Summer in San Jose

Intensive Spanish Language Studies - 4 week program

** BEGINNER, INTERMEDIATE AND ADVANCED SPEAKERS WELCOME! **

Spend one month this summer learning or perfecting your Spanish in Costa Rica - it can and will happen in one month, with an intensive program such as this one. Coordinated with the progressive International Department of a private University, founded in 1991, in San Jose, Costa Rica, our Summer Language Programs provide a solid foundation for improvement of your Spanish language skills. Intense language immersion, combined with creative assignments and curriculum, guarantee significant strides in acquisition of the Spanish language. For the Intensive Spanish Language Program you can select ONE Spanish course. Placement exams will take place to ensure you are in the correct level.

NEW PROGRAMS ADDED!!

Intensive Spanish Language Studies with Elective - 5 and 8 week programs

If you are looking for a longer summer experience, we are now offering two new programs - choose from a 5 or 8 week program.

In the 5 week program you will take an Intensive Spanish class at the appropriate level AND an elective class.

For the BEST summer value, choose the 8 week program, in which you will take a 4-week intensive Spanish class at the appropriate level, followed by another 4-week class at the next level. For the first 5 weeks of your program you will also take an elective class.

A wide range of electives (taught in English) are available in the following subject areas:

• Environmental Studies
• Art and Humanities
• Business, Economics and Communication
• Health and Human Development
• History, Politics and International Relations

Our candidates are interested in Spanish immersion and travel abroad. For the duration of your program, you will live with a local Costa Rican family, PLUS, we show you much more of Costa Rica with the amazing excursions and activities included.

WHAT'S INCLUDED?

SUMMER INTENSIVE SPANISH CLASSES

SPANISH LANGUAGE

SPN 101 – Básico 1

This course is an introduction to Spanish for beginners so no previous knowledge of the language is required. Students will develop the basic linguistic skills in order to communicate in common simple situations. The course covers basic grammatical structures, vocabulary, communicative expressions and frequent situations in settings such as restaurants, stores, buses and others. Emphasis is given on understanding, speaking, reading and cross-cultural perspectives. 

SPN 102 – Básico 2

This course is for students who have completed a minimum of 60 contact hours in Spanish studies and already have a command on elementary grammatical tenses. Students will advance on their previous experiential knowledge and further develop their oral, reading, written and listening skills. Students will expand their vocabulary and language usage in order to facilitate interaction with the Costa Rican environment and be able to express themselves in the past.

SPANISH FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS

SPN 141 Basic Spanish for Health Professionals

Designed for the purpose of giving health personnel, who do not have any previous Spanish experience, the tools necessary for interacting with and interviewing simulated Spanish speaking patients. During the four weeks of the course the students will acquire the linguistic knowledge and skills that will permit them to communicate at a basic level with simulated Spanish speaking patients. 

SPN 241 Intermediate Spanish for Health Professionals

SPANISH FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT

SPN 151 Español Básico para Agentes Judiciales y Patrulla Fronteriza (Basic Spanish for Law Enforcement and Border Patrol)

This course is designed for the purpose of giving general law enforcement professionals, who do not have any previous Spanish experience, the tools necessary for interacting with and interviewing simulated Spanish native speakers. During the four weeks of the course the students will acquire the linguistic knowledge and skills that will permit them to communicate at a basic level in simulated situations with Spanish native speakers.

SPN 251 Español Intermedio para Agentes Judiciales y Patrulla Fronteriza (Intermediate Spanish for Law Enforcement and Border Patrol)

This course is designed for law enforcement professionals that have taken a minimum of 100 elective hours of Spanish as a second language. The goal of this course is to deepen the knowledge of law related Spanish and increase the competency of communications in specifically simulated situations with Spanish native speakers.

SPN 351 Español Avanzado para Agentes Judiciales y Patrulla Fronteriza (Advanced Spanish for Law Enforcement and Border Patrol)

This course is designed for law enforcement professionals that have an advanced background in Spanish and who need to improve their linguistic and communicative competency in order to interact with Spanish native speakers and their families.
The goal at the end of this course is to have the student capable of communicating in an effective and fluent form with Spanish native speakers.

