I still have a number of spaces available for the 2012 offering of “Roots, Fruits & Jamaican Ecologies: Permaculture Initiatives in the Blue & John Crown Mountains." This summer will mark the 6th time this interdisciplinary service-learning course has been offered. This 3-credit course is open to both undergraduates (400-level credit) and graduate students (800-level credit). The course will take place during the first 6-weeks of the summer and we will be in Jamaica from approximately May 27-June 10th. While in Jamaica, we engage in cultural, environmental, and agricultural projects as we interact with park rangers, conservationists, farmers, musicians, and other individuals. In addition to the unique service-learning components of the course, this summer’s students will help coordinate an ecotourism fundraising event on the historic Cunha Cunha Maroon Pass Trail. Summer 2012 will also mark Jamaica’s 50th anniversary of independence. Needless to say, this will be a very special offering of “Roots & Fruits”!
Detailed course information is listed below for your reference. The (firm) application deadline is January 30th. Please help me spread the word about the course to your students. Interested students should be instructed to contact me ASAP so I can share more information with them about the course details and application process. Many thanks for your help with my recruitment! If you have any questions about the course please do not hesitate to contact me.
Best,
John D. Galuska, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty, SPEA
Director, Foster International LLC
Indiana University
1000 N. Fee Lane
Bloomington, IN 47406-7501
Voice: 812.855.6215
Fax: 812.855.7458
jgaluska@indiana.edu
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ROOTS FRUITS & JAMAICAN ECOLOGIES:PERMACULTURE INITIATIVES IN THE BLUE & JOHN CROW MOUNTAINS
(Summer Intensive 2012)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This interdisciplinary service-learning course (3-credits, 6-weeks) is a partnership between IU’s Center for Latin American & Caribbean Studies (CLACS), the Jamaica Conservation and Development Trust (JCDT), and the Bowden Pen Farmers' Association (BPFA) in rural eastern Jamaica. Summer 2012 will mark the 6thoffering of the course and Jamaica’s 50th Anniversary of independence! To celebrate we will help coordinate a special trail hike/adventure race on the historic Cunha Cunha Maroon Pass Trail. In Jamaica students will also participate in permaculture and service-learning initiatives associated with sustainable agriculture, ecotourism, national park management, and forest ecology. Permaculture is a systems-thinking approach to designing productive ways of living for humans while working with and sustaining natural environments. Summer intensive class sessions at IU (Bloomington) will provide students with an understanding of: 1) basic permaculture design principles; 2) cultural practices in rural Jamaican communities; 3) ecological characteristics of mountainous regions in the Caribbean; and 4) the ways in which humans (re)shape local environments through farming and other activities. The seminars given in Jamaica with farmers, conservationists, park rangers, community leaders, herbalists, spiritualists, poets, and musicians, place further emphasis on the ROOTS and the FRUITS of indigenous agricultural, environmental, and cultural practices.
FIELDSITES:
Blue & John Crow Mts. National Park and the rural farming community of Millbank in the Rio Grande Valley of eastern Jamaica
COURSE DATES:
Summer 2012, May 8-June 14 (6-weeks). The course begins with 3 weeks of classes on the IUB campus (starting May 8), continues with 2 weeks in Jamaica (May 27-June 10), and ends with 1 final week of class after returning to campus.
SUMMER APPLICATION DEADLINE:
January 30, 2012. Interested students should contact Dr. Galuska (jgaluska@indiana.edu) for an application and additional course details. NOTE: Enrollment will be limited to a maximum of 15 students.
IU CREDIT:
Latin American and Caribbean Studies: L426 for undergraduates (counting toward CASE Culture Studies, GCC credit) & L803 for graduate students.
CO-INSTRUCTORS:
Dr. John Galuska (Cultural Anthropologist, Urban Farmer & Permaculture Designer), Dr. Keith Vogelsang (Biologist & Ecologist)
TOTAL 2012 COURSE COSTS (EXCLUCING Round-Trip Airfare):
$2,400 (Indiana residents) and $2,600 (non-residents). This includes: 3 IU-credit hours, 41 meals, 14 nights lodging, ground transportation, speakers and performer fees, service fees, and (required) student travel insurance. The course costs do NOT include round-trip airfare. Each student will be responsible for purchasing a round-trip airline ticket to Jamaica from Indianapolis International to Kingston (Norman Manley International). NOTE: In summer 2010 the airline ticket cost was approximately $550.
COURSE DEPOSIT:
A non-refundable $500 course deposit (credited toward the overall course costs) is due AFTER being formally accepted to the program. The 2012 deposit deadline is February 27.
FINANCIAL AID & GRANTS:
Students receiving financial aid may be able to receive additional need-based funds to help pay for the course costs. Please speak with an IU Financial Aid representative. We encourage all students to seek out merit-based grant opportunities through IU. For example, a number of our past students have received $500-1,000 from the IU Hutton International Enhancement grant to help subsidize the cost of the class. Please check out the IEP link for the grant requirements:
http://www.indiana.edu/~iubhonor/hds/forms.php
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
Dr. John Galuska, jgaluska@indiana.edu, 855-6215
FACEBOOK SITE:
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=9852459670
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John D. Galuska, Ph.D.
Adjunct Faculty, SPEA
Director, Foster International LLC
Indiana University
1000 N. Fee Lane
Bloomington, IN 47406-7501
Voice: 812.855.6215
Fax: 812.855.7458
jgaluska@indiana.edu
