Courses

Courses SABR 2930, 4930 or 6930
Coffee, Bananas, and Pineapple: Costa Rica Survey
Dr. Heather Abdelnur
abdelnur@aug.edu

Students will have hands-on experience investigating the remains of colonial and 19th century art and architecture, visiting traditional marketplaces and indigenous towns, and exploring the implications of the development of a plantation style economy in a coffee, banana and pineapple producing environment. On campus, students will survey the pre-Columbian and colonial backdrop to the awkward emergence of the United Provinces of Central America in the 1820s, uncover the creation of an independent Costa Rica, enter into discussions of Costa Rican concepts of race and gender in the workforce and political arena, and pay careful attention to U.S.-Costa Rican relations. No prior knowledge of Latin America or Spanish language is required, nor are there any prerequisites for the course. Enjoy learning about Costa Rica’s meshing of past and present while discovering the “Craft” of History.

SABR 2930 or 4930
Natural History and Biodiversity of Costa Rica
Dr. Donna Wear
dwear@aug.edu

We will discuss the geographical phenomena that give rise to conditions for the development of tropical rain forests and how these tropical ecosystems vary with altitude. We will discuss the concept of biodiversity, what it means in an ecological sense, and why the tropics have the greatest biodiversity on Earth. Students will learn about the relationship between the economy of Costa Rica and how this impacts its ecology. The laboratory portion of this course will begin on the Caribbean Coast of Costa Rica in the town of Tortuguero where we will observe the rich flora and fauna that inhabit lowland tropical rain forests. We will travel inland to the volcanic region of the country and hike among cloud forests. Our trip will conclude on the Pacific Coast in lowland tropical rain forest where we will observe the similarities and differences between these ecosystems on the east versus the west coast of the country.