Creating Change in Costa Rica

Please read this important post from Stephanie Flackman, RJ class of 2010:

 

As a firm believer in the power of humanity to initiate positive change, I have found my experience as an RJ Fellow in the Class of 2010 to be transformational and thought provoking.  Dr. Taub’s entry, “Change is not a spectator sport” motivated me to share some information about a special opportunity, strongly connected to the RJ mission of change. 

 

A unique RJ-designated course, entitled Environmental and Cultural Conservation in Latin America, is offered in the spring semester by Dr. Niesenbaum, followed by a 2-week service-learning and research experience in Costa Rica that empowers YOU to create change in a focused and impactful setting. 

 

What do I mean by this? 

 

Students prepare, through discussions and study of the ecological diversity, political, cultural, and social issues of Costa Rica, to ultimately descend upon the rural community of Las Juntas de Abangares as a team focused on change.  Students develop research projects (ranging from topics in biology, environmental studies, and public health, to economics, sustainability, cultural preservation, studio art (NEW!), and more)!  My own experience last spring was focused on a public health issue — the effects of pesticides on the well-being of farmers (who, due to a long history of pesticide use for sustenance, do not acknowledge the correlation between specific ailments and documented pesticide hazards).  Participants in this course also engage in service-learning.  Teaching English at a private school gave me a special opportunity for immersion, putting my command of the Spanish language to the test and permitting me to delve into the culture and see the dynamics of the community from an insider’s perspective.  Other types of service include beautification, river clean-up, assisting at a women’s recycling cooperative, and many other worthwhile efforts where students are continually surprised by the gratitude of the community!  The local population is often inspired to make positive changes too; working side by side with the students to improve an aspect of their society, we planted trees to prevent runoff pollutants from contaminating the watershed in an aesthetically pleasing way.  This course is something you can do to meet the needs of a community, where you will see and feel the impact of your efforts, while gaining an appreciation for a way of life that is amazing and so different from our own. 

 

Why did I mention all of the above details?  

 

Because I want to encourage you to learn more about Muhlenberg’s Interdisciplinary Study and Exploration in Costa Rica (the course code is EST 350, in the course catalog).  Students from the 2008 program, including myself, will be presenting their research and service-learning experiences in a seminar to be held on Thursday, October 16th at 4:30pm in Shankweiler 440S.  

 

Please note that I did not even mention the FANTASTIC field trips.  I cannot do justice to the supreme beauty of a Cloud Forest or flora and fauna that are beyond exotic.  You must see it to believe it!

 

Interested yet?  I hope so.

 

For more information, please go to the following website for a database of prior research projects as well as the application and more in-depth information:

http://www.muhlenberg.edu/depts/biology/faculty/niesenbaum/cr.html

Flyers with pictures from the 2008 experience will also be posted around campus so you won’t forget the details of the seminar! You can contact Dr. Niesenbaum (niesenba@muhlenberg.edu) or me – Stephanie Flackman (sf235082@muhlenberg.edu) with any questions.   As we contemplate how to create change, as members of the RJ community, I strongly suggest not letting this extraordinary opportunity pass you by!

 

October 15 is Blog Action Day Against Poverty

This Wednesday, bloggers around the glob are uniting to raise awareness and conversation about poverty.  The RJ Fellows blog will participate.  The organizers say, “…the blogging community effectively changes the conversation on the web and focuses audiences around the globe” on the issue.  Check back Wednesday for a new post on poverty, and take a look at the Blog Action Day website.

New Endowed Chair Announced

Deepening their support for the RJ Fellows Program and Muhlenberg College, Mr. Joseph and Mrs. Rita Scheller have made an extraordinary gift to create an endowed chair for the RJ Fellows program director.  RJ Fellows heard the announcement for the first time at the annual RJ dinner, on September 22.  Mr. and Mrs. Scheller were present at the annual event and shared their great hopes that the endowed chair would help create exciting new possibilities for growth and innovation within the program.  As the RJ Fellows program director, I am very honored to be the first holder of the Joseph and Rita Scheller Chair and excited to begin envisioning how to enhance the RJ Fellows program.  The endowment, crucially, will give me more time to devote to RJ fellows, to the program, to research on issues of change in my own area of scholarship, and to development of new RJ courses.  This is the College’s fourth fully endowed professorship.  The Morning Call covered the story on October 8.