COMM 3200 Intercultural Communication and Competence
This course provides an introduction to the field of intercultural communication, enhances the development of intercultural competence (in the course participants and indirectly in their work and intercultural relationships), and explores implications and applications towards shaping one's world view. The course examines theoretical aspects of culture and world view; communicative and intercultural competence; intercultural contact and entry processes; issues of diversity and commonalities among human beings; and implications and applications for work settings and for oneself as a member of multicultural groups.

POL 3220 Migration Issues:  The Costa Rica Case

This class studies the construction of migrants as others, the management of their image by media and elements pertaining human rights and citizenship in the cases immigrants in Costa Rica and opening the possibility to compare the United States as a host country. The objective is to visualize the construction of cultural identities, its effects on the intergroup encounters and societal perspectives on migration.

ELECTIVE COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH

• Environmental Studies
• Arts and Humanities
• Business, Econonics and Communication
• Health and Human Development
• History, Politics and International Relations

ELECTIVE COURSES TAUGHT IN SPANISH

• Literatura y Lingüística

ELECTIVES COURSES TAUGHT IN ENGLISH  (12 WEEK SEMESTERS AND JULY 5 WEEK SESSION)
The university reserves the right to cancel any course for which there is insufficient enrolment (less than 4 students).

ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES  GO TO INDEX

ENV 3005: ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT AND SOCIAL DEVELOPMENT
4 credits (60 hrs)
An introduction to the study of major environmental problems and issues confronting modern society.  Students will examine Ecosystems, population patterns and dynamics; use and misuse of resources; population and environmental quality; environmental citizenship and economic incentives and Costa Rican initiatives in eco-tourism.

ENV 3044: TROPICAL ECOLOGY
4 credits (60 hrs)
Students will learn about the interactions between earth and land and how this interactions or processes affect our life and the stability of the planet. Emphasis will be given to the study of the most relevant tropical ecosystems such as: tropical rain forest, cloud forests, coral reefs and mangroves.

Field trips to selected environments will provide on site examples of some of the issues learned through class work and readings. All field trips are mandatory.

ENV 3120 LAND VERTEBRATES OF COSTA RICA
4 credits (60 hrs)
This course is an introduction to the zoology of terrestrial vertebrates in Costa Rica.  Students will gain insight about various biological characteristics of the groups of land chordates in the country.  Costa Rica has an immensely rich animal biodiversity, with an influence of both North American and South American fauna and is a world-renowned hot spot for animal research and conservation.  Emphasis will be given to the study of Costa Rican species, but others will be discussed as well.

ENV 3190 TROPICAL MARINE BIOLOGY
4 credits (60 hours)
The course studies the balance between ecosystems and human’ stress and demands on the constant changing Marine environment. All field trips are mandatory.  Certified Divers may pay a $100 fee in order to complete 2 immersions in each field trip (4 immersions total).

ENV-3740 Renewable Energies in Costa Rica
4 credits (60 hours)
This course is an introduction to renewable energies and their impact on development and future needs of the planet Earth. Mankind is facing serious natural disasters and events caused by global warming and climate change. These phenomena are related to the population growth and the increase in fossil fuels burning, particularly after the industrial revolution. There is a general concern and interest of societies to change gradually toward the implementation of renewable energies to meet human needs in the future. This course will be focused on Costa Rica’s potential for renewable energies

ENV 4040: ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
4 credits (60 hours)
An introduction to the actual world problems in natural resources management and conservation, and its effects on sustainable development efforts in tropical countries. Current issues that condition the possibility for development such as poverty, global warming, deforestation and potable water will be analyzed.

ART AND HUMANITIES  GO TO INDEX

ARCH 3112: HISTORY OF LATIN AMERICA ARCHITECTURE AND ART
3 credits (48 hours)
A chronological overview of main invents and influences that contributed to the making of past and present architecture in Latin America analyzing the artistic manifestations.

