Urban Rural Ambassadors is an immersive field-based class created jointly by the state’s urban university - Portland State University and the state's rural university - Eastern Oregon University (in La Grande, Oregon). It is open to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled at Portland State University or Eastern Oregon University in any major or program. (Students at Eastern Oregon University enroll in the course through their university.) Students with an interest in community development, environmental management, political science, public administration, urban planning, and more have taken this class. The class is also open to any member of the public wishing to take the class as a non-degree student.
In this three-credit class, students learn about commonalities and differences across Oregon communities. That knowledge serves as a critical framework for becoming a leader who works collaboratively across what has been described as Oregon’s urban-rural divide. Urban Oregon and rural Oregon share many public challenges, such as environmental health, housing, and climate change, though the geographic and policy context, and the requisite strategies, may often be quite different. Oregon’s capacity to address important public issues is, in large part, dependent upon the ability of the state’s urban and rural interests to work together, and – where there are important differences – to work through those differences for the common good.
Spring 2024 Offering
In 2024, the course will be hybrid. It will include one weekend-long residential field trip to La Grande and one weekend-long residential field trip to Portland as well as several online sessions with guest speakers and activities to complement the field outings.
The course schedule is as follows:
April 24, 2024, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm, synchronous online session
May 1, 2024, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm, synchronous online session
May 10-12, 2024, travel
May 17-19, 2024, travel
May 22, 2024, 12:00 pm - 1:30 pm, synchronous online session
Portland State University students, please note: The Urban Rural Ambassadors course is open to any student enrolled at PSU in any major or program or level (it will likely serve as an elective in your program). Spring 2024 course numbers are USP410/510 CRN: 64681 and 64680
Eastern Oregon University students, visit your school's website for information about signing up for the course.
QUESTIONS?
Contact Kristen Wright, kjwright@pdx.edu