• Site

• Courses

• Excursions & Activities

• Housing

• Program Dates & Deadlines

• Orientation

• Costs

• Contact

Costa Rica

Costa Rica, land of many natural wonders: Caribbean and Pacific coastlines, luscious rainforests, abundant animal and plant life, and volcanoes.

Students immerse themselves in language and culture while surrounded by unparalleled natural beauty and the warm, welcoming people of Costa Rica.

The Costa Ricans (Ticos) are dedicated to promoting harmony between nature, community development, and economic growth.

They have made a major commitment to protecting the nation's natural resources and beauty while preserving its long tradition of political democracy and stability.  

Costa Rica offers students a safe and accessible place to study and to explore the peaceful beauty of her natural treasures.

It offers reliable public transportation, the highest literacy rate in Central America and an excellent health care system.

Whether studying Spanish or researching rainforest ecosystems, the congeniality of the people, the steaming volcanoes, pristine beaches, virgin forests, and the unique birds, mammals and ocean life all combine to make Costa Rica an idyllic place to live and study.

Site

Students live and study in beautiful Alajuela, located just 30 minutes from the capital, San Jose. Alajuela is a small town surrounded by coffee and sugar plantations.

Courses are held at the Instituto de Cultura y Lengua Costarricense (ICLC), Costa Rica's premier language institute.

ICLC language school is set on a hillside surrounded with tropical flowers and fruits in the outskirts of Alajuela.

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Courses

Students have the option to take 5 or 10 credits of Spanish at ICLC. Classes are taught by qualified ICLC instructors.

Spanish classes meet for 4 hours per day and have generally no more than 4 students per class, allowing plenty of time to improve speaking and listening skills.

Students who take 10 credits of Spanish register for 5 additional credits in coursework taught by WCCCSA faculty.  Students enrolled for only 5 credits of Spanish take 10 additional credits of coursework taught by WCCCSA faculty.

For the Winter 2010 program the following courses are offered by WCCCSA faculty:

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Modern Latin America (5 credits)
Students will become acquainted with the cultures and histories of Latin America and its peoples. Consideration will be given to the artistic, intellectual, social, and political trends in Latin America from pre-Columbian times to the present. An interdisciplinary and thematic approach is used to explore the major topics, events, and processes that have shaped, and continue to shape, contemporary Latin American societies. Special consideration will be given to the study of Costa Rica. Whenever possible, the course will incorporate guest speakers and class fieldtrips to local historical sites, museums, performances, and cultural events.  

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Intro. to Latin American Literature (5 credits)
Students will be introduced to some of the most distinguished contemporary authors of Latin American literature. The course focuses on the reading, discussion, and analysis of short literary works, i.e. short stories and poems. Special consideration will be given to the study of Costa Rican writers. Whenever possible, the course will incorporate guest speakers/writers and class fieldtrips to literary readings and/or cultural events, and performances.

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Excursions/Activities

Orientation tour: Enjoy a familiarization tour of Alajuela. The tour will include traveling from ICLC through the homestay neighborhoods and onto Alajuela where students can locate services and amenities like parks, malls, and stores.

Cultural Activities: There will be special cultural activities offered each month, by ICLC and CAPA’s My Education program, in addition to activities and mini-courses that will take place during the afternoon from Monday through Friday.

Activities vary (entrance fees not included) and may include the following: a Costa Rican Art Museum, the National Museum, the La Salle Museum of Natural Sciences, the Juan Santamaria Historical Museum, the Tropical Bird Zoo, San Juan de Poas, and the train to Puntarenas, among other destinations

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Housing

Students live in homestays with local Costa Rican families. Each student will have a private, furnished room and two meals per day, breakfast and dinner. Homestays are located within a 30 minute bus ride from ICLC. Students are encouraged to interact with homestay families as much as possible to facilitate learning the Spanish language and culture, and to get to know the host family. Students are expected to respect the norms and customs of their host family.

Program Dates and Deadlines

Winter 2010 Program

Program Dates: January 2 - March 13, 2010

Application deadline: November 15, 2009

Payment Schedule: $300 due with application ($250.00 of deposit is non-refundable). $5,699 due November 15, 2009

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Orientation

Date: TBA

Time: 10am - 2pm

Location: TBA

What to Bring: Students need to bring (a) a signed copy of the Student Guidelines, (b) a copy of your passport, (c) flight itineraries, (d) a notepad to take notes, and (e) questions.

 Student participants should also invite parents, guardians, or whomever they feel should attend with them. Coffee will be provided in the morning and lunch will be served.

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Costs

Program Fees: $ 5,999.00 + 15 credits of tuition at home institution (based on a minimum enrollment of 20 students)

INCLUDED:

• Private room in single homestay (one student per family)
• Airport pick-up by host families (only when landing before 10pm)
• Breakfast and dinner seven days a week for program duration
• Pre-Departure Orientation
• On-Site Arrival Orientation
• Arrival reception
• Walking tour of Alajuela
• Departure ceremony
• Airport drop-off by host families
• My Education cultural events
• Medical and travel insurance

NOT INCLUDED:

• Roundtrip airfare
• College tuition and fees (paid to student’s home campus)
• Passport fees (and visa fees, if applicable)
• Costa Rican departure tax of approximately $27
• Lunches
• Spending money

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