ARCH 3200: TROPICAL ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN
4 credits (60 hours)
The objective is to learn about climatic design in the tropics and develop the skills to analyze a particular geographical situation.  Students will become familiarized with restricted resource usage; the knowledge of land and climate and the rural tradition where domestic construction is passed on from one generation to another.  

ART 2100 ART FUNDAMENTALS: THEORY AND PRACTICE
3 credits (48 hours)
This is course is designed for the beginner to help the student find personal meaning in works of art and develop a better understanding of the nature and validity of art as visual and space language (line, shape, volume, light, space, time, motion, color, and texture). This means that you will learn about the essentials of art through experience and experimentation. Through determination and an open mind, you will increase your creativity and discover more interesting ways to understand and judge the visual arts. Emphasis is on the diversity of form and content in artwork. With willingness to work and an open mind, your experiences in this class will be memorable in a positive way. Upon completion, students should understand the basics of art materials used and have a basic overview of the history of art and how art represents its society, especially, Latin American culture.

ART 1301 BASIC PRINCIPLES OF DRAWING
3 credits (48 hours)
This studio art course introduces basic principles of drawing. The course includes model drawings, landscape drawings and experimental (abstract) drawings. The focus of this course is on the development of expression and observational drawing from still life, a model and landscapes.

CTV-3400 DOCUMENTARY PRODUCTION PROCESS
4 credits (60 contact hours)
The class will focus on the logistical and creative responsibilities of producing a short documentary. Students will work closely with each other, assuming the roles of producers, writers, directors and editors in the process of development and execution of documentaries. Students will learn the primary elements to creating a short documentary and exploit the cultural and environmental elements that filming locations can offer.  The final project involves working collaboratively on producing an engaging documentary that may not exceed 6 minutes screen time.

CTV-3400 AUDIOVISUAL INDUSTRY IN LATIN AMERICA
4 credits (60 contact hours)
This course studies the development of the audiovisual industry in Latin America.  It analyzes where Latin America stands today in the global audiovisual industry and the political, social and economic forces that shaped it.  Students will participate in field trips to visit local production office and will view relevant films and television programs that illustrate the crafting of images and audio to local audiences.

DNCE 2500: INTRODUCTION TO LATIN AMERICAN TROPICAL DANCE
3 credits (48 hours)    
An introduction to technique, rhythm and movement style of Latin American Tropical Dance.  History, anthropology, folklore and songs are part of this experiential course.

HUM 3500- LATIN AMERICAN ART
3 credits (48 hours)    
A survey of Latin American visual arts covering twenty centuries of aesthetic and cultural production: Pre-Columbian, Conquest, Colonial, Baroque, Independence, Modern and Contemporary. We will examine the ways sculpture, painting, and architecture has functioned across a broad spectrum of art history, region, and culture in what are now the Latin American countries.

HUM 3513- ARTS AND HUMANITIES: COSTA RICA COLLOQUIUM
3 credits (48 hours)    
A general survey of the complex heritage and social evolution of Costa Rica, examined through a comprehensive and multidisciplinary view focusing on the historical development and present day dynamics of economy, society, polity, natural resources and culture. Emphases will be placed upon different topics during the course, according to students' backgrounds and expectations.

ETH-3100 SELECTED TOPICS IN AFRO-CARIBBEAN STUDIES
3 credits (48 hrs) (Can also count for ETHN 3100 Selected Topics in Ethnic Studies)
This course examines a particular topic, theme, issue, or problem concerning the Black presence in Costa Rica and Central America.  Sample offerings could include Central America and ethnic politics, history and Culture, Blacks in Central American governments, Contemporary Black literature, History of the Black experience in Costa Rica.

PHIL 3100 COMPARATIVE CLASSICAL PHILOSOPHY
3 credits (48 hours)
An overview of the history and selected concepts in major eastern and western philosophical movements and systems from ancient to the middle age periods. Students will reflect on certain topics such as mind-body, Concept of God, knowledge of self and others, predestination and free will, cause and effect and other fundamental ideas in classical knowledge.

