"Peru - Engaging with Amazonian Livelihoods"
 

Credits: 4  Program Location:  Puerto Maldonado, Peru Term: Summer  Minimum GPA: 2.5 All Ramapo College students in good academic and judicial standing are eligible. Students of other U.S. colleges or universities are also eligible.

  Course Description - "Engaging with Amazonian Livelihoods" (INTD 321)
 
This course provides students with an immersive experience with people, ecology and issues of the Madre de Dios region of the Peruvian Amazon, which has one of the highest levels of biodiversity on earth. As an interdisciplinary course, students engage with a wide variety of communities, professionals, ecosystems and related topics. An underlying principle of the course is that students benefit from the diverse perspectives and expertise of the instructors, resource people and each other. The first nine days of the course take place at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where students gain extensive background about the ecology, culture, language, community structure, livelihoods, and economics in Madre de Dios. Subsequently, a three-week trip to Peru combines field excursions to indigenous communities and other sites along the Tambopata and Madre de Dios Rivers with lectures, discussions and independent projects designed for each student to explore her/his own specific interests in close consultation with the instructors. Topics include Amazonian ecology, ecological culture in indigenous communities, community governance, traditional uses of Amazonian forest medicines, perspectives of diverse stakeholders, ecosystem services, supply chains, sustainable development, ecotourism and subsistence and market-oriented, organic agriculture, forestry, and natural resource management as practiced by small landholders.  

Our course of study  

 
This course – “Engaging with Amazonian Livelihoods” (INTD 321) - includes a wide range of experiential learning opportunities such as excursions to old-growth rain forest and river ecosystems, development projects, and field research centers and extended visits to local indigenous communities. 

Preparations

There will be an extensive pre-departure orientation on culture, health, safety, as well as 1.5 weeks of on- and off-campus meetings prior to the departure from the U.S. 

Accommodations  

 
Students will reside in eco-lodges, indigenous/local communities and a field research station.

Student Assessment 

 
The final grade will be based on several assignments, including your field journal, a group presentation and the final project/paper.

Cost

Program cost: $5395
(non-NJ Residents = $6563)
Program cost includes: Tuition fees for 4 credits; program reading materials; round-trip international airfare; comprehensive pre-departure and on-site orientation; comprehensive health & security insurance; accommodations; most meals; excursions and entrance fees; in-country program transportation; pre-departure and on-site orientations. 
Program cost does not include: US airport transfers; some meals; personal expenses and immunization costs.
 

Payment Timeline
Commitment & $500 Deposit (non-refundable)	March 29
Payment #1: $1500	April 15
Payment #2: $1600	May 1
Payment #3: $1795	May 15