Art and Science of Exploring Biodiversity in Guyana

In this course students explore the artistic, cultural, economic, literary, and scientific role of biodiversity in today’s society. Using Guyana, a biodiverse English-speaking Caribbean nation located along the northeastern coastline of South America as an example, students approach the topic of biodiversity from multiple perspectives, including the natural sciences, social sciences, humanities, and visual arts. More specifically, this course offers art, design, and science communication students the opportunity to visit a biological hotspot and consider its role in society; participate in conservation science field research; interact cross-culturally; and develop communication skills. Taught collaboratively, this course emphasizes the importance of connecting ideas, information, and methodologies across the arts, humanities, and sciences, with an emphasis on biology. Students spend the first week and a half at RISD, the next three in Guyana and the last half week at RISD.

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Program Features

Education Abroad Program Name	Art and Science of Biodiversity in Guyana
Level	Undergraduate
Number of Credits for Course	6
Number of Credits for Education Abroad Program	6
Does this course carry major/minor credit? Elective credit?	3 electives in liberal arts-science, 3 electives in literary arts and studies
Typical Enrollment	12-14
Language of Instruction	English
Duration	Short-term: 5-6 weeks
Time Spent On-Site	Short-term: 3-4 weeks
Last Taught	Winter 2019
How many times has this course been taught?	4
Curriculum Strong Points/Innovations	Study abroad course led by a scientist teaching biology at an art and design school; taught collaboratively with literary arts and studies; in-country expertise provided by Guyanese Amerindian wildlife guides and tour operators; eco-lodge and tent camping accommodation emphasize the experience of being in the field surrounded by biodiversity; students are challenged to use their art and design skills to communicate biodiversity studies and improve conservation outcomes.

 

FACULTY LEADER BIO

Lucy Spelman
​Affiliation: Rhode Island School of Art and Design

​Lucy Spelman is a board-certified zoo and wildlife veterinarian with degrees from Brown University and the University of California at Davis. During her tenure as the first woman and youngest person to head the Smithsonian’s National Zoo, she brought two giant pandas to the US from China. She worked as a consultant for Animal Planet before moving to central Africa to run the field program for the Gorilla Doctors. Since returning home in 2009, she has been teaching biology to students at the Rhode Island School of Design. In 2015, she founded Creature Conserve to provide ways for artists and scientists to work together for the benefit of all animals. She is the author of 40 scientific articles, the National Geographic Animal Encyclopedia, and The Rhino with Glue-on Shoes.

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Program Details

What are the learning goals for this course?

The general goals of this course are:
-To give art, design, and science communication students the opportunity to (re) connect the arts, sciences, and humanities to better understand and solve problematic human-animal interactions.
-To create a multi-disciplinary, cross-cultural, learning experience
The learning goals/skills gained are:
-Explore mostly pristine wilderness in remote parts of a developing country
-Learn how biodiversity is studied and how biodiversity studies inform conservation decisions
-Design a short-term biodiversity monitoring study
-Collect and analyze field data
-Interact cross-culturally with Guyanese nationals, including Amerindians
-Develop science communication skills using art and design


How do you measure student learning and development outcomes?

We measure student learning in the short term by the work they accomplish for the course. The grading elements, detailed in the syllabus, include the following:
-Active and Informed Participation in Class Discussion at RISD and in Guyana (20%)
-Written Reading Responses—Scientific (10%)
-Written Reading Responses—Literary (10%)
-Field Project: Biodiversity Monitoring (20%)
-Field Project: Field Journal (20%)
-Artist Research Archive (10%)
-Major Project Artwork (10%)

Major project: a finished piece of art or design work, based on the travel experience in Guyana suitable for final crit in class and potentially for exhibition in a group show. This work should be designed to engage general audiences in the general topic of biodiversity studies and in the particular science the student studied.

In the long term, we make every effort to stay in touch with the students who have taken this course so we can see how the experience shapes their future art and design work. In their course evaluations students also often talk about the impact of the experience on their creative process and their thinking about the topic (biodiversity, conservation) as well as the study abroad experience.

In what ways does the curriculum leverage the unique learning opportunities of your host context?

I chose Guyana for the location of this course because it is an extraordinary biodiversity hotspot that remains largely pristine. The Amerindian people in the interior where we spend most of the time (Surama) are warm and welcoming, and their lives are intertwined with nature. It is also a place I have been visiting since 1996, studying giant river otters and their conservation.

The course schedule includes 1.5 weeks (3 classes) followed by 3 weeks in Guyana, and the last half week back at campus (1 class.) The course content during the first three classes (each 3 hr) is designed so that students will get the most out of their experience in Guyana once they arrive. During this time we mix lecture with discussion of assigned readings about the following topics:
Social geological, ecological, and biological history of Guyana; Guyanese literature; Definitions of biodiversity,conservation, and ecotourism; Scientific method; and, Field notebooks.

