Macalester College
AC-5: Immersive Experience

CIEE: Study Abroad in Monteverde (with two tracks)
Sustainability + the Environment or
Tropical Ecology + Conservation
Students learn in the classroom and field, and travel to remote parts of Costa Rica and Panama that most visitors never see. Students in the Sustainability + the Environment track take Spanish, a course on Sustainability: Environment, Economy, and Society, Tropical Conservation Biology and Policy, Costa Rican Natural History, and complete a Conservation and Sustainability Internship. These courses, together, touch on the social, economic, and environmental dimensions of sustainability and weave into a related internship. If students elect to take the Tropical Ecology + Conservation track, they will take Spanish, Humans in the Tropics, Tropical Community Ecology, Tropical Diversity, and conduct a related Independent Study Project in Biology/Ecology, focusing on another angle of the sustainability field. CIEE Global Institute – Monteverde is located on an extensive 153-acre campus that includes forests and farms against a backdrop of the Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve. Facilities include classrooms, residence halls, and recreational areas in a natural setting. There is a wet laboratory, a herbarium, plus organic gardens to support a wide array of STEM studies and research opportunities. An extensive trail system through forest and fields, links classrooms to a botanical garden, animal stables and coffee and vegetable production areas.

CIEE: Study Abroad in Gaborone
Wildlife Ecology + Conservation Program
This interdisciplinary program has courses in animal behavior, wildlife ecology and conservation, Setswana, environmental ethics, and research methods in wildlife management and conservation. Students also conduct a research project involving wildlife behavior, ecology, or conservation. As stated on the website, “The program explores Botswana’s amazing wildlife as a compelling example for sustainable wildlife management, species protection, ecology, and behavior. At the same time, students consider how wildlife support conflicts with human neighbors.”

DIS: Study Abroad in Scandinavia:
The DIS program based in Copenhagen offers core courses in both urban studies and sustainability. In addition to the core courses they offer electives in a broad range of disciplines related to sustainability and urban development. Some example courses to consider include: Adaptive Re-use in Europe: Cities and Buildings; Environmental Impact of Humans; Environmental Policy in Practice; Environmental Problems and Human Behavior; Food Systems; Renewable Energy Systems; and Strategies for Urban Livability among many others.

IES Abroad: University of Cape Town (UCT):
The UCT program focuses on community development and urban life in South Africa. Course offerings are available in economics, health studies, and sociology with an emphasis on equity and sustainability within rural communities. Service learning and field research are available.

IFSA: Shanghai:
This program offers courses focusing on Shanghai as a 21st Century City. Several courses relate specifically to sustainable development in an urban context. These include an urban studies course titled Architecture and Urban Design and an environmental studies course offering called City and Environment.

IFSA: Universidad Nacional
This is a language intensive facilitated direct-enroll program that combines IFSA courses with Spanish-taught courses at the following local university: Universidad Nacional de Costa Rica (UNA). Students take advanced Spanish, but also have the choice to enroll in a special curriculum IFSA course focused on ecology and sustainable development in Costa Rica. Students can fill our their course load with other courses related to sustainability and UNA.

Macalester: Globalization, the Environment and Society in Cape Town:
This program explores the physical and human landscape of South Africa, with a focus on its host city of Cape Town. Students are introduced to the location in a pre-semester core seminar entitled Interrogating Southern African Landscapes which is organized around the concepts of globalization, the environment and society. During the regular semester, students complete an independent study project and choose two elective courses from the University of Cape Town; these electives may include urban studies, climate change & development, sustainability & the environment, as well as the full faculty offerings of UCT. The program is affiliated with the Department of Environmental and Geographical Sciences at UCT.

Macalester: Perspectives on Globalization:
This program explores major questions concerning the human condition, including: human rights, urban diversity, and global governance in The Hague. Students are introduced to these concepts in a pre-semester seminar taught by Macalester faculty. During the regular semester, students choose elective courses from the Leiden University College, offering unique course offerings with interdisciplinary approaches to global public health, environmental sustainability, human diversity, and many other topics that explore urban vitality. Internships for credit are also available.

