cathedral of the Immaculate Conception aerial view Cuenca Ecuador

Study Abroad in Ecuador

Explore various environmental challenges of today and tomorrow through an integrated lens of science and humanities in place-based courses. 

This Global Environmental Challenges program explores various environmental challenges of today and tomorrow through an integrated lens of science and humanities in place-based courses. The semester-long program is a collaboration with Rhodes and Sewanee which will spend twelve weeks in the highlands of Cuenca, followed by a three-week module at a biodiversity station in the Amazon and in the Galápagos Islands. 

Students who participate in the program will be able to:

  • Recognize and analyze complex environmental challenges and local responses from the perspective of diverse stakeholders, particularly considering Latin America v. the U.S. 
  • Consider multiple definitions of sustainability within a specific local and national context
  •  Grow in empathy and in linguistic and cultural competency through sustained engagement with local communities
  • Learn, apply, and/or evaluate natural and social science field methodologies in local contexts

Students will depart from the United States to Quito, Ecuador in early September and return for the United States at the program end in late December.

Courses And Cost

  • The Fall 2023 program will be directed by Rhodes College Professor, Dr. Michael Collins.
  • Environmental Challenges
  • Environment, Conservation, and Policy Issues in Ecuador
  • Tropical Biology
  • Spanish Language (Beginner to Advance, depending on the ability of the student)
  • Academic Internship and weekly seminar

Estimated cost: the same as studying in Danville, plus a $375 deposit (surcharge/emergency fund/carbon offset), and a $25 travel medicine fee for a total of $400. Flights to the abroad site are also the responsibility of the student.

Students will stay with local host families while in Cuenca and the Galapagos. Students stay on-site at the Tiputini Biodiversity Station in dorm-style rooms. The program provides 20 meals per week for students.

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