This program studies  human development and environmental issues in Latin America within the framework of an interdisciplinary semester program, which offers the opportunity to broaden knowledge and to experience first-hand the multidimensional challenges for  sustainability in the region.

Case studies from Latin America, as well as sustainable development policy discussion are features of this program.

What we did

Each semester students benefit from field trips that put classroom experience into practice.

Trips range from the wild coasts of the southern Pacific to the high paramos of the Talamanca mountain range, and  the  lowlands of the  northern Atlantic region, where  students participate  in the  implementation of sustainable  human  development  through  ecotourism and  community  development  projects.   Other site visits include the  Costa Rican Congress, Electoral Tribunal, Supreme Court, Ombudsman Office, Inter- American Human Rights Court, and University for Peace.

This program  focuses  on issues of justice  and human rights in Latin America through a multi-dimensional approach that looks  at the  historical, political, and  legal  evolution  of human  rights, and the existing institutional framework in the region.  Policy discussion, case studies, and first-hand experiences of human rights scholars and practitioners are part of this program.  Students further benefit  from the  fact that the  Inter-American Human Rights Commission, the Inter-American Human Rights Court, and the Inter-American Institute of Human Rights are located in Costa Rica.