The following is a list and brief description of some of the short-term field courses that have been offered in past years. These courses may or may not repeat in the future.
(Costa Rica) Land Conservation, Ecology, and Culture of Northen Costa Rica
This is a creative course designed to explore the ecosystems, natural areas, culture, and politics of northern Costa Rica, led by Peter Westover and Steve Roof. It includes visits to a wide range of special areas and reserves in the Monteverde, Volcan Arenal, and northern Pacific Coast regions of Costa Rica. Students will interact with local naturalists, guides, conservationists, botanical and zoological researchers, agriculturalists, and native residents. The course also includes work projects at the Los Llanos Elementary School near Santa Elena, the Los Llanos Bellbird Foundation Field Station, and the San Gerardo Eternal Rainforest Field Station.
(China) Subjects and Citizens Across the Rim: Hong Kong and South China
This intensive study tour of Hong Kong and South China, led by Kimberly Chang, focuses on the impact of globalization on people's lives and livelihoods in the rapidly developing region known as the Pearl River Delta. The program sets out to explore the uneven realities of globalization through the experiences and perspectives of producers and consumers; the newly emerging middle class and the migrant poor; CEOs and political leaders; academics; and activists. Employing the method of "global ethnography," students will explore the lived experience of globalization and the conflicts and choices it poses for individuals. Students will be asked to approach their own learning reflexively as they become aware of how their own lives and choices are entangled in the webs of global capitalism.
(Turkey) Turkish Politics: Religion and Its Discontents
This course, led by Berna Turam, is extremely timely, as it gives students the opportunity to do hands-on research on the only consistently democratizing state in the Muslim Middle East. This course will provide evidence and knowledge on Islamic politics by using secular Turkey ruled by the pro-Islamic government as an in-depth case study. It will also equip students with theoretical insights and analytical and methodological tools to explore the specific meeting points of Islamic and secular politics.