Culture and Nature: Connections that Count
2007 Exploration Seminar in Costa Rica

**THIS PROGRAM IS FULL AND NO LONGER ACCEPTING APPLICATIONS**

Program Director: Brenda Bourns
Dates of Instruction: August 27-Sept 13 (and 6 meetings during Spring quarter, TBA)

This course allows students an interdisciplinary experience emphasizing global citizen awareness in the context of a travel abroad experience in the global ecology “hotspot” the Costa Rican rainforest.  It is designed to be flexible and allow students to design their own independent research projects that could fulfill distinct requirements depending upon the needs of the student. The course will meet six times during the Spring Quarter in Seattle (dates TBA) to lay the groundwork for the trip.  It will then travel to Costa Rica for 18 days (August 27-Sept 13).

The Costa Rica portion of the course will begin with a 10 day stay at an environmental learning center where students will carry out independent sociological or environmental research projects of their own design.  You will also have the honor of experiencing an overnight stay in the home of a local resident, in the process becoming a part of the small rural Costa Rican community in which we reside.  As a group we will explore our first ecosystem, participate in a reforestation project, and learn sustainable development techniques.

Next we travel to Playa Hermosa to experience lowland rainforest, beach, and mangrove ecosystems.  Besides guided hikes of these ecosystems, we will participate in a sea turtle conservation project.To end, we will travel to Monteverde to the cloud forest ecosystem where we will take a night hike, explore the forest canopy, and tour a shade grown coffee plantation. If we are lucky, we will be treated to sightings of many of the animals you have come to associate with Costa Rica.  Expect to see toucans, macaws, monkeys, sloths, nocturnal mammals, tarantulas, poison dart frogs, snakes and who knows what else.  To complete the course, you will write a term paper and present a slide show encompassing the entire experience. Participants will earn 5 credits of H A&S 261: Honors Civilization or CHID 472 – Latin America Study Abroad (I&S).  Participants should also check with their academic advisors prior to enrolling to determine how these credits may apply to major requirements.

Student costs:  
$2,450 Program Fee
$200 IPE Fee
Additional costs include: Round trip airfare, some meals (6), immunizations, health insurance, and personal spending money.

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