PHOT- 2100 ECOLOGICAL PHOTOGRAPHY
4 credits (60 hours)    
A general knowledge in the reaches and the stages of digital photography. By applying these principles in photographing wildlife, students will develop skills to create clearer images on a given subject.  Students will undertake the task of observing and photographing flora and fauna in its natural environment. The course also studies how to manipulate and arrange images digitally in order to create an effective visual presentation

PHOT- 2130 CULTURAL PHOTOGRAPHY
3 credits (48 hours)    
Practical exercises and field trips students will apply the theoretical information provided in lectures to consciously explore Costa Rican culture. The focus of the projects is the creation of photographic images in black and white.

PHOT- 2600 DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
3 credits (48 hours)    

The course offers a general knowledge in the reaches and the stages of digital photography. Through practice exercises aiming to apply the information provided through lectures, students will be able to consciously create and manipulate digital photographic images.

BUSINESS, ECONOMICS AND COMMUNICATION  GO TO INDEX

COMM 3200: INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION
3 credits (48 hours)    
This course addresses issues of diversity and commonalities amongst human beings, implications and applications according to each situation and professional context.  Students will develop skills for intercultural competence.

ECON 3403- INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL ECONOMICS IN LATIN AMERICA
3 credits (48 hours)
Examines Latin American policies that affect the international economy, with attention to trade barriers, economic nationalism and regionalism, international political economy, exchange market intervention and international transmission of economic perturbations. Pre- Requisite  ECON 1000, or ECON 2010 and 2020.

GEB 3350- INTRODUCTION TO INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS
3 credits (48 hours)
An overview of cultural environment of international business and the institutions which affect business today.  The Latin American perspective with regard to the U.S., Asia and Europe is examined: NAFTA, Merco sur, the EC and other common market areas and agreements.

GEB 3500- ECOTOURISM:  THE COSTA RICA CASE
4 credits (60 hours)
It will offer the chance to analyze this dynamic process from different socio-economic perspectives.  It will discuss the economic importance of ecotourism for the Costa Rican national economy, the stimulation of grassroots, community ecotourism projects, and the role of ecotourism in securing environmental protection.  The advances and limitations of ecotourism will be explored.  

MGMT 3021- LOGISTICS MANAGEMENT
3 credits (48 hrs)
An overview of logistics management areas within the domestic and international contexts.  Examines logistics objectives such as warehousing, inventory control, transportation, import-export logistics, etc.  Emphasis is given on the importance of legal aspects in certain logistics areas.     

MGMT 3030- CREATIVE LEADERSHIP SKILLS
3 credits (48 hrs)
Provides the opportunity to learn about and practice the skills required for managerial excellence.  These skills include leadership, negotiation, conducting performance appraisals, delegation, effective communication, interviewing and making hiring decisions and effective human resource management.

HEALTH AND HUMAN DEVELOPMENT  GO TO INDEX

HIS-3293 COSTA RICAN HEALTH CARE SYSTEM AND TROPICAL MEDICINE
4 credits (60 hours)
Costa Rica´s health care system is unique due to the fact that it´s socialized and has achieved excellent health indicators. The course focuses on the history and development of the public health care system within the context of the Costa Rican sociopolitical and economical situation. It also gives a strong emphasis on how the system actually works and points out not only the strongholds of the systems, but also it´s weak points. A third objective, of fundamental importance in order to understand this system, is the study of Costa Rica as a tropical country.  Students will learn about the prevention and transmission of relevant tropical diseases.

HHD-1020 INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICAL THERAPY
4 credits (60 hours)
This course will introduce basic concepts of human anatomy, an overview of the most common injuries and illnesses that require physical therapy, and an introduction to the different tools and methods used to treat them.  The course will consist of lectures about the theoretical concepts, and also laboratory practice, which will allow the student a hands-on experience of the different techniques given during the lectures.   At the end of the course the student will have general knowledge on various areas of expertise, and on techniques such as massage therapy, electrotherapy, and therapeutic exercises, among others.

