Students at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus have the option of enrolling in a Sustainability and Eco-Justice Track. This special track is comprised of two main components: direct-enroll courses at the university and an optional internship in the field, coordinated by the School in Puerto Rico and supervised by a local leader, professional, or professor. This track will give students the opportunity to engage with the topic of Sustainability and Eco-Justice in an interdisciplinary manner and from a social justice perspective.

The Sustainability and Eco-Justice track invites students to consider the role of humans, power structures, and socio-economic systems in anthropogenic changes that adversely affect the health of the planet and its inhabitants, and to act ethically towards more sustainable, just, and equitable futures. Students will have the opportunity to take courses on sustainability in multiple academic departments and schools at the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras campus. Students in the track will not only learn to think critically about some of the major ecological problems facing the planet today but will also learn about concrete issues currently affecting communities and biodiversity in the archipelago of Puerto Rico. In addition, we aim for students to become familiar with local efforts working towards positive change from a social justice perspective.  If interested, students at UPRRP’s Special Track would also be able to take courses from the School of Natural Sciences’ curriculum in Environmental Science.

Students not interested in enrolling in a track may opt to participate in our standard, direct-enrollment program.

University Courses

Students will have the opportunity to take three or four courses alongside Puerto Rican students at the Universidad de Puerto Rico, Recinto de Río Piedras or three courses and an internship. Courses from a variety of disciplines and Schools may be taken, including the School of General Studies, the School of Humanities, the School of Social Sciences, and the School of Natural Sciences. Courses offered may include: Environmental Conservation I or II, Ecology and Sustainable Development, Climate Change and Caribbean Ecological Systems, Ecosystems and Biodiversity, Climate Change and Global Implications, Human Ecology, Environmental Thought, Current Environmental Problems, Geography of Natural and Anthropogenic Risks, Introduction to Ecology, Introduction to Environmental Sciences, Natural History of Puerto Rico, Population, Resources and the Environment, Economy of Natural Resources, Environmental Science I and II, Land and Water Resources, Energy Sources and Transformations, among others.

Please note:  Courses offered vary each semester, and all courses taken by MSiPR students must be fully in-person.

Students will also take the Middlebury course, SPAN2401P Writing for Linguistic and Cultural Competence (0.5 credits) for a total of 4.5 Middlebury units.

Internships

Eligible students may have the option to work in institutions in San Juan such as El Puente: Enlace Latino de Acción Climática, (https://www.instagram.com/elpuenteelac/), where they will involve themselves in issues related to Climate Change and Education, Public Policy, Advocacy, and/or Artivism, among others, and Proyecto Enlace del Caño Martín Peña (http://martinpena.org/#entidades).

Students interested in interning must verify that their home institutions will accept academic credit for the specific experience. General internship application procedures and deadlines will apply.

An illustration of three people painting the word "justicia" with a sun in the background

Art by: Estefanía Rivera Cortés / AgitArte - Papel Machete

Published in the e-book, Pactos ecosociales en Puerto Rico (2022) edited by El Puente: ELAC + JunteGente, https://pactosecosocialespr.com/artes/