Description

A country of ecological diversity, with an enviable system of national parks, along with the longest uninterrupted history of democracy in Latin America, Costa Rica has consistently met the challenges of modern development with a preference for peace and pragmatism. With a fabulous but also fragile and complicated geography, varying from beautiful beaches along both its coastlines to tropical rain forests and green mountains in the interior, Costa Rica is faced with the struggle to protect its biodiversity from rapidly advancing deforestation, while at the same time promoting economic development. The resulting economic boom in tourism, along with investments in infrastructure, education, and health care, have helped place the country at or near the top of human development rankings in Latin America. Today, Costa Rica continues to address the underlying contradictions of sustainable development in Central America, weighing new economic opportunities in tourism, pineapple, and high tech industries against the need to protect the country's status as a gem of neotropical biodiversity.

The spring ACM Costa Rica program has given students a privileged window onto these developments since the program's founding in 1964. Based in San Jose, only blocks away from the Universidad de Costa Rica, the program takes full advantage of the resources and scholars of that institution, while reaching out to local and international NGOs and investigators throughout the country to facilitate student research in science and the humanities. Students may choose from two program options:

* Full spring semester - This traditional semester-long option runs from January-May.
* Spring trimester option - This option (from April-June) is ideal for students at schools not using a semester calendar.

Students spend a month in San Jose at the beginning and end of the program to polish their Spanish and their research plans, and to analyze their data and write their final papers. In the middle of the program, students fan out to the four corners of the country (and its mountains, and two coastlines) to carry out independent field research under the supervision of an advisor with experience and contacts in the student's chosen field. Students with urban interests or whose data is best gathered in the capital city may remain in San Jose. Students on the full spring semester program will spend approximately two months working on their research project, while students on the spring trimester option will spend one month doing research.

During the program, students live with host families both in San Jose and wherever their research takes them in March and April. In addition to the cultural and linguistic immersion that comes from the homestay, the ACM typically arranges excursions, to give students a sense of Costa Rica's geographic and biological diversity and to familiarize them with San Jose itself. Throughout the semester, a variety of guest speakers are invited to help students understand the larger cultural context in which they carry out their research.

Highlights

*Academics*

Learning objectives

The spring ACM Costa Rica: Field Research in the Environment, Social Sciences, & the Humanities program provides students first-hand experience with field study and develops the skills for successful research and inquiry.

The learning goals of the program are:

* To develop students skills in designing and carrying out independent, in-depth research in Costa Rica in their major fields, whether the natural or social sciences or the humanities;
* To enhance their Spanish language proficiency to a level sufficient for independent research and daily communication, and for reading Spanish language materials in their major fields;
* To develop students understanding of the Costa Rican cultural norms and their impact on both day-to-day interactions and research practices; and
* To build students confidence and independence in managing unfamiliar situations.

In addition to a Spanish language requirement (two years or more), students are expected to come into the program having begun work in their major and having some background in research methodologies in their major field. Under the supervision of Costa Rican specialists and scholars, students draw upon local resources and their own previous coursework to undertake a significant research project. The quality and level of this research often provides a strong foundation for a senior thesis or other advanced work. Coursework, in which students refine their research proposals, advance their Spanish language skills, and learn about research methods, prepares students during the first part of the semester for the field study during the balance of the program.

When students return to their home campus after the spring Costa Rica program, they should have substantially improved language skills, significant field research findings, and a completed project that can become a senior thesis or other advanced project appropriate to their field of study.

*Academic overview*

Students take one course combining Spanish language skills and an introduction to Costa Rican culture. Students then develop their field research proposals independently with their research advisor.

FULL SEMESTER PROGRAM

Students who choose the traditional full semester program will be in Costa Rica from late January through May. They will spend two months in the field working on their research project, with a month back in San José at the end of the semester.

SPRING TRIMESTER OPTION

Students who choose the spring trimester option will be in Costa Rica from early April through mid-June. They will spend just one month in the field working on their research project, with three weeks back in San José at the end of the program. This option can be be an attractive one for students from schools not on a traditional semester calendar, since they may be able to be on-campus for their winter trimester/term, before going to Costa Rica for their spring trimester/term.

*Language requirement*

Second-year level college coursework in Spanish, taken in the year prior to the start of the program, is recommended. A student is expected to have a level of Spanish proficiency appropriate for his/her proposed research project. Projects which involve personal interviews will typically require higher-level Spanish language skills than some other types of research projects. 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.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

Cost in US$:

Inquire for more information

Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

Worldwide Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Home-stays

Typically Participants Work

Independently or in Groups of 25

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

2-3 weeks after deadline has passed

ACM - Associated Colleges of the Midwest's Mission Statement

The Associated Colleges of the Midwest, a consortium of residential liberal arts colleges, aims to strengthen its member colleges as leaders, and exemplars, in liberal arts education through significant, innovative, and sustainable collaborations. One key component of ACM is to provide exemplary liberal arts learning through a wide variety of off-campus study programs. Almost all of ACM's off-campus study programs around the world are open to students from any college or university.

Year Founded

1958