PSY-2200 HEALTH PSYCHOLOGY
3 credits (48hours)
The World Health Organization defines health as being “a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”. Based on this definition, the concepts of health and illness have changed.  Nowadays, health care professionals have to tackle the health from a bio-psycho-social concept. For this reason, it is extremely important for health care professionals (doctors, nurses, physiotherapists, just to mention some)   to have general information about Health Psychology, which studies how biology, behavior, and social context influence health and illness.   In this way, health care professionals can have an integral approach to the patients under their treatment.  This will discuss some of the most common topics related with Health Psychology and pertinent to practice in the health care professions.

HISTORY, POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS  GO TO INDEX

HIS 2302 CONTEMPORARY LATINAMERICAN HISTORY
3 credits (48 hours)
This course is a survey of the main events in Latin American History after its independence.  Topics include the historical causes and effects of the independence, some of the main issues on social, economic and political problems and the main historical leaders in modern Latin America.

HIS 3290 COSTA RICAN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
3 credits (48 hours)
This course introduces the outstanding socio-economic and political features that have shaped and defined the history and development path of Costa Rica.

POL 2500 HUMAN RIGHTS IN LATIN AMERICA
3 credits (48 hours)
A particular emphasis will be given to the case of Costa Rica, giving the students an opportunity to explore the development of human rights in the following areas: women’s rights, children’s rights, HIV/AIDS, the CAFTA agreement and labour rights, indigenous groups and human rights, disability and age issues, and the prison environment.    

POL 3100 COSTA RICAN TRADITION: PEACE AND DEMOCRACY
3 credits (48 hours)
The general objective of this course is to discuss, with students, the social, economic and political issues of the process of construction of peace and democracy in Costa Rica and Central America (1948-2005).

POL 3220 MIGRATION ISSUES:  THE COSTA RICA CASE
3 credits (Taught in English)  (48 hours)
This class studies the construction of migrants as others, the management of their image by media and elements pertaining human rights and citizenship in the cases immigrants in Costa Rica and opening the possibility to compare the United States as a host country. The objective is to visualize the construction of cultural identities, its effects on the intergroup encounters and societal perspectives on migration.

POL 3400 WORLD POLITICS AND TERRORISM
3 credits (48 hours)
This course examines the historical and actual events related to international terrorism. The focus is to understand the background of global, regional and local conflicts between various groups and governments. Various topics will be closely followed, like Jihadism, Al Qaeda in 2008 and the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The objective of the course is to promote the interaction of ideas and arguments based on a balanced analysis of the themes. Students participate in various ways: writing essays, internet research assignments, documentary movies, socio-dramas and debating actual topics.

POL 3450 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA
3 credits (48 hrs)
The course will analyze the aspects of the Economic Integration, globalization and conditions for a successful integration between economies and the effects of free trade in the region as well as the effects of protectionism. There will be a special treatment on foreign investments and joint ventures in the Latin America.

POL 3560 INTERNATIONAL POLITICS IN THE MIDDLE EAST
3 credits (48 hours)
This course examines the historical and actual events in The Middle East. The focus is to understand the background of conflicts in Iraq, Lebanon and The Palestinian Territories.
The aftermath of the Middle East Peace conference of December 2007 will be closely followed. The objective of the course is to promote the interaction of ideas and arguments based on a balanced analysis of the themes. Students participate in various ways: writing essays, internet research assignments, documentary movies, socio-dramas and debating actual topics.

POL 3740 ECONOMIC INTEGRATION IN LATIN AMERICA
3 credits (48 hrs)
This course will analyze the beginning of the International Relations in Latin America and the most important historical facts that marked the politics in the region in the current era.  The focus of this course is on the historic background of the region before independence and post independence that helped to consolidate the American hegemony and the insertion of foreign investment, the North American imperialism and the Latin-American resistance.

ELECTIVE COURSES TAUGHT IN SPANISH (12 WEEKS)

LITERATURA Y LINGÜÍSTICA  GO TO INDEX

SPN 3020- LECTURAS SELECTAS DE LA LITERATURA LATINOAMERICANA
3 credits (48 hours)    
Estudio panorámico de autores, corrientes literarias o particularidades de género en  la literatura Latinoamericana.

