In the heart of the Amazon, dense green foliage blankets the horizon as far as the eye can see. For millennia, its rich natural resources have supported human communities and an incredible diversity of wildlife species found nowhere else on the planet. This great and complex rainforest is also one of the world’s most impactful ecosystems – Amazonian watersheds account for 20% of the world’s fresh river water.
Study Abroad in Peru
Have you ever wanted to live in the Amazon rainforest, take a riverboat expedition to survey rare wildlife like pink dolphins, or visit the Andean highlands and the ancient city of Cusco?
Whether you’re an experienced traveler or looking for your first trip to another country, studying abroad is an important component of your college career. Living abroad gives you the opportunity to explore new places and learn about different cultures, gaining important global perspectives, discovering new things about yourself, and building lifelong friendships.
Our program in Peru takes place in the rich ecosystems of the Amazon, with excursions to the highlands of the Andes, visits with Indigenous communities, and meetings with diverse agricultural organizations. Courses and fieldwork focus on key environmental issues faced here such as climate change, biodiversity conservation, environmental ethics and justice, and sustainable livelihoods. The forests of the Peruvian Amazon are increasingly under threat from climate change, rapid development, and extractive activities like logging and mining. From the terra firme and flooded forests of the lowlands to the glacial lakes and tropical montane forests of the Andes, Peru’s landscapes need comprehensive and inclusive strategies for conservation. Our research here provides important insights into the fate of the Amazon and all the life that depends on it.
Peru
semester
15 Weeks
|18 Credits
Fall 2023
Sep 1 - Dec 12
Closed
Spring 2024
Jan 30 - May 10
Closed
PROGRAM COSTS
Tuition:
$18,350
Room & Board:
$5,200
Total Cost:
$23,550
Sample Itinerary
Sample Itinerary:
semester PROGRAM
Biodiversity and Development in the Amazon
Iquitos, lowland Amazon
Discover the living Amazon. Explore the extraordinarily biodiverse ecosystems of the northern Peruvian Amazon. Discuss threats to the region – from climate change to resource extraction – and get at the heart of Peru’s conservation and development issues. Experience flooded forests on a multi-day riverboat expedition and travel to the Andean highlands where you’ll visit cloud forests and the historic Incan capital of Cusco, the hub for visitors to Machu Picchu.
- Take a multi-day excursion to the village of Sucusari to learn about the livelihoods of the Maijuna people and explore the rainforest from one of the world’s longest canopy walkways
- Take a five-day riverboat expedition in Tamshiyacu-Tahuayo Regional Conservation Area, home to species like pink river dolphins, sloths, piranhas, primates, macaws, and giant river otters
- Visit a manatee rescue center, tropical fish exporter, and potato and butterfly farms to study a range of local agriculture and conservation organizations
- Conduct a comprehensive field research project: Develop a research question, collect and analyze data, write a paper, and present your findings. Read more about SFS Directed Research projects.
Application deadlines:
Spring – November 15
Fall – May 15
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Academics
This academically rigorous program follows a six-day/week schedule. The interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to help students actively discover and understand the complexities of environmental, social, and economic issues in Peru. Read more about the SFS program model. Major academic themes include:
- Climate change and conservation practice
- Landscape ecology and habitat fragmentation
- Biodiversity assessment
- Forest health and recovery
- Indigenous knowledge and histories
- Ecosystem services and carbon markets
- Impacts of development in the Amazon
- Biogeography
- Political ecology
Courses
On the Biodiversity and Development in the Amazon program, you will take three 4-credit disciplinary courses, one 2-credit language and culture course, and a 4-credit capstone Directed Research course. Courses are participatory in nature and are designed to foster inquiry and active learning. Each course combines lectures, field exercises, assignments, tests, and research. All courses are taught in English. Click on each course to view a description and download the syllabus
SFS 2090
Language, Culture, and Society of Peru
2 credits
SFS 3800
Conservation Science and Practice
4 credits
SFS 3831
Tropical Ecology of the Amazon
4 credits
SFS 3840
Political Ecology of Developing Landscapes
4 credits
SFS 4910
Directed Research
4 credits
SFS 2090 Language, Culture, and Society of Peru (2 credits)
This course provides two integrated modules: Spanish language instruction, and Peruvian society and culture. The language module offers listening, oral, and written practice of Spanish to increase students’ communication and comprehension skills. The sociocultural module is designed to help students gain experience in the culture and therefore become more adept at working effectively in their community-based Directed Research efforts. Both modules emphasize the understanding of, and direct interaction with, the local communities with which the Center works. This exposure to culture and language is reviewed and processed through lectures, field exercises, community outreach, and classroom discussion.
