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Study Abroad Summer 2008

Sustainable Futures - Monteverde, Costa Rica

This ten week summer course of study is designed to offer students the opportunity to live and work on ecological and social projects in a rural, but rapidly developing region in Costa Rica. This is a multi-disciplinary program designed for students from various disciplines, including architecture, planning, landscape architecture, resource management, and international development. Students participate in a seminar on sustainable development, enroll in Spanish language classes, and take an intensive studio/internship with one of the many organizations in the Monteverde zone working toward sustainability. There is a final report, plans or design scheme, or actual environment intervention, depending on the nature of the work. In addition, there is a series of lectures and field trips to local cooperatives, ecologically managed farms, and various forest reserves.

This is a semester's worth of credits (12-13 credits) in a small rural community next to the Monteverde Cloud Forest Preserve in Costa Rica. Students work with community residents on various projects jointly defined. Participating programs hosted by the Monteverde Institute include University of Maryland Landscape Architecture Program, University of New York at Buffalo School of Architecture and Planning , University of Illinois Department Urban and Regional Planning and University of New York ESF at Syracuse. Fluency in Spanish is encouraged but not required.

For more information, contact David Myers

Study Abroad-Italy

LARC 489A, “Architectural Identity, Place Making, and Town Planning,” is offered as a study abroad option to Italy. This 3-credit, 3-week course is directed and led by Dennis Nola, ASLA. The class begins on May 23, 2007 and is concluded on or around June 12, 2007. The study includes visits to Pompeii, Florence, the Italian Riviera, and Rome. Students will respond by communicating their observations and experiences in one of three methodologies (sketching, photography, or writing). Applications can be downloaded at University of Maryland Study Abroad.

For more information, contact Dennis Nola

Past Study Abroad Courses

Great Britain
Since 1986 the University of Maryland has conducted an Historic Preservation summer abroad program in residence at the Maryland Study Centre at Kiplin Hall in North Yorkshire. Kiplin Hall was built in 1625 by George Calvert, the first of the Lords Baltimore, founders of the Maryland Colony. This year, a 2-week tour-and-study course will survey historic places in the context of their natural and cultural setting and assess the strategies and techniques for preserving their valued character. Students will observe how the British conserve the rural landscape, country estates, the character of villages and towns, and significant buildings, streets, parks and gardens. Travel includes overnight stays in London and Edinburgh, with visits to Oxford, Bath, York, Durham, and Cambridge. From ancient stone circles, Roman ruins and Medieval cloisters to 18th Century estates, Georgian squares, and Victorian parks, students will witness the full ex-tent of Great Britain’s rich and diverse contributions to design and preservation.

For more information, contact Jack Sullivan.