About

Take Latin American Studies (LAMS) 1102 in January 2025 to explore Latin American perspectives on global environmental issues with a fully or partially funded option to travel to Costa Rica during Spring Break, February 15–23, 2025.

Students registered in LAMS 1102 will have the option to apply to participate in the additional Costa Rica Field Studies. If you want to be part of this unique opportunity, be ready when registration opens and sign up for LAMS 1102 this fall!

Instructor Ginette Dubé brings decades of experience leading groups in the region. Experience first-hand tropical forest research and marine conservation and meet Indigenous people who are leading sustainable development initiatives in their communities.

Students will spend the first half of the semester learning about global environmental issues and how Latin Americans are addressing them.  In the second half of the semester, Langara students will learn alongside Indigenous students studying sustainable development at the Technological University of Costa Rica (TEC,) via Zoom. Students will participate in a series of talks led by Indigenous Costa Ricans about the solutions they are pursuing to address environmental problems they are facing in their communities. Students will also work on projects in small teams made up of Langara and TEC students.

LAMS 1102 does not have any pre-requisites and will be especially of interest to students in Biology, Environmental Studies, Aboriginal Studies, Peace & Conflict Studies, Latin American Studies and any student curious about how a small country is finding solutions to global environmental problems.

Interested students must register for LAMS 1102 during the fall registration period. Every student registered in the course will be emailed a Costa Rica Field Studies application directly from the instructor.

There are no pre-requisites for the LAMS 1102 course although there is a maximum number of students able to participate in the field studies experience. If we have more students registered than spots for the field studies experience, we will draw names of eligible students. Students who do not elect to participate in the field studies or, who are unsuccessful in the draw, will not be at a disadvantage for completing the requirements of the LAMS 1102 course.

For information on registration and travel scholarships for this course contact Ginette Dubé: gdube@langara.ca

APPLICATION DEADLINE: November 29, 2024

 

Costa Rica Field Studies – Itinerary

February 15-23, 2025

Saturday, Feb. 15

  • Arrive in Costa Rica, transfer to city of Cartago

Sunday, Feb. 16

  • Meet and greet with Indigenous students and TEC staff
  • Lunch with their Costa Rican counterparts in Orosi
  • Students and faculty will spend two days on campus to meet their partners face to face to begin a relationship that will continue in zoom for the second half of the semester
  • Orientation and tour of Cartago – visit to Irazú volcano, or Lankester Botanical Garden, Cachi and Orosi Valley) with indigenous students

Monday, Feb. 17

  • Welcome activity and campus tour https://www.tec.ac.cr/
  • Speaker: The Costa Rican Environmental Context, Realities and Challenges
  • Dance Class
  • TEC University is a showcase for sustainable technology, development and extension programs for Indigenous students that promote Indigenous access to higher education and Indigenous resilience.
    On their campus TEC has:
    • Waste Collection Center
    • Water Treatment Plant
    • Solar Panels Complex
    • Green Bikes and Electrical Vehicles Programs
    • Crocodile and alligator farm
    • Whitetail deer farm
    • Organic garden of medicinal and aromatic plants
    • Museum and butterfly production area
    • Forest Management and wet tropical forest trails

Tuesday, Feb. 18

  • Campus tour
  • Speaker: Diana Segura Sojo – Overview of TECs work with Indigenous students and community extension initiatives.
  • Soccer match

Wednesday, Feb. 19

  • Travel to San Vito, Las Cruces Tropical Forest Botanical Garden
  • Speaker: TBA
  • Tour of Las Cruzes and the Tropical Forest Botanical Garden

Thursday, Feb. 20

  • Travel to Bruncajc Indigenous Territory - So Cagrú initiative
  • Speaker TBA
  • Tour of So Cagrú and Bruncacj Museum

Friday, Feb. 21

  • Travel to Brorán Indigenous Community
  • Workshop with Mano de Tigre Association and indigenous women from Buenos Aires (CR) community development initiative
  • Speaker TBA
  • Travel to Vista Ballena hotel at Uvita Beach

Saturday, Feb. 22

  • Visit Marino Ballena National Park
  • Travel to Alajuela (near San Jose Airport)

Sunday, Feb. 23

  • Travel back to Canada

Our TEC partners will hire a small bus for the group and organize travel in-between sites. Accommodation information will be shared at a later date.

Examples of LAMS 1102 speakers in 2023 and 2024:

  • Indigenous women from Talamanca spoke about the initiatives they are taking to return to ancestral practices such as seed sharing and weaving.
  • Indigenous Peoples' representatives at CONAGEBIO (National Commission for Biodiversity Management of Costa Rica) spoke about ancestral practices on ancestral land use vs western monoculture plantations as a land use model.   
  • A representative of the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization in Costa Rica discussed the impacts of industrial scale agro-exports on the environment and showcase initiatives to promote the traditional agro-ecological practices of indigenous peoples.  
  • The Land Back Movement: Indigenous women leaders spoke about how they have used peaceful strategies in the recovery of ancestral lands by occupations and how this has led to a violent and deadly backlash by state police.   
  • Members of the Barruca and Maleku Indigenous peoples discussed how they successfully lobbied their government for access to the Marino Ballena and Caño Negro National Parks for ancestral use.  
  • UN Reporter on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change spoke about Indigenous Resistance
    REDD+ Network. Shared Indigenous experiences with forestry management.
  • Community leader spoke about recent struggles in the community of Cipreses, Cartago on the prohibition of agro-chemicals and the fight for clean water.