Courses
Second-year level college coursework in Spanish, taken in the year prior to the start of the program, is recommended. ACM will review applications on a case-by-case basis and may recommend that a student arrange to refresh or augment his/her level of Spanish prior to the start of the program.
Students who choose the direct enrollment option at the Universidad de Costa Rica (UCR) will take two to three courses at UCR. In addition, they will take two courses taught at the ACM center – the Introduction to Costa Rica course and a Spanish language course designed specifically for direct enrollment students, which emphasizes reading and writing skills.
Introduction to Costa Rica
Instructor: Mario Morera
Required course, 5 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
This course will provide a broad introduction to the culture and history of Costa Rica, spanning a range of topics from the arts and literature; to Costa Rican politics, economy, and public policy; to its diverse ecology and conservation efforts. Taught entirely in Spanish, the course will combine classroom discussion with weekly excursions to sites in and around San José. Students will also be involved in service learning and/or local civic engagement projects, to become further connected with the local community. To provide a comparative focus with urban life in San José, students will spend three weeks of the semester living with a different host family in a rural community, where they will participate in volunteer projects in areas of special interest to them.
Spanish Grammar, Conversation, and Culture
Instructor: varies
Required course, 4 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
Instruction at the ACM center is provided by experienced Costa Rican teachers. Instructors rotate among small classes to expose students to several native speakers. Classes meet 17 ½ hours/week during the first five weeks of the semester and focus on comprehension and conversation, Costa Rican idioms, and grammar review. Grade reports will also indicate the level at which a student has studied so that credit can be assigned for the appropriate level of work.
Students choose one of two elective courses:
Music, Society, and Identity in the Americas
Instructor: Manuel Monestel
Elective course, 4 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
This course will explore the historical development of different musical processes, and the influence of different migration, political and social factors on the origins of the musical styles of the Americas. It will also use those styles as a window to broader issues, such as social movements and identity formation in the Americas. Taught in English and Spanish at the beginning of the semester and then entirely in Spanish, the course will explore concepts such as standardization, cultural exchange, cultural industry and cultural identities in relation to different contextual frameworks for the development of music in the Americas. In this course students will have the opportunity to deepen their musical and cultural literacy and to appreciate some of the greatest contributions of Latin Americans to world culture. Additionally, given that ACM students frequently cultivate some musical talent, the seminar will be open to ways in which students might participate in music-making during the semester. The course will meet for two hours, twice a week throughout the semester (except during the three-week rural stay).
Neotropical Biodiversity and Conservation
Instructor: Christopher Vaughan
Elective course, 4 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
This course will examine environmental issues and solutions within the socio-economic-political framework of each Central America country, with special emphasis on Costa Rica, where conservation efforts have received international acclaim. Themes developed include: a) evaluating natural resource status and understanding the reasons behind their decline, b) improving land capability and land use information, c) ecosystem restoration, d) environmental education and outreach programs, and e) promoting “sustainable development”. The subject matter of this course is inherently multidisciplinary with interconnected webs of causality. In this course, students will focus analysis in understanding roots of problems before concentrating on the most viable solutions. Course evaluation will consist of: participation in class discussions, written book reviews and a literature review research project (oral presentation and final paper). Taught in English and Spanish at the beginning of the semester and then in Spanish, the course meets for two hours twice each week and continues throughout the semester (except during the rural stay).
Students choose one of three language elective courses during the second half of the semester:
Literature of Latin America
Elective course, 3 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
This course introduces students to the contemporary literature of the region. Class work includes analysis of poetry, fiction and drama. Readings are all in Spanish. Costa Rican authors meet with the class to discuss their work.
Advanced Composition in Spanish
Elective course, 3 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
This course focuses on improving students’ writing skills through emphasizing good exposition, grammar review and the development of an effective style.
Advanced Conversation in Spanish
Elective course, 3 semester credits
Click here to see a course syllabus
The emphasis of this course is on attaining greater fluency through work on pronunciation, vocabulary development and conversational skills.