Course Description
Mountain ecological principles are applied in geographical settings of Latin America and the Caribbean. Geographical narratives of culture and nature emphasize human-environment interactions on tropical mountains, cultural landscapes, ethnic traditional knowledge, post-colonial political effects on natural resources, Third-world development, rural/urban dynamics, poverty alleviation, nature conservation, and sustainable development.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
Graduate students will be required to do additional readings from journal articles and other sources from which they will provide written summaries and critiques. In addition, they will be required to provide a written term paper or research project. Graduate students will be given more difficult questions on exams and quizzes.
Athena Title
Geog Ethnoecology Neotrop Mtns
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in GEOG 4290E or GEOG 6290E
Non-Traditional Format
Practicum.
Undergraduate Prerequisite
Permission of department
Graduate Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every even-numbered year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
This course is designed to give students a broad overview of mountain geography as it applies to how local cultures manage biodiversity conservation and sustainable development. With case studies from ethnobotanical gardens, students will be acquainted with the neotropical biota as well as the social implications of health and progress in rural and urban settings of the Andean world. As a Study Abroad course, students will be expected to develop a strong sense of independence and satisfactory level of dexterity in multicultural and multilingual environments, as well as to gain an appreciation of environmental ethics, indigenous traditional knowledge, and biodiversity conservation. This course meets the following General Education Abilities, by accomplishing the specific learning objectives listed below: Communicate effectively through writing. This is met by a series of writing assignments associated with supplemental reading and data analysis. Communicate effectively through speech. This is met by oral presentations, discussion leading, and classroom participation. Computer Literacy is addressed through course administration, student-faculty electronic interaction, and data analysis activities and assignments. Critical Thinking is central to the learning objectives of this class, and are developed through homework assignments, lecture, classroom discussion, and inquiry- based learning efforts. Moral Reasoning (Ethics) is an important element of this course, as it explores linkages among the biophysical environments of the neotropics, hazards, human health and welfare, and appropriate technologies. Moral reasoning is developed through lectures, writing assignments, classroom discussion, and inquiry-based learning activities.
Topical Outline
Introduction to Mountain geography and ethnoecology Introduction to Ecuador and the Andean world Historical and Paleoecological overview of the neotropics Indigenous knowledge and post colonial developments Biodiversity conservation and sustainable development Current status of the mountain landscapes of Ecuador Ecuadorian conservation system of protected areas Traditional ecological knowledge of mountain ecosystems Ethnobotanical and ethnomedicinal application of local flora Visit to ethnobotanical gardens and nature reserves Visit to field stations for mountain research Interaction with local mountain scholars