Having successfully completed this course, students will be able to:

Ecological Issues

1. Describe major attributes and dominant fauna and flora of predominant Appalachian and tropical ecosystems.
2. Explain ecological effects, such as forest fragmentation on biodiversity, from the perspectives of two countries with different needs and desires.
3. Explain the connection between the fast-food industry in the United States and deforestation in Costa Rica.
4. Explain the effects of agriculture, especially livestock production, on environmental resources.
5. Explain the effects of national companies, such as the United Fruit Company, Dole and the coffee companies, on the loss of tropical forests and degradation of tropical aquatic resources.
6. Explain the effects of national lumber companies, such as Georgia Pacific and Westvaco, on Appalachian forests and the impacts to local environmental resources.
7. Explain why cooperative conservation efforts in both Costa Rica and the United States are important in the protection of threatened neotropical migratory birds.
8. Develop an informed understanding why there is an effort to preserve biodiversity in both countries and to study many species before they become extinct.

Culture and Political Issues

1. Discuss the economic reasons why survival is more important than conservation of resources in third world countries such as Costa Rica and how this relates to the early history of the Southern Appalachians.
2. Explain the general impact that the United States government, special interest groups, and multinational industries have on Appalachian and Costa Rican resources.
3. Make informed decisions about the formation and implementation of local and global environmental policies.