For any interested students: The Lesley University "Guyana Lesley Abroad Service Semester (GLASS)" program is the first study- abroad program in the country of Guyana and is unique in many ways. The aim of the GLASS program is to support a local initiative to increase literacy and numeracy among the Macushi people of Yupukari village and satellite villages while providing a mutually rigorous education in ecology/environmental studies and profound cultural exchange for students and villagers alike.
This unique and exciting abroad program takes place in the North Rupununi region of Guyana, South America. Guyana, the 'land of many waters', is an English-speaking country with a population of only 750,000 people and the land area equivalent to Idaho. It is still over 75% forested with ancient, largely pristine, tropical rain forest largely (85%) intact. The North Rupununi region of Guyana contains both tropical rain forest and savannah biomes and is inhabited by less than 1 person per square mile. The land is supremely rich with biodiversity and has global significance because of its large numbers of species, many of which are geographically confined to the Guianan Shield (due to its 1 billion year plus age and the vastness of its still largely intact habitats). Program Timeline May 14 - May 28, 2012: On campus (2 weeks; 4 meetings of 3 hours each plus orientation) May 29 - July 23, 2012: In Guyana (8 weeks) July 21 - July 29, 2012: Debriefing, work completion Courses CEDUC 3320 Fundamentals in English Language Instruction and Eco-Pedagogy CNSCI 3321 Community Service Learning Through a Chosen Discipline CBIOL 3320 Tropical Human Ecology CNSCI 3320 Indigenous Natural Resource Ecology For more information, visit: http://www.lesley.edu/lc/natural_science/glassprogram.html Amy Mertl Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Lesley University, Cambridge, MA
