Throughout the ages from ancient Indian sacred forests to European royal hunting grounds to contemporary landscape- and community based consensus decision-making, protected area management has evolved through waves of emerging values along with the rest of society. When seen through a holistic-Integral lens, we can discern patterns, such as worldviews, previously invisible and underappreciated and can project where protected area and wildlife management may evolve.
There may be no better place than Costa Rica to both glimpse protected area evolution throughout the world as well as hold a foreign study program on this topic given the variety of protected area management regimes in such a small, easily accessible, tourist friendly country with a storied park history.
This 12-day, four-credit course (transferible to most universities) will be co-led by Jon Kohl, the executive director of the PUP Global Heritage Consortium, and Dr. Jennifer Thomsen, Director of the Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management Program at the University of Montana. The course is open to all qualified undergrad and graduate students from any university.
You will learn about the diversity of protected area models around the world as we visit cloud forest, Caribbean lowland rainforest, coastal, and Pacific dry forest habitats across Costa Rica.
What the Price Includes
The price ($3,350) includes all necessary expenses while students are in Costa Rica including transportation, food, housing, instruction, entrance fees, travel insurance, and even the credit transfer fee. It does not include airfare, passport processing, books, personal equipment, clothing, personal medicines, money for incidentals, souvenirs, or free time activities in Monteverde (for example, ziplining or shopping). It does not include additional food and beverages, or time spent in Costa Rica before or after the official start and end of the course.
Important Course Resources
Course brochure
Course Syllabus
Course Policy Document
Emergency Prevention and Response Plan
Pre/Course Calendar (with important due dates)
General course webpage
