Study Abroad in Ecuador

Backs of people looking at a mountain with clouds at the top

At Case Western Reserve University’s Mandel School, students experience transformative global education through short-term study abroad. Students broaden their perspectives on the world and gain new insight on how different countries and cultures approach social welfare issues, policies and practices. Through our international courses, students visit social work agencies, nonprofit organizations, hospitals, prisons, mental health facilities, foreign universities and organizations that serve the needs of children and families. Students see and experience the world in a way a tourist never would.


Environmental Social Work/Justice

(SASS 375A/575A) | 3 credits

Winter Break

January 2–15, 2023

Pre-/Post-Trip Saturday Seminars

Oct. 29 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Dec. 3 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Jan. TBD, 2023 | 10 a.m. to 3 p.m

Journey through the city of Quito, the Amazon Basin and rural highlands of Ecuador while investigating conflicts that arise between the overuse of rich natural resources, fundamental rights of indigenous and marginalized peoples, and economic development. There will be opportunities to explore expansive plant, animal and cultural diversity, land destruction, and overuse, as well as sustainable solutions and policy efforts that aim to strike a balance. We will travel by bus, boat and foot to to reach many sites that include agricultural home-stays and platform tent camping in the amazon basin.

The following topics will be examined through pre-trip reading and study, on-site lectures and the use of critical analyses through discussion and writing:

  • Theoretical foundations for studying environmental social work
  • How environmental practices threaten rights to health, safety and economic freedom locally and worldwide
  • Examination of destructive agricultural practices, mining and oil drilling, and their impact on biodiversity and marginalized populations and the economy
  • Historical and current examples of conflict related to environmental justice conflicts

Learn more about studying abroad in Ecuador