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This program ocuses on sustainable development, combining academiccoursework with project-based service learning. Belizewith its communitybased approach to solving problems and unique natural and cultural resourcesincluding one o the most protected and bio-diverse ecosystems on earthprovides the laboratory in which classroom theories can be appliedin a developing country context.

Spring semester 2013 will be the sixth year o the Belize Semester AbroadProgram in Sustainable Development. The program will continue toemphasize in-depth travel within Belize, exposure to the diversity o culturesthere, ample time outside the classroom and in the feld, and a signifcant

commitment to service learning.

Its an unrivaledopportunity to live

in paradise, meet

like-minded UVM

students, and have

a positive impacton the local

community.Emily May, 08

BELIZE SPRING 13SEMESTER ABROAD PROGRAM

IN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENTSpring Semester, January - April, 2013

PROGRAM IN BRIEF

What does the program involve?

Live and study in Belize (Central America)with UVM aculty

Take feld-based coursesocusingon issues o sustainable developmentwith UVM and Belizean aculty(all courses taught in English)

Get hands-on experience relevant to youracademic work through service learning

Spend time living in a Maya village, in therainorest, and on islands on the barrierree, and visit wildlie preservesand Maya archeological sites

Practice Spanish (much o Belizeis bilingual)

What about credits, tuition & fnancial ai

Earn UVM credits and meet CDAEand ENVS major and distributionrequirements

Earn credits towards a minor inCommunity and InternationalDevelopment

Pay UVM tuition and apply your UVMfnancial aid (additional scholarshipsare available)

learn.uvm.edu/travel/belize | jay.ashman@uvm.edu

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ACADEMIC PROGRAMWe anticipate the 18-credit programwill consist o the ollowing courses:

Development and Indigenous

Peoples (Filiberto Penados)

Ridges to Reef: A ConservationApproach to Watershed Ecology(Colin Young)

Wildlife Conservation & Communities:Issues & Approaches (Isabelle Paquet-

Durand)

Applications of Sustainable

Development: Service Learning(Jay Ashman) 6 credits

Intercultural Competence(Meg Ashman)

CONTACT INFORMATION

Jay Ashman, Senior Lecturer

Department o Community

Development and Applied Economics(CDAE)203 Morrill HallBurlington, Vermont 05401jay.ashman@uvm.edulearn.uvm.edu/travel/belize

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WHY STUDY IN BELIZE?

Belize, the only English-speaking country in Central America, is situated easto Guatemala and just south o Mexicos Yucatan Peninsula. Its eastern borderconsists o 300 miles o Caribbean coastline. Rich with natural waterways,rainorest, and ancient Maya ruins, Belize is an ideal location or studyingsustainable community development.

One o the worlds most biologically diverse nations, Belize has 93% o its landunder orest cover. It has the longest continuous coral ree in the westernhemisphere, the largest cave system in Central America, over 500 species o birds

thousands o Maya archeological sites, and the only jaguar reserve in the world.The population density is among the lowest in the world. Belize has a rich mix oethnicities including Creole, Mestizo, Maya, and Gariuna.

Belize has closely watched its rate o economic development, agriculturalexpansion, and tourism growth in particular. There is a conservation consciousnessin Belize that has challenged the government, private sector, investors, and thepublic at large to balance development with conservation o its natural resources.As a result, today Belize has more than 40% o its land under some orm o legalprotection. Belize is home to a number o outstanding nature institutes, feldstations, and educational centers.

HOUSING, TUITION, AND FEES

Housing: During the frst two weeks o the program, we will stay frst at a tented camp inthe jungle, then in a Mayan village, and fnally in a marine lodge dormitory on a small islandThe next ten weeks, well live at Marthas Inn in the heart o San Ignacio, convenientlylocated near the downtown business district; the entire inn will be reserved or us andinclude cooking acilities. The fnal two weeks, you will live in a small guesthouse onthe island o Caye Caulker.

Tuition and fees: The Belize Semester Abroad Program in Sustainable Developmentconsists o 18 credits. Students pay UVM tuition (in-state or out-o-state) plus aprogram ee o approximately $6,000 that covers housing, ood, and all program-relatedin-country transportation, admissions, and service-learning expenses.

Financial aid and scholarships: Unlike study-abroad programs through other

institutions, you may apply your UVM fnancial aid. Additional scholarships are availablethrough the Belize program and the ofce o Community-University Partnerships andService Learning (CUPS).

UVM FACULTY

Jay Ashman, JD, is a senior lecturerin CDAE and the programs academicdirector; he has taught Applications oSustainable Development in Belizeor several years.

Meg Ashman, MA, is a proessor emeritaand the programs coordinator; she hastaught Intercultural Competence inBelize or several years.

ASSOCIATED FACULTY

Isabelle Paquet-Durand, DVM and PhD,has 15 years o experience in LatinAmerica working in wildlie and publichealth and conservation.

Filiberto Penados, PhD, ounded theTumul Kin (Maya) Center o Learning andhas taught in his native Belize since 2000.

Colin Young, PhD, an ecologist, isprogram director o the National ProtectedAreas Secretariat in the Belize Ministry oNatural Resources & Environment.