COURSE INFORMATION
Students must enroll for the full 13 credits to participate. The courses offered are actual College of Charleston classes; therefore students will earn grades just as they would if they were offered on-campus. Grades earned will factor into the student's GPA at the College. Classes are generally held Monday-Thursday each week, providing students long weekends to explore Trujillo and to travel throughout Spain and Europe.

This semester-long program integrates Biology and Environmental Studies classes in a hands-on, field-oriented curriculum with enthusiastic faculty. The major goal is to compare and contrast sustainability efforts at local, regional and global scales, focusing on topics such as threatented species protection, ecotourism, and production and extraction of food, energy and other products in Spain. Courses will be taught in English by two CofC faculty (Dr. Erik Sotka, Professor of Biology; Carolyn Sotka, MS in Marine Policy and adjunct Professor of Biology). A Conversational Spanish course is led by a professor from the Universidad de Caceres.

We designed the program to allow student advancement toward graduation for Biology majors, Environmental Studies minors or both. The program may also be of interest to any major in the School of Sciences and Mathematics.

Upper-division Biology majors:

BIOL 406: Conservation Biology (3 credits)
BIOL 453: Natural History of Spain (4 credits)
POLI 319/ENVT 352: Environmental Sustainability and Policy: An International Comparison of Best Practices, Opportunities and Challenges (3 credits)
SPAN 328: Conversational Spanish (3 credits)

Lower-division Biology majors and non-Biology majors:

BIOL 250: Conservation Biology (3 credits)
BIOL 250: Natural History of Spain (4 credits)
POLI 319/ENVT 352: Environmental Sustainability and Policy: An International Comparison of Best Practices, Opportunities and Challenges (3 credits)
SPAN 328: Conversational Spanish (3 credits)


PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS
There are many opportunities for students while studying for the fall semester in Trujillo. The town of Trujillo, under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status, is also known for its wide variety of Mediterranean ecosystems. Extremadura is one of the best birding locations on the planet and harbors critically endangered species such as the Iberian lynx, hispanic mountain goat, black stork, black vulture and the black-wing kite. Watch the sun set from a tenth century Moorish castle and wander a medieval city with Roman heritage and palaces raised with American gold and silver.

Students will live with local Spanish families during their semester abroad. The families are selected by staff in Trujillo and placement is based on answers to a questionnaire that the students complete. Most of the families have hosted College of Charleston students for years. Living with families provides students a great opportunity to learn about daily life and culture in Spain, while improving their Spanish language skills.

The College of Charleston offers semester-long programs abroad at its Trujillo campus in Spain, but it is rare that these include Biology courses. For Fall 2018, we are offering a program entitled "Natural History, Environmental Sustainability and Policy: An Immersive Experience in Trujillo Spain". Students are immersed in Spanish language and culture through living with experienced host families. The town of Trujillo, under consideration for UNESCO World Heritage status, is embedded within a fantastic diversity of geological settings and Mediterranean ecosystems. The area surrounding Trujillo is one of the best birding locations on the planet, and harbors critically endangered species such as the imperial eagle, hispanic mountain goat, black stork, black vulture and the black-wing kite. Multi-day field trips will allow students to compare the coastal ecology of the Mediterranean and North Atlantic, go whale watching, and witness marine conservation and aquaculture in action. There will also be opportunities to travel thru Spain or other European destinations on your own.


PROGRAM REQUIREMENTS

- Interested students must have completed at least Spanish 202 prior to participating in the program.
- Students must have at least an overall 2.5 GPA
- Students must either already possess a valid passport or be able to obtain a valid passport
-Students must apply for a student visa issued by the Consulate of Spain
-Students should have completed their Spanish language general education requirements before participating (through SPAN 202)

PROGRAM DIRECTORS

Dr.Erik Sotka
Department of Biology
sotkae@cofc.edu
843-953-9200

Erik Sotka (Professor of Biology) has been teaching and pursuing research in field-based ecology, evolution and conservation biology for 20 years. He has been a faculty member of CofC since January 2005, and during that time initiated two CofC study-abroad courses based in the field during the summer (British Virgin Islands and Bahamas). Erik lived in Sevilla Spain for a year during college, and is a fluent communicator in Spanish.


Carolyn Sotka
Department of Biology/Political Science
843-953-9200
sotkacm@cofc.edu

Carolyn Sotka earned a Bachelor of Arts in Zoology at the University of Vermont and was trained in wildlife ecology and conservation at the School for International Training. She then earned a Masters in Marine Affairs and Policy from the University of Miami's Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science. Over the last twenty years, Carolyn has helped start ocean conservation program at prestigious aquariums, universities, and non-profits; authored features, travel photo-journals, federal reports, book chapters, videos, and podcasts on critical ocean issues; and chaired over 50 ocean science symposia at conferences. Through these experiences she has brought science to the forefront of ocean policy at national ans state levels and worked with a variety of stakeholders across disciplines. Carolyn is currently an adjunct faculty member with the CofC Graduate Program in Marine Biology where she has taught science communication. She has teaching experience at the undergraduate and graduate levels and has taught in a variety of settings including in the classroom, field and abroad. Carolyn is a fluent communicator of Spanish.

Note: For questions regarding on-site program details and course content, please contact the program directors. Any inquiries regarding application processing, billing, or scholarship opportunities can be directed to the Center for International Education(contact information listed above).

*A minimum number of participants is required for all study abroad programs to run