ASC 230 - Coffee, Culture and Environment in Costa Rica

3 Credit(s)

This interdisciplinary course exposes students to the three dimensions of sustainable development—environmental, economic, and social—through an examination of the product that has been crucial in shaping modern Central American identity: coffee. While immersed in Costa Rican culture, students explore firsthand the biodiversity of the coffee fields, the science behind coffee production, and its impact on soil, water, and wildlife. Through site visits to sustainable, conventional, and transitional coffee farms and cooperatives, to roasters and point-of-sale locations as well as research facilities, the course analyzes the practices employed in the production and consumption of various types of coffee and their impact on sustainability and biological diversity. The course integrates scientific analysis with an exploration of cultural practices associated with coffee: its rich, traditional heritage within the larger Central American context; its relationship to tourism and ecotourism; its place in literature, film, and the arts; and the role it plays in Costa Rica’s image as an environmentally conscious nation. This course has a mandatory travel component. Credits for this course can be applied toward fulfillment of general education requirements from the Science or Humanities distribution area.