Curriculum
The fall and spring semesters at IOI are run in affiliation with the University of Miami and its Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science (RSMAS) – one of the best and most renowned marine science schools in the country/world.**
Tuition costs are standard UM tuition and financial aid applies if applicable. The program fee for the semester is comparable to UM room, board and semester living costs and covers housing in Galapagos, all meals, national flights within Ecuador (round-trip airfare between Quito and Galapagos), hotels, airport/ferry transfers and excursion costs.
Non-UM undergraduate students are welcome to join the program and are encouraged to apply.
The Fall 2010 program targets non-marine science students looking to satisfy a broad suite of general education requirements in one of the most beautiful and unique natural environments on Earth. The Fall semester will introduce students to the unique environments of this island archipelago through a series of interrelated courses in anthropology, ecology, ecosystem policy, geology and international studies, each focused on the Galapagos.
Upon arrival in the Galapagos, an initial Orientation period will provide an overview of local life, culture, economy, general behavioral briefings, adaptation and awareness training. This will be followed by classes taught in two week modules, with faculty rotating in and out for their individual courses. The total semester experience is twelve weeks with a one week break built into the schedule.
Fall calendar 2011: September 13th – December 6th (15 credits total)
| 9/13 – 9/18 | General Intro to Galapagos (Dr. Sarah Meltzoff) |
| 9/20 – 10/1 | ECS 272 Topics in ECS: Galapagos Political Ecology, Prof. Sarah Meltzoff |
| 10/4 – 10/15 | BIL 103 Introduction to Ecology, Prof TBA |
| 10/18 – 10/28 | GSC 103 Evolution of the Modern Earth’s Environment, Prof. Terri Hood |
| 10/29 – 11/7 | Fall Break |
| 11/8 – 11/19 | INS 210 Topics in INS: Water and Global Public Health, Profs. Richard Weisskoff and Sherri Porcelain |
| 11/22 – 12/3 | APY 300 Societies and Cultures in Latin America and the Caribbean, Prof. TBA |
Course Descriptions
General Intro to Galapagos
An overview of local life, culture, economy, general behavioral briefings, adaptation and awareness training.
Ecosystem Science and Policy (ECS) 272: Galapagos Political Ecology
This field course in the Galapagos National Park offers a rare chance to examine the human interactions in this highly politicized landscape of conservation. Students practice the political ecology approach for doing ethnographic fieldwork and explore how it can lead to wiser resource management.
Biology (BIL) 103: Introduction to Ecology
This course will present an overview of ecological and evolutionary principles with special attention to the Galapagos Islands. We will explore relationships of organisms to living and non-living aspects of their environment and human impact on ecosystems.
Geological Sciences (GSC) 103: Evolution of the Modern Earth’s Environment
The earth's crust: composition and morphology. Ocean and atmosphere: radiation balance and dynamics. Climatology and paleoclimatology. The ice ages and the evolution of the modern environment. The relationships between the geological environment and human activities.
International Studies (INS) 210: Water and Global Public Health
This interdisciplinary course will explore the role of water and public health in developing countries with a more specific focus on the Latin America and Caribbean region. An international political economy approach will be used to analyze the inextricable linkage of water, public health and the changing relationships in world affairs. This course will be divided into two non-sequential learning modules:
Module 1: This section examines the economic dimensions of health and water in developing counties. Topics include: (1) a study of economic tools for public health analysis; (2) analysis of inequities of access to water; (3) the demand for water: potable, industrial, and agricultural uses; (4) sewage disposal and urbanization; (5) hygiene and other cost-effective interventions
Module 2: This section examines the important regional public health challenges associated with the following: (1) globalization and the spread and distribution of new health threats; (2) natural and human- induced disasters; (3) food safety; (4) water management and public health and (5) infectious agents such as vector borne (e.g. dengue, malaria,) and diarrheal diseases (E.coli, cholera, etc).
We will give special attention to the risk of disease transmission from animals to humans (zoonotic diseases) since such global health issues are especially relevant to the Galapagos Islands.
Anthropology (APY) 300: From Canoes to Carracks: Latin American and Caribbean History Shipside
The nautical history of Latin America and the Caribbean is filled with rich adventures and sophisticated technological innovations. This course will explore the prehistoric and early historic sea-faring cultures of the lower Caribbean and South America, with a special emphasis on debates around the first settlements of the Galapagos and Easter Island. What technology was in use prior to European arrival? Was open water travel possible? What evidence is there for Polynesian contact and long distance travel? We will explore archaeological and documentary data for these questions and evaluate current models for island population. The impact of human water-borne travel will be explored from its first documented occurrence in the region up through the original landing on the Galapagos archipelago.
ECS = Ecosystem Science and Policy
BIL = Biology,
GSC = Geological Science
INS = International Studies
APY = Anthropology
NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATORY POLICY AS TO STUDENTS
The Isabela Oceanographic Institute admits students of any race, color, national and ethnic origin to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the school. It does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national or ethnic origin in administration of its educational policies, admissions policies, scholarship and loan programs, and athletic and other school administered programs.