Costa Rica
Costa Rica's history & society ... photo album ... maps ... links

The program
Immersion in daily life ... schedule ... orientation ... field trips ... Spanish language ... Intro to Costa Rica ... Rural Stay ... Core Course ... Independent Study Project

Information
Eligibility ... credit and grades ... academic year program ... program staff ... living arrangements ... ACM Center ... costs ... how to apply

Contacts
Campus program advisors ... ACM office

Above: Visiting one of the oldest churches in Costa Rica -- dating to the mid-16th century, in the village of Orosi. .

Core Course

This course is taught in English and addresses contemporary socioeconomic or environmental issues from a Latin American perspective. Recent course titles have included: “Other Americas: Identity, Modernity and Action in Modern Latin America” and “Central American Conservation.”

An Independent Study Project is a central element of the course. While the primary language of the course is English, readings in Spanish are integrated into the later class sessions and Spanish sources are required in the final seminar paper. (required, 6 credits)

At right: View of a market. (Photo courtesy of Lindsay Peterson)

Independent Study Project

On returning from the Rural Stay, students undertake a major research project in the social sciences or humanities. Topics for this project vary with the theme of the Core Course, yet provide ample opportunity for students with different majors and interests to develop their own perspectives.

Recent project topics have included:

• Traditional Polyculture Coffee Systems as a Means of Conservation
• Rasta in the Caribbean: The Exotification of the “Rasta” in Cahuita
• Climate Change and the Tropical Farmer: The Current Situation
• The Indigenista Movement as Represented in the Artwork of Martín Chambi and Diego Rivera
• The Mesoamerican Periphery: Indigenous Culture in Costa Rica.

The project involves field investigation, library research and interviews in San Jose. Students generally write their research papers in English.

Go to a list of project topics from recent years.

Return to schedule