Once in Guyana, the itinerary is set up so that students can experience a number of different habitat types. By traveling together via minibus, they truly gain an appreciation for the landscape. The general schedule is as follows for location/ habitat type:

2 days in the capitol Georgetown, coastal/mangrove
2 days at Iwokrama, highland rain forest
12 days at Surama Village, edge of lowland rain forest/savanna, Macusi village
3 days at Yupukari Village, river, wetlands, savanna, Macusi village
2 days for drive back to Georgetown

The course content in Guyana is designed to help the students explore different aspects of biodiversity and discover their own specific interests. We continue the assigned readings and discussion of Guyanese literature, start journaling, and then, once at Surama Village where we stay for the longest amount of time, begin the major project which includes a biodiversity monitoring study and artwork that communicates the results.

Because our drivers and wildlife guides are all Guyanese nationals and Amerindians, students have the opportunity to learn from local experts. Each student works with at least one local guide to collect data, and they are encouraged to continue to work together on the art and design piece. Students also have the opportunity to explore two Amerindian Villages – Surama and Yupukari. We also open the course to interested Guyanese artists and typically have between 1 and 4 artists with us for part of all of the course. While they are learning about wildlife, students are also learning Guyana’s tremendous cultural diversity.

To what extent is your course curriculum integrated with curricula of the students’ home institutions?
All RISD students are required to take liberal arts courses and this course offers a total of 6 credits that meet this requirement. The structure of the course, including the first week and a half of lectures in Providence and final class meeting, is designed to meet certain academic requirements including assigned work (readings, writing, discussion) and the opportunity for a class crit of visual art /design work made during the portion of the course in Guyana. RISD Global is a growing division at the school and we are fortunate to have been able to develop and continue to offer this course with their guidance and support.

Did you consult any resources on education abroad that were particularly helpful in designing this course? If so, please describe.
I viewed a variety of study abroad programs and itineraries, but this course mostly emerged from my own experiences taking guests with me in the field in Guyana and elsewhere when I first worked as a clinical vet, then zoo director, then wildlife vet, combined with my experience teaching at RISD in the classroom. The first study abroad version of this course (which I taught 3 times before I started teaching at RISD) was an ecology course co-taught with Dr. Godfrey Bourne, a Guyanese ecologist from the University of Missouri-St. Louis.

If you feel that you have valuable information to contribute to this project that is not addressed in the body of this survey, please elaborate here.

1. Reasoning behind the course structure
We spend the first few classes in Providence for several reasons. It helps get everyone reading, writing, and talking. The material we present in lecture and in the assignments is designed to get students thinking about what they want to focus on as artists and designers “in the field”; what materials do they want to bring; and, how to they want to document their experience. We also start building their understanding of Guyana in general – its culture and history as well as its biodiversity.
Once in Guyana, their exploration is very intentionally guided, at first. Over time as they feel more confident and settled, the students start to explore on their own. We also try to limit the number of moves within country so that students spend time in a few places that they get to know well rather than in many that they barely have time to explore. We encourage them to be explorers, not tourists.

The in-country schedule of morning and afternoon outings with unscheduled time in between allows students some flexibility for creative time, reading, writing, and rest. This is a very hot environment and during the mid-day everyone needs some down time. The course content offers them a variety of learning experiences including community visits, field research/data collection, and wildlife viewing (walks, drives, river trips.)

2. My teaching goals
​-Encourage art and design students to raise their science literacy about biodiversity and apply this understanding to their studio work.
This includes reading scientific literature; visiting a research lab or joining a researcher in the field; interviewing a scientist or researcher over the phone; teaming up with a science student on a project; and, attending a scientific conference.

-Explore the similarities between art and science.
Both disciplines help us understand the natural world and our place in it. Both are processes that are creative and curiosity-driven. For both, process matters as much as the outcome. Both involve critical peer review. The main differences are the mode of delivery
and the audience, with science using highly technical language directed at a narrow audience. By bringing artists, designers and scientists together, each gains a better understanding of the other’s perspectives; each appreciates how art, design and science are similar in many ways.
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-Practice using art, design, and architecture to communicate science and inspire informed decisions on key topics of the day.
My field of study is making informed decisions to solve problems facing endangered species, including biodiversity loss, climate change, emerging diseases, food security, invasive species, and pollution. But scientific literacy is relevant to all aspects of life today, ranging from lead in the drinking water to extreme weather. The student work produced during my study abroad courses demonstrates that art and design – informed by science – can effectively engage others in biodiversity studies and influence environmental practice.