The Guyana Lesley Abroad Service Semester (GLASS) provides the opportunity for profound cultural exchange between Lesley students and the Macushi people of the Yupukari region in Guyana. The first study abroad program in the country of Guyana, GLASS is unique in that it supports a local initiative to increase literacy and numeracy among the local indigenous population, while providing rigorous education in environmental studies.
The program's in-depth Culture and Place Immersion with communal indigenous village life allows students to gain deep appreciation for human and biological diversity, and the close ties between them. Students learn informally from the Macushi people's strong relationship with their environment - living close to the land to sustain themselves without money. Students engage in formal learning centered around tropical human ecology and indigenous natural resource management. Both groups benefit from collaborating on English language instruction and learning and community-based environmental research. The curriculum includes 16 Credits: CNSCI 3319 Camp Yupukari (GLASS pre-travel Orientation, 1 credit) CBIOL 3320 Tropical Human Ecology (3 credits) CNSCI 3320 Indigenous Natural Resource Ecology (3 credits) CNSCI 3331 Applied Conservation: Ecology and Education (3 credits) CNSCI 4100 Research Internship and Seminar (6 credits) OR CGLST 4100 Global Studies Internship and Seminar (6 credits) The Guyana Lesley Abroad Service semester, in keeping with Lesley University's mission and core values, involves active learning, scholarly research, critical inquiry, and diverse forms of practice. Students complete the GLASS program with the knowledge, skill, understanding, and ethical judgment to be catalysts who shape a more just, humane, and sustainable world. For a glimpse into daily life in the program visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79T6-CQe1qk For more information or to apply visit: http://www.lesley.edu/study-abroad/guyana-semester/. Applications for Fall 2015 are due by the end of March. If you would like a poster to hang up on your campus please let me know!
