Summer in Puerto Rico

About the Program

Environmental Justice and Community Resilience in Puerto Rico

Stony Brook University invites students to engage in a transformative learning experience in Puerto Rico. This course examines contemporary environmental justice issues in the historical context of neo-colonialism focusing on how community-based organizations address these issues through mutual aid, energy independence, food sovereignty, and local resistance movements. Students will explore the effects of Hurricane Maria, the 2020 earthquakes, and ongoing ecological challenges by participating in site visits to local resilience initiatives and energy and food sovereignty projects.

Students and faculty will travel as a group throughout Puerto Rico, including site visits in El Yunque National Forest, the capital city of San Juan, Ponce, Adjuntas, Yauco, Cabo Rojo, Rincón, and Toa Baja. Lodging will be in local hostels, short-term rentals, and student housing facilities. In addition to site visits and presentations, the course includes opportunities for community service as well as unstructured time for exploring and relaxing. 

This experience is especially relevant for social work students who will explore various ways that social workers can address one of the Grand Challenges of the social work field: responding to a changing climate, through a lens of environmental justice, advocacy, human rights and community-based responses to crises. Through hands-on experiences, students will demonstrate interpersonal competency, building relationships with faculty advisors and community members impacted by their work. They will apply knowledge and skills gained through coursework to real-world situations while reflecting on the personal, academic, and professional effects of their applied learning experience.

 

Location	Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico
Program Type	Faculty-Led Program
Program Term	Summer
Program Dates	Travel Dates: July 10th-July19th, 2026 Additional course meeting time TBA
Language of Instruction	English
Budget	View Budget
Living Arrangements	Arranged through the program
Additional Information	Faculty-Led study abroad programs may require group travel. Please reach out to your IAP Coordinator prior to making any travel arrangements.

Program Housing Statement: Stony Brook University is required to comply with the housing policies of the host country, partner institution and/or hotel/hostel. These policies may include requirements such as sex-based housing placement.

 Requirements

GPA	2.0
Application Deadline	March 1