BELIZE SPRING 13

SEMESTER ABROAD PROGRAM IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Spring Semester, January - April, 2013

opportunity to live in paradise, meet like-minded UVM students, and have a positive impact on the local community.

Its an unrivaled

This program focuses on sustainable development, combining academic coursework with project-based service learning. Belizewith its communitybased approach to solving problems and unique natural and cultural resources, including one of the most protected and bio-diverse ecosystems on earth provides the laboratory in which classroom theories can be applied in a developing country context. Spring semester 2013 will be the sixth year of the Belize Semester Abroad Program in Sustainable Development. The program will continue to emphasize in-depth travel within Belize, exposure to the diversity of cultures there, ample time outside the classroom and in the field, and a significant commitment to service learning.

PROGRAM IN BRIEF
What does the program involve?
ive and study in Belize (Central America) L with UVM faculty ake field-based coursesfocusing T on issues of sustainable development with UVM and Belizean faculty (all courses taught in English) et hands-on experience relevant to your G academic work through service learning pend time living in a Maya village, in the S rainforest, and on islands on the barrier reef, and visit wildlife preserves and Maya archeological sites ractice Spanish (much of Belize P is bilingual)

What about credits, tuition & financial aid?

arn UVM credits and meet CDAE E and ENVS major and distribution requirements arn credits towards a minor in E Community and International Development ay UVM tuition and apply your UVM P financial aid (additional scholarships are available)

Emily May, 08

learn.uvm.edu/travel/belize | jay.ashman@uvm.edu

WHY STUDY IN BELIZE?

Belize, the only English-speaking country in Central America, is situated east of Guatemala and just south of Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula. Its eastern border consists of 300 miles of Caribbean coastline. Rich with natural waterways, rainforest, and ancient Maya ruins, Belize is an ideal location for studying sustainable community development. One of the worlds most biologically diverse nations, Belize has 93% of its land under forest cover. It has the longest continuous coral reef in the western hemisphere, the largest cave system in Central America, over 500 species of birds, thousands of Maya archeological sites, and the only jaguar reserve in the world. The population density is among the lowest in the world. Belize has a rich mix of ethnicities including Creole, Mestizo, Maya, and Garifuna. Belize has closely watched its rate of economic development, agricultural expansion, and tourism growth in particular. There is a conservation consciousness in Belize that has challenged the government, private sector, investors, and the public at large to balance development with conservation of its natural resources. As a result, today Belize has more than 40% of its land under some form of legal protection. Belize is home to a number of outstanding nature institutes, field stations, and educational centers.

ACADEMIC PROGRAM
We anticipate the 18-credit program will consist of the following courses:
Development and Indigenous Peoples (Filiberto Penados) Ridges to Reef: A Conservation Approach to Watershed Ecology (Colin Young) Wildlife Conservation & Communities: Issues & Approaches (Isabelle PaquetDurand) Applications of Sustainable Development: Service Learning (Jay Ashman) 6 credits Intercultural Competence (Meg Ashman)

HOUSING, TUITION, AND FEES

Housing: During the first two weeks of the program, we will stay first at a tented camp in the jungle, then in a Mayan village, and finally in a marine lodge dormitory on a small island. The next ten weeks, well live at Marthas Inn in the heart of San Ignacio, conveniently located near the downtown business district; the entire inn will be reserved for us and include cooking facilities. The final two weeks, you will live in a small guesthouse on the island of Caye Caulker. Tuition and fees: The Belize Semester Abroad Program in Sustainable Development consists of 18 credits. Students pay UVM tuition (in-state or out-of-state) plus a program fee of approximately $6,000 that covers housing, food, and all program-related in-country transportation, admissions, and service-learning expenses. Financial aid and scholarships: Unlike study-abroad programs through other institutions, you may apply your UVM financial aid. Additional scholarships are available through the Belize program and the office of Community-University Partnerships and Service Learning (CUPS).

UVM FACULTY
Jay Ashman, JD, is a senior lecturer in CDAE and the programs academic director; he has taught Applications of Sustainable Development in Belize for several years. Meg Ashman, MA, is a professor emerita and the programs coordinator; she has taught Intercultural Competence in Belize for several years.

ASSOCIATED FACULTY
Isabelle Paquet-Durand, DVM and PhD, has 15 years of experience in Latin America working in wildlife and public health and conservation. Filiberto Penados, PhD, founded the Tumul Kin (Maya) Center of Learning and has taught in his native Belize since 2000. Colin Young, PhD, an ecologist, is program director of the National Protected Areas Secretariat in the Belize Ministry of Natural Resources & Environment.

CONTACT INFORMATION
Jay Ashman, Senior Lecturer Department of Community Development and Applied Economics (CDAE) 203 Morrill Hall Burlington, Vermont 05401 jay.ashman@uvm.edu learn.uvm.edu/travel/belize

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