SFS 3800 Conservation Science and Practice (4 credits)
This course introduces the concepts, tools, and incentives to effect conservation of the environment and natural resources. The field of conservation is focused on protecting biological diversity—including ecosystems, species, and genetic diversity—by promoting processes, both ecological and social, that support biodiversity. The course focuses on five core themes: what biodiversity is; why biodiversity is important; threats to biodiversity; strategies for conservation; and the concept of sustainability. We explore the practical aspects of conservation using local case studies, considering the array of conservation strategies in the region, and using this lens to evaluate global concerns on a local scale.
SFS 3831 Tropical Ecology of the Amazon (4 credits)
This course examines biodiversity from multiple scales, including region, landscape, ecosystem, community, species, and genes. Students learn to: identify and characterize a variety of the diverse flora and fauna in the Amazon region, understand the patterns and processes that support this diversity, and appreciate the importance of biodiversity to people. Students examine the fundamental principles of tropical ecology through the study of a diverse mosaic of ecosystems, habitats, and species along elevational gradients, successional gradients, and geomorphic patterns.
SFS 3840 Political Ecology of Developing Landscapes (4 credits)
This course focuses on human interactions with and impacts on local natural systems, and vice versa. We consider these interactions through the interdisciplinary lens of political ecology, examining the political, economic, social, and historical factors of environmental issues and changes. The course provides the conceptual and practical skills and tools to critically examine and assess the human-environment nexus by exploring distinct cultures and socioeconomic systems from the upper Andes to the Amazon basin. We also consider the theories and ethics of sustainable and unsustainable development, and the need to view these issues in ways that are inclusive and just.
SFS 4910 Directed Research (4 credits)
This course prepares students to distinguish hidden assumptions in scientific approaches and separate fact from interpretation, cause from correlation, and advocacy from objectivity. Students learn specific tools including: experimental design; field techniques; basic descriptive statistics; and parametric and non-parametric quantitative analysis. Emphasis is placed on succinct scientific writing, graphic and tabular presentation of results, and effective delivery of oral presentations.
Core Skills
You will gain practical skills in the field such as: species identification and population monitoring, biodiversity and habitat surveys, research plots and transects, interviewing and mapping techniques, conservation strategy assessment, basic Spanish language skills, research design and implementation, quantitative and qualitative data collection and analysis, and research presentation.
Field Sites
You will visit different ecosystems and communities which may include tropical lowland rainforests, wildlife sanctuaries, protected reserves, Amazonian riverine ecosystems, high-elevation forests and the highlands of the Andes, white-sand forests, traditional medicinal gardens, high-elevation montane and cloud forests near Wayqecha Biological Station, rural villages and agricultural communities, and palm swamps and floodplain forests.
What Students Are Saying:
“Before this program, I had only left the country once before, and that was to go to Montreal in Canada. I was a little nervous joining the program due to that, but my fears were groundless. This program was stunning in scenery, meticulous in safety preparations, and fascinating in class information. I learned more during my semester with SFS than I had learned in the previous year in University, in addition to meeting and befriending many like-minded nature nuts and hiking pals.”
– Sean, University of Massachusetts Lowell
“Amazonia is a land of magic – something I’ve learned time and again while here. It takes many forms, but each has made me incredibly thankful to be here. My first glimpse of the Amazon river was christened with the leaps of dolphins, and I knew in that instant that I had made the right choice.”
– Tess, Reed College
Community
We have built long-term, collaborative relationships in the communities around the Center, and developed our research plans based on the environmental issues they and the surrounding ecosystems face. Throughout the program, students work with the young members of our SFS Eco Club and interact with local residents through community mingas (work projects), our recycling program, local festivals, and sporting events.
At the end of each semester program, we host a Community Research Night where select students will present their research findings to the community. SFS research data is shared with communities, local NGOs, and the Peruvian government.
