Academics
Fields of Study: Social Sciences, Science
In Villarrica, you begin the coursework that addresses the themes of the program. Courses are offered in a sequence that builds gradually to prepare you for the final planning projects. The first week is completely focused on the Latin American Conservation course to give you a broad background. Next, the first fieldwork trip brings you together with all of the instructors to introduce the three courses that will run the length of the program and provide the basis for much of your work.
Several other fieldwork trips to national parks will help you to define your own project and gain the necessary expertise. A five-day visit to Kodkod, a natural retreat area with cabins and meeting spaces, will be the location for much of the intensive field methods course.
Additional time in the field and the classrooms will culminate with the final presentations of your team's environmental planning project and the celebration of the program.
Unique study opportunities
- Participate in an environmental planning project with a team of classmates.
- Attend a five-day cabin retreat to learn skills and approaches to field research.
- Examine the impact of human settlement and tourism on the natural settings of the country.
- Address environmental management and social ecological sustainability in Latin America.
Language
Language of Instruction: EnglishSpanish Language Study: Required
A survival Spanish course assists you in your interactions with locals.
Courses and credit
Requirements While Abroad
To successfully complete this program:
- Take a full-time course of study: Six courses for a total of 24.5 quarter/16.1 semester UC units.
- Complete a mandatory safety workshop on site to learn basic first aid and outdoor safety skills.
- Participate in outdoor academic field activities, including moderate hikes (e.g., up to 8 miles).
Current Program Courses
All courses are required:
- Spanish for Environmental Studies: This intensive, two-week Spanish course covers basic grammar, oral and written skills, listening, and reading comprehension. Chilean colloquialisms and vocabulary related to environmental studies, ecology, biology, and sustainability are covered.
- Listed under Spanish, lower division, 2.0 quarter/1.3 semester UC units
- Latin American Biodiversity Conservation: This course introduces the discipline of conservation biology in Latin America. It covers how biodiversity is distributed in Latin America and what the main challenges are to conserve biodiversity.
- Listed under Biological Sciences, Environmental Studies, upper division, 5.0 quarter/3.3 semester UC units
- Territory, Interculturality and Education for Sustainability: The course invites the students to analyze, from a sociocultural and political perspective, the concept of territory in the context of the La Araucanía region and the Mapuche (indigenous) people. It covers nature/culture relationships, land distribution and ownership, land systems, public policies, political relations and demands for indigenous recognition, with a special emphasis on the role of education and schooling system.
- Listed under Sociology, Anthropology, Education, upper division, 5.0 quarter/3.3 semester UC units
- Conservation of Forest Ecosystems and Wildlife: This course introduces the natural history, ecology, and conservation of forest biodiversity, paying particular attention to vertebrate wildlife from South American temperate ecosystems. Students will understand the inextricable relationships between forests, wildlife and people at the local, regional and international scales.
- Listed under Biological Sciences, Environmental Studies, upper division, 5.0 quarter/3.3 semester UC units
- Planning for Local Sustainability in a Global Age: This course examines the principles and practice of sustainability and sustainability planning.
- Listed under Environmental Studies, Urban Studies, upper division, 5.0 quarter/3.3 semester UC units
- Field Methods for Examining Social-Ecological Systems: This course examines methodological approaches from both natural and social sciences.
- Listed under Sociology, Geography, Environmental Studies, upper division, 2.5 quarter/1.6 semester UC units
While independent research is an integral component of this program, additional or optional coursework, internships, and research for academic credit are not possible on this program.
Catalogs and resources
- UCEAP Course Catalog: See a list of courses UC students have taken on this program.
- Campus Credit Abroad:Learn the types of credit (major, minor, general education, elective) students from your campus received at this location. There are currently no listings for this program in the database.
Academic culture
This program offers five courses that have been carefully planned to work together and provide not only multidisciplinary material but a range of experience as well. Reading, writing, field research, and a planning exercise are all closely coordinated into the academics. Some of the courses will run during the length of the program, one or two will be intense and offered during a limited period. The group planning project occurs near the end of the program so that you can apply everything that you have learned to that point.
In addition to the setting in Villarrica itself, there will be several trips to National Parks in southern Chile to explore different natural settings and consider the different impacts of nearby human settlements.
Grades
You will earn direct UC credit and grades for all coursework. Grades for this program will be available between early January to early February for fall semester and late August to late September for spring semester.