Course Description

The UGA Bulgaria Study Abroad and Service Learning Experience offers students from all disciplines the opportunity to earn six semester credit hours in Bulgaria during the UGA May Session, May 12 - June 5, 2009.

WILD 5200/7200 International Issues in Wildlife Conservation – Natural Resources Based Tourism (through the Warnell School of Forestry & Natural Resources)

LAND 4910/6910 Independent Project – Cultural Heritage Based Tourism & Heritage Site Preservation (through the College of Environment & Design)

ART HISTORY (course number tba) – Art History Based Tourism (through the Lamar Dodd School of Art)

Students from all disciplines are welcome and may enroll under the course listing that is most appropriate for their degree plan. Courses are taught simultaneously by faculty from each discipline. There are no course prerequisites required.

These are multidisciplinary courses drawing on expertise from wildlife ecology; historic and cultural preservation; natural resources, recreation and tourism; and the history of Bulgarian art. These courses are unique opportunities to learn and gain perspectives from enthusiastic people in the emerging economy of Bulgaria, the stepping stone between eastern and western cultures.

In today’s global society, we must understand several approaches used to manage, conserve, and interpret natural and cultural resources for multiple purposes, including tourism. Increased global understanding will enable comparisons to the American approach, thus increasing students’ world view and ability to incorporate new, innovative ideas, and provide suggestions for alternative approaches to others. Bulgaria is an ideal locale for comparative study for many reasons.

Bulgaria was one of the first countries in the world to adopt and apply the Guidelines on Biodiversity and Tourism Development produced by the Convention on Biological Diversity. Further, there is a need for a growing and diverse economy in Bulgaria as the country makes the transition from almost 45 years as a communist-governed republic to a parliamentary republic based on the principles of democracy. Rural areas, in particular, have a declining population growth rate (-5.1%) and a high (? 20%) unemployment rate.

There is a superb opportunity to use Bulgaria’s well-preserved natural and cultural resources to attract international tourists to rural areas and foster economic growth. However, for long-term economic return, such use must be wise and sustainable. A large percentage of this course will focus on problem-solving – identifying problems associated with advancing sustainable nature- and culture-based tourism, then taking action by working through a service project. Through the completion of a project to benefit a community and its goals of creating sustainable tourism, students will become fully involved in learning and giving their talents back to a community.