How do art, literature, and music help us make sense of colonialism, climate change, and the struggle for environmental justice? This three-week program in Puerto Rico invites students to explore how Puerto Ricans—on the island and across the diaspora—have used cultural expression as a form of resistance to centuries of environmental degradation and political subjugation.

Through the lens of environmental humanities, students will examine the intersections of colonial history, ecological transformation, and cultural identity. We will ask how creative expression—poetry, reggaetón, protest art, murals, and oral histories—can reveal deeper truths about "La Brega," or the ongoing struggle to live with dignity in the face of systemic oppression and environmental vulnerability. In doing so, students will engage with urgent questions at the core of environmental humanities: Who bears the brunt of ecological destruction? How is land both weaponized and reclaimed? What stories do we tell about survival, resistance, and repair?

Over the fall term, students will meet twice for orientation sessions, where they'll engage with foundational texts such as Puerto Rico: A National History by Jorell Meléndez-Badillo and explore the rich world of Puerto Rican music and visual art, including works from the Hood Museum's Puerto Rican collection. Then, over three immersive weeks in Puerto Rico during the winter break, we'll travel across the main island and to Vieques and Culebra, visiting coffee farms, agroecological projects, and sites of environmental harm and recovery—from oil refineries to military Superfund sites. We'll hike through El Yunque rainforest, explore the karst caverns of the north, and kayak through bioluminescent bays—all while meeting with local artists, curators, community leaders, and environmental organizations working at the intersections of culture and climate.

Through field-based learning, site visits, guest lectures, and student-led group discussions, students will gain a nuanced understanding of how Puerto Rico's environmental histories and cultural forms offer insight into broader global challenges around colonialism, resistance, and climate change. This program is ideal for students interested in literature, environmental studies, Latinx and Caribbean studies, history, and the arts—and for anyone eager to think critically, creatively, and collaboratively about how culture shapes ecological futures.