Sustainable Development (May 7 to June 4, 2007): Developing International Perspectives of Sustainable Development through Arts and Science

Program Sponsors:

• Department of Agronomy and College of Agriculture – Iowa State University
• International Center for Sustainable Development and City of Knowledge, Panama
• Creative Photography – Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC)

Program Description:

An intensive, variable credit academic program offered in May, 2007 for students wanting to study issues and challenges in sustainable development in the tropics. The program includes a creative photography course under the sustainable development theme for qualified students. Students enrolled in the creative photography class will be an integral part of developing an international web-bank of digital photos for instructional use in sustainable development by international communities and educational institutions throughout the world.

Program Prerequisites:

The program is open to students from all majors who are interested in international travel and strengthening their global perspectives of sustainable development issues. Prerequisites are sophomore or higher classification and completion of a 3-credit biology course. Students participating in the creative photography course must have completed a basic course in photography. Students not fluent in Spanish will be required to enroll in a non-credited intensive Spanish language training course for beginners or advanced levels during the program.

Location:

Classes will be taught at the City of Knowledge campus in Panama where the International Center for Sustainable Development (CIDES) is located. Iowa State University College of Agriculture and the Department of Agronomy are formative members of CIDES, an international organization created with the purpose of promoting a new model for integrated knowledge management in sustainable development. Panama, the critical ecological land link between two great land masses provides a rich diversity of plant, animal, and marine ecosystems and a variety of socio-economic, historical, natural resource, and modern development issues that impact sustainable development. Panama, a location of worldwide importance, provides a uniquely complex, on-site international setting for studying the modern challenges facing countries and their local communities in sustainable development.

Variable Course and Credit Options for Students:

Students with proper prerequisites may take any or all of the following courses:

• Agronomy 446 (3 credits) – Agriculture and Sustainable Development – Prereq: 3 credits of biology and sophomore or higher classification. Interdisciplinary study and analysis of agricultural, biophysical, environmental, sociological, economic, and historical factors affecting sustainable development, including analysis. Challenges to sustainable development in the tropics. Field trips to various locations in Panama.
• Agronomy 493 Workshop - Creative Photography and Sustainable Development (3 credits) – Prereq: 3 credits of biology, sophomore or higher classification, and completion of a beginning course in basic photographic techniques. Advanced techniques in creative photography. Overview of the role of agricultural systems and other factors affecting sustainable development. Classroom instruction with trips for photographic shoots throughout Panama.
• Intensive Spanish Language Training (no credit) – Prereq: 3 credits of biology and sophomore or higher classification. Intensive Spanish language training required for all participants in the maymester program. Specially designed learning programs tailored for individual or small group needs. Conducted through the Ilisa language training center located at the City of Knowledge, Panama. University-accredited, transferable courses in beginning or intermediate Spanish available.
• Agronomy 490 (1-3 credits) – Special Problems/Internships in Sustainable Development (1-3 credits) – Prereq: 3 credits of biology and sophomore or higher classification. Participants will have an option of staying in Panama to undertake a special individual research or internship project in Panama. One-, two-, or three-credit options can be taken based on the length of extended stay, scope of the individual project or internship, and learner outcomes. Project report and presentation are required. Various types of internships and research projects are available in Panama and can be matched with student interests. Examples under this program include:
  • Preservation of biodiversity in the Tropics
  • Food Science/new product development research in the Tropics Ecotourism
  • Program development for the International Center for Sustainable Development in the Tropics (CIDES)
  • Historical and Environmental Impacts on Sustainable Development in Latin America
  • Teaching And Educational Program Development In Sustainable Agriculture
  • Integrated Water Resource Management in Rural Areas
  • Integrated Pest Management in the Tropics
  • Research in Sustainable Agriculture
  • Marine ecology and management
  • Tropical forest/reforestation research and management
  • Animal research and management
  • Banking/Economic research and management
  • Engineering Internships – Canal expansion, Urban development
  • Creative Arts projects (writing, painting, photography) in sustainable development
  • Communications projects related to sustainable development