlon)
Assessment of entrepreneurial proposal (Summiters Mountaineering School)
Kathmandu III (8 days)
Reports on Rolwaling feasibility studies
Collaboration with Everest Marathon organizers
Everest Trail II (25 days)
Assessment of sport Everest Classic feasibility
Observation of and assistance with Everest Marathon
Interviews with Khumbu residents: development mistakes, progress, opportunities and challenges
Kathmandu IV (6 days)
Consultations with Nepali officials, developers, entrepreneurs, and scholars
Final oral and video reports
M
T
W
Th
F
S
Su
February
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Kathmandu
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Kathmandu
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Kathmandu to Lukla
March
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Kathmandu to Lukla
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
Kathmandu to Lukla
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
Lukla to Lamosangu
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Lamosangu to Kathmandu
April
29
30
31
1
2
3
4
Kathmandu
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
Kathmandu; trek to Rolwaling
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Trek to Rolwaling
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
Trek to Rolwaling; Beding - Na
Kathmandu: February 12 - February 25 (2 weeks)
Kathmandu to Jiri by bus; Jiri to Lukla by trek: February 26 - March 12 (2 weeks)
Lukla to Lamosangu, bus to Kathmandu: March 13 - March 23 (2 weeks)
Kathmandu: March 24 - April 6 (2 weeks)
Bus to Dolakha, trek to upper Rolwaling Valley: April 7-13 (1 week)
Beding, Na, Tsho Rolpa: April 14 - 21 (1 week)
Trek from Rolwaling to Dolakha, bus to Kathmandu: April 22-28 (1 week)
Kathmandu: April 29 - May 6 (1 week)
Fly to Lukla, trek to Namche Bazar: May 7-8 (2 days)
Namche Bazar and environs: May 9-15 (1 week)
Trek to Everest Base Camp, return to Namche for Marathon: May 16-May 29 (2 weeks)
Trek to Lukla; flight to Kathmandu: May 30-June 1 (3 days)