SEA Semester:
SEA Semester is an environmental studies study away program focused on the ocean. Students set sail on a research voyage visiting multiple island sites. The Sustainability in Polynesian Island Cultures & Ecosystems (SPICE) track is designed to develop a deeper understanding of the complex factors that threaten both the environment and cultural sustainability in Polynesia. There is also a track called, “Climate and Society”, which focuses on “social and cultural impacts of climate change while engaging with stakeholders, community leaders, and policymakers addressing these issues at the local and global levels.”

SIT Study Abroad/IHP:
Cities in the 21st Century: People, Planning, and Politics: This program examines how geography, politics, economics, and culture shape social relations and the built environment in cities across the globe. Students enroll in four courses including an Urban Planning and Sustainable Environments course. Students will visit various program sites including the United States, Brazil, South Africa, and India.

University of Minnesota: MSID: International Development in Senegal:
MSID is an experiential program where students learn about Senegal through coursework, field study, internships and research. Students can choose the Sustainability track which includes an internship or research experience related to sustainability.

University of Minnesota: MSID: International Development in Ecuador:
MSID is an experiential program where students learn about Ecuador through coursework, field study, internships and research. Students can choose the Sustainability track which includes an internship or research experience related to sustainability.

University of Minnesota: MSID: International Development in Thailand:
MSID is an experiential program where students learn about Thailand through coursework, field study, internships and research. Students can choose the Sustainability track which includes an internship or research experience related to sustainability.

SIT Study Abroad: Ecuador: Comparative Ecology and Conservation:
This study abroad program offers a set curriculum where students explore tropical ecosystems, conduct biological fieldwork, and study conservation in one of the world’s most biodiverse countries. Students take a tropical ecology course, a course on conservation and sustainability practices in ecuador, an environmental research methods and ethics course, and finish the program by conducting an independent study project related to the program’s theme.

SIT Study Abroad: Madagascar: Biodiversity and Natural Resource Management:
This program, conducted mostly in French, has a heavy focus on ecological and environmental research and field studies. Students take a course on biodiversity and natural resource management, and another course on environmental research methods and ethics. The program culminates with either an independent study project or an internship and seminar that students can relate to the theme of the environmentally-focused program.

Augsburg University: River Semester:
This educational experience involves travel from the Headwaters to the Gulf of Mexico. Students utilize a customized curriculum focused on environmental justice and social change in the Mississippi watershed. The semester also includes a field research project on topics such as urban environmental justice, the Clean Water Act, agriculture in the watershed, political organizing around environmental issues, race relations and social justice, or urban riverfront revitalization.

SIT Study Abroad: Peru: Indigenous Peoples and Globalization:
This program utilizes a set curriculum that explores how indigenous peoples in Peru are adapting and innovating to preserve their cultural values and shape their own future in the face of globalization. Students examine the social, economic, political, and cultural impacts of globalization on indigenous peoples and are challenged to scrutinize the complexities of identity, transformation, and marginalization. Students can elect to participate in focused study in the areas of grassroots empowerment, ecotourism as a community development model, environmental conservation and extractive industry conflicts, and changing agricultural practices.

https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/programs/costa-rica/monteverde/sustainability-environment
https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/programs/costa-rica/monteverde/tropical-ecology-conservation
https://www.ciee.org/go-abroad/college-study-abroad/programs/botswana/gaborone/wildlife-ecology-conservation
https://disabroad.org/copenhagen/
https://www.iesabroad.org/programs/cape-town-university-cape-town
https://www.ifsa-butler.org/programs/?fwp_program_country=china&method=menu
https://www.ifsa-butler.org/program/universidad-nacional-partnership/
https://macalester-csa.terradotta.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10074
https://macalester-csa.terradotta.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgramAngular&id=10000
https://www.sea.edu/voyages
https://studyabroad.sit.edu/program/spring-2021-ihp-cities-in-the-21st-century-people-planning-and-politics/
https://umabroad.umn.edu/programs/africa/msid-senegal
https://umabroad.umn.edu/programs/americas/msid-ecuador
https://umabroad.umn.edu/programs/asia-oceania/msid-thailand-nonuofm
https://studyabroad.sit.edu/program/spring-2021-ecuador-comparative-ecology-and-conservation/
https://studyabroad.sit.edu/program/spring-2021-madagascar-biodiversity-and-natural-resource-management/
https://www.augsburg.edu/river/
https://studyabroad.sit.edu/program/fall-2023-peru-indigenous-peoples-and-globalization/