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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 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 2009 program
the following courses are offered by WCCCSA faculty:
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Cross-Cultural Psychology
(5 credits)
In some parts of the world, people live with their
parents until they get married even if they are thirty or forty years
old. “No way!” you might say. A person from that part of the world in
turn asks, “How can a person leave their parents’ home at the age of
eighteen without being married yet?” The concepts we will explore in
this class are designed to help us learn how to interact more
successfully with people from cultures other than our own. We will
investigate the impact of culture on cognition, emotion, health and
disorders, and intercultural perceptions. According to
Infocostarica
(2007), while most Costa Ricans respect ‘conservative’ values, some are
starting to adopt several ‘American’ cultural traits. Even then, Costa
Ricans still possess a unique identity that distinguishes them from
other places making this a rare opportunity for rich cross-cultural
learning.
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Human Development (5
credits)
In what ways do families and schools play a role in shaping our values?
Is culture a factor in how people experience the various stages of
development like childhood, adolescence, and even adulthood? This course
explores theories and concepts that help us answer these and other
questions. You will also have the opportunity to see in what ways your
upbringing was similar or different than people that grew up in Costa
Rica. For example, we know that because the media negatively influences
young people’s body images in the United States, body-image is
increasingly becoming a problem. According to one study, the same
age-group of girls in Costa Rica did not have as much body-image
problems. While learning about the theories and concepts in class, the
opportunity to compare and contrast similarities and differences
first-hand will be a profound experience.
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Excursions/Activities
Enjoy a familiarization tour
of both Alajuela and San Jose.
The tour will include such places as the National Theater, the Cultural
Plaza, the Jade
Museum
and the
University
of Costa Rica.
Tortuguero Canals
Travel to the east coast of Costa Rica to
spend 2 days and one night experiencing an extensive system of natural
and man-made waterways used for both simple transportation and jungle
exploration. Traveling
through the canals is a fascinating experience rich in wildlife that
includes monkeys, iguanas, and colorful tropical birds.
Tortuguero
National Park,
which covers nearly 14 miles of coastline, is one of the most important
nesting sites in the world for four species of marine turtles.
For more information on Tortuguero,
click here.
Local Sights
Field trips are planned as part of
some courses. Local sights can include: Costa Rican Art Museum, The
National Museum, The Juan Santamaria Historical Museum, theater, parks,
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 2009 Program
Program Dates:
January 3 - March 14, 2009
Application deadline:
October 24, 2008
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Costs
Program Fees:
$ 5,449.00 (based on an enrollment of 20 students)
INCLUDED:
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Private room in single homestay (one student per family)
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Airport pick-up by host families (only when landing before 10pm)
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Breakfast and dinner seven days a week for program duration
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Weekend trip to the Tortuguero Canals
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Pre-Departure Orientation
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On-Site Arrival Orientation
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Arrival reception
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Walking tour of Alajuela
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Walking tour of San Jose
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Spanish language instruction in small groups (4 students per
teacher)
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Departure ceremony
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Airport drop-off by host families
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My Education cultural events
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Medical and travel insurance
NOT INCLUDED:
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