Course Structure: (4 credits)
BIO 369A: Fall 2018
Field Experience: January 2-18, 2019 (tentative dates)
Tags: COR 2, E, and G

Program Criteria:
- Prerequisites: successful completion of COR 1 or COR 199
- Consent of Instructor

Course Description:
This course will meet during the Fall 2018 semester, followed by sixteen days of travel to Costa Rica during January 2019. Throughout the course we will discuss a variety of topics related to tropical ecology, sustainability, and conservation of tropical ecosystems, with a focus on Costa Rica in particular. During the travel component of the course, we will visit a number of ecosystems throughout Costa Rica -- from lowland rainforest and mangroves to montane cloud forest and tropical dry forest -- where we will see first-hand many of the topics discussed during the fall semester and engage in short research projects to explore these ecosystems in more depth. We will also visit a Costa Rican farm and coffee plantation to discuss issues related to practicing sustainable agriculture in the tropics.. Pre-requisites: COR 1 or COR 199 and Consent of Instructor.

Travel itinerary:
Students will fly into San Jose and then travel to Corcovado (Costa Rica’s largest national park), take a boat tour of coastal mangroves and Isla del Caño, hike in the cloud forests of Monteverde, tour a local coffee farm, explore the tropical dry forests of the Guanacaste region, hike on the Rincón de la Viéja volcano, explore secluded Pacific Ocean beaches, and observe shore birds along the Río Tempisque.

Application Requirements:
- Contact the program director to express your interest in the program: tkuhman@edgewood.edu
- Submit Program and Scholarship Applications by April 6 to be eligible for scholarships to support travel to Costa Rica.

Important Deadlines:
April 6, 2018: Program Scholarship Application due in AO
April, 2018: Register for BIO 369A (Fall, 2018).