Landscape and Environmental Change on the
Edge of the Caribbean - Trinidad
Honors Seminar with Study Tour, Winter 2012
15GEOL380H, BoKs - NS, DC
Tuesdays and Thursdays, 3:30-4:45pm

Trinidad is situated at an extremely interesting geographic position within the Caribbean, sandwiched between the South American mainland and Amazonia, and the Windward Islands. Geologically, anthropologically and culturally, Trinidad is fascinating and provides a superb natural laboratory to examine the interaction between natural equatorial systems and humans. This honors course will examine how the landscapes in Trinidad have developed from its geologic origins to its occupation by humans some 7000 years ago, to post-Columbian settlement and into the present day. Aspects of how human have influenced Trinidad’s landscapes and how they will continue to in the coming years will be considered from geologic and anthropologic perspectives. In addition, the course will examine how natural processes such as earthquake, landslides, floods and extreme weather threaten the inhabitants of Trinidad. A key component of this course will be to develop scientific hypotheses to test during a required 10 day field trip to Trinidad to help faculty and future students develop a long-term commitment to examining environmental change and landscape evolution in Trinidad and adjacent regions.

The class will meet three days per week and will comprise two informal lectures and one tutorial session per week. Each week the class will address a new topic building on the prior week’s work. During the duration of this course two experts on Trinidad will be invited to give talks to the class. These include:

• Dr. John Jones (Dept. of Anthropology, Washington State University), who works on palynology and has undertaken lots of coring work in Trinidad.  
• Dr. Peter Siegel (Dept. of Anthropology, Montclair State University) on work works on Caribbean archeology, specifically in Trinidad.  

Students will be assigned individual projects in small groups, and will include topics on issues such as soil erosion, earthquake hazard, deforestation, water pollution, and habitat destruction.

Tentative schedule of course topics:
Week 1:  Introduction to Trinidad and study methods
Week 2:  Geologic background – coasts, mountains and earthquake
Week 3:  Climates of Trinidad
Week 4:  Landscapes of Trinidad
Week 5:  Flora and fauna
Week 6:  Soils of Trinidad
Week 7:  Early human occupation of Trinidad
Week 8:  Colonization of Trinidad
Week 9:  Environmental changes past, present and future
Week 10: Student presentations
Weeks 11-12: Field trip in Trinidad

Travel Itinerary (Subject to Change)
Travel dates - Thursday, March 15 - Sunday, March 25. Additional information will be added soon.

Application
Application required. Download in MS Word. 

Although the application deadline was Oct. 7, we will still accept applications. You are encouraged to apply if interested. We keep a waiting lists and spaces often open up for late applicants.

Submit applications to honors@uc.edu.  Applicants may be contacted for an interview with the faculty director, Dr. Lewis Owen.

UC undergraduates who are not in the University Honors Program are welcome and encouraged to apply to participate, provided the student has a cumulative university GPA of 3.4 or above. Graduate students are not eligible to enroll. Although priority is given to University Honors students, we are often able to offer spaces to other students as well.

A waiting list will be maintained.

Costs (Tentative)
Each student will be expected to pay around $1800*.

*Actual costs are expected to be around $2600 per student. However, University Honors will provide each student with an $800 grant to offset this cost. This grant acts as a program discount and makes the actual expected cost around $1800. Students who are not members of the University Honors Program will also receive the $800 grant.

Expected costs will be updated as final travel plans are made and are highly contingent upon airfare.

Costs include airfare from the US toTrinidad, ground transportation in Trinidad, accommodations, project supplies, and a program fee (which covers faculty and other misc expenses).

Costs do not include immunizations, passport, ISIC card, insurance (travel/medical), some meals or other personal expenses.

Students are required to purchase an ISIC (International Student Identity Card) from UC International for $22. This is not included in the total expected cost.

Participants can apply for grants from UC International. 

Vaccinations and Health Precautions
Contact your physician to ask about what vaccinations and heath precautions (like taking antibiotics with you) are recommended. Also look at the Center for Disease Control's webpage on Trinidad and Tobago.

Faculty Director
Lewis Owen, Department of Geology (owenls@ucmail.uc.edu)

Other faculty also assisting include:
Brooke Crowley, Departments of Geology and Anthropology (crowlebk@ucmail.uc.edu)
Nicholas Dunning, Department of Geography (nicholas.dunning@uc.edu)
Ken Tankersley, Department of Anthropology (tankerkh@uc.edu)

Questions?
Contact the faculty director or Debbie Brawn (debbie.brawn@uc.edu) in University Honors.

Return to main University Honors travel page.