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Curriculum

IOI and our partner the Polytechnic University of Guayaquil – ESPOL – are restructuring our program to remedy federal scholarship funding difficulties for our students. We proudly announce that as of spring 2010 we are affiliated 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.**

Our pilot semester will be taught by UM faculty and be comprised of the following block seminars:

IOI Spring Curriculum 2010: January 18th – April 11th (15 credits total)
(Preliminary)

Course Descriptions

1/18 – 1/24
General Intro to Galapagos
An overview of local life, culture, economy, general behavioral briefings, adaptation and awareness training

1/25 – 2/7
Galapagos Political Ecology Field Course
Synopsis
This field course in the Galapagos National Park offers a rare chance to examine 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.

2/8 – 2/21
Terrestrial Biology and Adaptation: the plants, reptiles and birds of Galápagos
Synopsis
This course will examine the terrestrial plant and animal life of Isabela Island, discuss its biology and how it adapted to life on Isabela. Through field and laboratory exercises we will explore the power of organisms’ DNA in shaping life into unique forms like those famously present in today’s Galápagos.

2/22 – 3/7
Marine Ecology of the Galapagos
Synopsis
This course will focus on the marine ecosystems of the Galapagos, emphasizing near-shore environments. Topics will include how the unique location and oceanography of the Galapagos have shaped the species composition of resident and migrant marine animals. The role of genetic drift, local habitat characteristics and natural selection on marine ecosystems will be examined. This will be a field intensive course with time spent in intertidal, near-shore lagoon and off-shore island environments.

3/15 – 3/28
Climatology, Oceanography and Conservation Biology of the Galapagos
Synopsis
The first week of the course will carry the students through an intuitive, non-mathematical exploration of the dynamic, climatic, and oceanographic circumstances that determine the unique character of the Galapagos. The second week focuses on threats to the marine biodiversity of the Galapagos, including sharks, penguins sea turtles and other at-risk species and habitats.

3/29 – 4/11
Origin and Geology of the Galapagos Islands
Synopsis
This course will explore the origin and geology of volcanic oceanic islands, using the Galapagos Islands as a natural laboratory. Though all share a common origin in plate tectonic theory, each island presents a host of environments that originate in the processes of volcanic action, erosion and hydrology. Individual islands therefore develop distinctive ecosystems within which organisms interact and evolve. The emphasis of this course will be to lay out the underlying geological processes that have led to the formation of the islands and to their present state, and then to explore the ways that the physical environment has influenced adaptation and biodiversity.

** NOTE: this affiliation affects our admissions, scholarship, cost and accreditation policies. For more details please inquire at info@ioi-galapagos.org

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.