Costa Rican Communities

Program Overview

Costa Rica is described as the Switzerland of Central America due to its long democratic history and magnificent terrain. It has emerged as a pioneer of progressive social policies that protect the rights of women and children. In the past decade, it has also become a favorite destination for ecotourism. Less known is its ethnic and racial diversity. The program will explore the impact of transnational migrations on community development and racial/ethnic identity formations. Through instruction and field trips to indigenous, Afro-Caribbean and other immigrant communities, the program will offer you an opportunity to study complex identity formations in a global context. Graduate units are available for this program (CHI 298 and CHI 299).

The home base of the program will be in San Jose, the capital city of the country, where students will attend classes at Catholic University of Costa Rica.   In addition, we will be participating in community volunteer activities geared towards maintaining an ecological balance, despite heavy tourism. In Puerto Viejo de Limon, we will be collaborating on the beach clean-up, which is a new effort created to promote recycling and ecological awareness. In Boruca we will be working with a non-profit that promotes sustainability for the indigenous people of the area. We will learn about permaculture and assist in reforestation efforts.

Student Quotes:

"I learned a lot about migration and globalization.. my favorite thing was learning how to dance like they do here!"— Costa Rican Communities participant 2009.

"I loved Costa Rica and hopefully in the future I'll be able to visit it again. Pura Vida!"—Costa Rican Communities 2008.

Courses

Chicano/a Studies 125S - Latino Families in the Age of Globalization: Migration and Transcultration (4 units).  Impact of globalization on Latino families in the American continent. Relationships of political structure, economics and family. Intimate partner violence, child maltreatment and alcohol/drug abuse in contemporary Latino families. Offered in a Spanish speaking country. (This course is taught in English).

AND

Chicano/a Studies 198 - Directed Group Study (4 units). P/NP grading only.

For full course descriptions of CHI 125S and 198, including any prerequisites, view the UC Davis General Catalog. Note: in many cases the prerequisites are waived by consent of instructor. For more information on prerequisites for UC Davis courses, visit the Academics section of the Summer Abroad website.