Course Description
Effects of conservation and development in coastal Guanacaste Province. Students will visit national parks, resorts, and local communities to examine conservation and development issues. Course assignments will focus on integrating what students are learning experientially with literature on the political ecology of conservation and development.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students:
This course will build graduate students' skills for crafting
publishable written argument, and increase their knowledge of
published arguments within the political ecology of
conservation and development anthropology literature.
Commensurate with these goals, each graduate student will be
assigned a major theme from the course around which to (a)
gather supplemental published research, including theoretical
contributions and case studies, (b) summarize this research in
an annotated bibliography, (c) present a brief oral summary of
this literature to the class on the day the theme is addressed,
thus providing the undergraduates with a better sense of the
breadth of the topic, and (d) write a term paper exploring the
topic or some aspect of it in greater depth. Finally, graduate
students will take different exams, commensurate with their
greater knowledge and ability to express complex ideas in
writing.
Athena Title
CONS DEV COSTA RICA
Non-Traditional Format
The course will include an extended field experience and series of lectures combined with seminars, presentations, and/or student projects.
Undergraduate Prerequisite
Permission of department
Graduate Prerequisite
Permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Offered every year.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
Over the last few decades Costa Rica has come to be recognized globally as an icon of successful conservation. In the process, conservation and the tourism associated with it have made major contributions to the Costa Rican economy. However, Costa Rica now faces a number of challenges that threaten to undermine the progress it has made. In coastal areas in particular, rapid development is affecting both ecosystems and local community livelihoods. This course focuses on the effects of coastal development on both conservation and local communities in Guanacaste Province. For the first ten days of the course students will be based at Cabo Blanco Absolute Reserve and will visit a number of nearby communities to speak with local people. During the remainder of the course they will travel to a number of national parks and reserves along the coast. They will also visit sites of rapid coastal development – resorts, large housing tracts and gated communities. In the process, students will meet with people representing different viewpoints on trends in coastal development. Course assignments will focus on integrating what students are learning experientially with literature on the anthropology and political ecology of conservation. Expected Learning Outcomes 1. Understand the history of the host country and the precursors of contemporary cultural and political systems. 2. Understand fundamental concepts of political ecology, particularly as these pertain to conservation and development. 3. Develop an appreciation for integrative interdisciplinary understanding of complex conservation and development issues. 4. Recognize the importance of understanding global conservation and development trends and how these impinge on local contexts. 5. Recognize the interplay of nature and human society in shaping tropical landscapes; understand the role of history, value systems, and economic pressures in conservation vs. development. 6. Be aware of the issues and differences of opinion surrounding conservation and development. Critically assess aspects of sustainability in the systems which one has the opportunity to observe. 7. Understand differing perceptions of conservation and development issues in the global north and global south. 8. Understand and evaluate the principal threats to habitats, flora and fauna in the tropical environment. Be aware of conservation issues affecting tropical landscapes. 9. Understand and evaluate the principal threats and opportunities facing local communities under various scenarios of conservation and development. 10. Be conscious of the ecological and social impacts of coastal development and tourism. 11. Assess the pros and cons of tropical ecotourism, and consider ways to ameliorate impacts of tourism. 12. Understand how places and spaces are produced through processes of commodification. 13. Design and conduct original research, analyzing the data and reporting the findings in a formal research paper. Generate new knowledge that will be used by future students and researchers. Use standard references and published papers as resources in preparation of research paper. Edit paper to improve organization, clarity, and correct usage. 14. Design, organize, and conduct a research symposium; present results of original research in a formal symposium format, reporting on independent research. 15. Write an effective journal which chronicles and illustrates day-to-day events, observations, knowledge, and reflections, and is a valid record of the student’s entire study abroad experience. 16. Improve cross-cultural expertise; build a personal worldview incorporating the insights gained in the program. 17. Work productively as part of a collaborative research team and as an independent researcher; maintain a positive social environment within the group when living and working in the field.
Topical Outline
Introduction Key concepts in the political ecology of conservation and development Other frameworks for understanding conservation and development Analyzing trade-offs between conservation and development: power, process, and valuation Global conservation and development trends History of conservation in Costa Rica Historical ecology of Guanacaste Issues in the analysis of tourism and ecotourism Tourism and the production of recreational space Why culture matters: local communities and conservation Why knowledge matters: conservation, development, and the politics of knowledge Why politics matter: rainforest activism and national policy in the global north and global south Why history matters: incorporating landscape history into conservation planning and implementation
Syllabus