Description

Based on the applied research undertaken by the International Center for Development Studies (ICDS) and the practical expertise of its faculty, ICDS Spring semester program "Spanish, Social Justice and Sustainable Development in Latin America" gives participants the chance to understand the main challenges that Latin America countries face to secure the sustainability of their development processes. Special emphasis is given to human rights and social justice.

The different forms of exclusion, as well as policies and programs that could be implemented to fight poverty and create conditions for sustainable livelihoods and inclusiveness are analyzed. The spatial aspect of development is also included, along with the impact of tourism on conservation and local development. These aspects are covered through five courses, three of which participants may select out of an array of six courses, including two taught completely in Spanish.

The bilingual character of this program, along with the homestays with Costa Rican families, offers students an excellent opportunity for complete language and cultural immersion, thus helping them improve their Spanish language skills and furthering their knowledge of Latin American culture and current sustainable development issues.

The courses offered are:
- Human Development and Society in Latin America (required)
- Spanish Language (required)
- Development in Latin America from a Gender Perspective (elective)
- Human Rights in Latin America: A Developmental Approach (elective)
- Current Environmental Issues in Latin America (elective)
- Sustainable Tourism and Local Development (elective)
- Central American Literature (taught in Spanish) (elective)
- Latin America: A Mirror of Reality through Film (taught in Spanish) (elective)

Homestays are one of the most important parts of a student's experience, facilitating immersion in and adaptation to the new culture and language, and helping students to integrate into local society. In order to assure students will have a great experience with their host families, ICDS has a Homestay Coordinator with a great deal of experience in the selection of host families and the placement of students with an appropriate host family, according to what the student has indicated as his/her preferences in the housing application.

ICDS also offers many service-learning, volunteer, internship and research opportunities to give ICDS students the chance to put into practice what they learn in the classroom and to use their Spanish skills, to be involved with leading practitioners in the field, and to contribute to the efforts for sustainable human development in Costa Rica. To learn more about these opportunities, please download the attached PDF.

ICDS student services include on-site orientation, arrival and departure transportation, a counselor on staff, assistance with student visas, healthcare recommendations, a PO box mailing address, and full student services at Universidad Latina, where classes are held, including access to computer labs and a ULatina student ID. ICDS is a very small organization and is therefore able to provide students with personalized attention for anything that comes up!