SPN 3050  FONÉTICA Y FONOLOGIA
3 credits (48 hours)    
En este curso se aprenden métodos y herramientas de la lingüística descriptiva aplicada a la fonética y articulación.  

SPN 3070 INTRODUCCIÓN A LA TRADUCCIÓN
3 credits (48 hours)    
Una introducción a las herramientas teóricas y prácticas para el proceso de traducción del inglés al español.  Los estudiantes aprenderán a hacer traducciones de textos sencillos de complejidad intermedia y avanzada tratando de mantener la mayor fidelidad posible con la intención y estilo del autor.  

SPN 3520  DIALECTOLOGIA LATINOAMERICANA
3 credits (48 hours)    
Este curso explora una perspectiva socio-histórica de la lengua como un aspecto de estudio importante, para comprender el mecanismo lingüístico actual dentro de diferentes contextos sociales de habla.

El enfoque de este curso es analizar la variedad dialectal que se refleja en los diferentes países latinoamericanos mediante rasgos: fonológicos, morfológicos y léxicos que toman en cuenta elementos culturales.  Además, el curso pretende como objetivo primordial conocer y poner en práctica estrategias dialectales para fomentar elementos comunicativos auténticos que enriquezcan el uso del idioma español.

SPN 3560- TOPICOS SELECTOS EN LITERATURA COMPARADA
3 credits (48 hours)    
El curso plantea los fundamentos de poesía, narrativa (cuento corto y noveleta) y drama, que servirá como marco teórico de discusión de textos representativos de esos mismos géneros.  Los textos han sido seleccionados con base en sus recursos para establecer comparaciones, y en el grado de interés que pueden despertar no sólo a estudiantes de literatura, sino a estudiantes de español como lengua extranjera.    

SPN 4110- ESCRITORAS CONTEMPORANEAS COSTARRICENSES
3 credits (48 hours)    
El curso aborda la principal producción literaria femenina en Costa Rica. Se enfoca en el análisis de temáticas presentes en los diferentes textos y su relación con la realidad nacional.  Prereq.   SPN 301

SPN 4330- TOPICOS SELECTOS EN LA LITERATURA ESPAÑOLA
3 credits (48 hours)
Estudio de autores, corrientes literarias o particularidades de género en  la literatura española.

SPN 4390 El CINE Y LA LITERATURA LATINOAMERICANA
3 credits (48 hours)    
Estudio de la producción cinematográfica en relación con la literatura en Latino América. Prereq.   SPN 301

Some ideas of the kinds of excursions and activities available in our Costa Rica program... (Availability is based on various things, including weather, number of candidates who sign up, availability of transportation and more).

Manuel Antonio National Park

It's a National Park on the Central Pacific, and it's one of the most beautiful beaches found in this region of the country. The landscape is composed of white sands and warm waters surrounded by lush vegetation. You can see a variety of Flora and Fauna including white-faced monkeys, sloths, raccoons and many other species of rodents and birds.

Includes: Transportation, accommodations (in a hotel or cabin of your choice) and Breakfast
Departure: Friday
Return: Sunday

Arenal Volcano/ Hot Springs

One of the active volcanoes that can be found in Costa Rica. During the day you can see smoke emanating from the crater. With the dark of night you can see bright red eruptions of lava, which create relaxing hot springs.

Includes: Transportation, lunch, dinner, entrance to hot springs
Departure: 8:00 A.M.
Return: 11:00 P.M.

Canopy Tour

You can either go to Poas or San Lorenzo. This trip is done on ropes amongst the treetops. Appreciate first hand the great biodiversity that nature has to offer. The tours are done with very good equipment and visitors are secured with harnesses and security lines. Go between bridges and platforms 15 meters off the ground or higher, as high as 27 meters.

Includes: Transportation, lunch, entrance, guide
Departure: 7:00 A.M.
Return: 4:00 P.M.

Should you wish to participate in more activities and excursions than what is included in your program, you absolutely can! We make these and more available to you -- all are very worthwhile, guided by a trusted resource -- and the cost typically will be less than you would pay on your own.