Health and Ecology in Central America

Catalog description

This interdisciplinary course seeks to provide a unique educational experience for students to explore the relationship between human health, ecological health, and environmental concerns. Using a country in Central America as our focus (e.g., Costa Rica or Panama) we will begin by studying the health care system, including visits to several hospitals and clinics to see firsthand some of the challenges they face. We will also examine the ecotourism industry in the country, including visits to coffee plantations and a National Wildlife Refuge on the coast, again with a focus on environmental health challenges. We begin our exploration of these topics with three pre-departure meetings at Rider University during the Fall semester. We continue our experience with a ten-day trip to Central America during the January term and will meet for four additional class sessions during the Spring semester.