Spanish in Costa Rica

Spanish in Costa Rica

Guanacaste, Costa Rica

Academics
Academics
Location
Location
Housing
Housing
Links of Interest
Links of Interest

Program Facts

Program Type: UA Faculty-led

Credit Type: UA Direct Credit

Level of Study: Undergraduate

GPA: 2.5

Class Eligibility: Graduate , Junior , Senior , Sophomore

Language of Instruction: Spanish

Program Open To: UA and Non-UA Students

Coordinator: David Wray

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Explore Spanish in Costa Rica

Arizona in Costa Rica is an intensive Spanish language immersion program in one of the most beautiful countries in the world. By the end of the program, students will fully understand the meaning of "Pura Vida," the Costa Rican national phrase.

Tentative 2024 dates: June 2 - July 6 (Summer Session 1), June 29 - August 2 (Summer Session 2)

The program's tentative dates may help you organize your upcoming summer plans. However, please do not buy your airline tickets until you have received instructions from UA Study Abroad.

This 5-week program consists of classroom instruction provided by local faculty from 9:00 am to 1:00 p.m. (Monday through Friday).  Excursions to areas of special interest in Costa Rica are also included. Students stay with local families and may be able to live in hotels or apartments depending on availability.

Students can choose 2 courses from below (6 units total) (Honors sections available):

SPAN 205: Intensive Spanish; the equivalent of 101 and 102 (4 units)
SPAN 206: Intensive Spanish; the equivalent of 201 and 202 (4 units)
SPAN 251: Intermediate Spanish (3 units)
SPAN 297: Spanish Workshop (2-3 units)
SPAN 330: Intermediate Conversation (3 units) - Faculty Approval Required*
SPAN 350: Readings in Literary Genres (3 units) - Faculty Approval Required*
SPAN 431: Issues in Spanish American Culture (3 units) - Faculty Approval Required*
SPAN 449B: Topics in Latin American Literature and Cultural Studies (3 units) - Faculty Approval Required*
 

FACULTY: The University of Arizona's Department of Spanish and Portuguese sends a rotating faculty member to accompany the students and acts as an on-site program director. Courses are taught by highly-qualified local professors and faculty from the University of Arizona. The directors and faculty bring to the program years of experience in teaching and research in the area of second language acquisition.

Faculty for Summer 2024: Professor Eliud Chuffe

*To get faculty approval, please make an appointment to see Prof. Yadira Berigan using this link:  http://student.trellis.arizona.edu/

Guancaste, Costa Rica

Good To Know

LGBTQ+ Equality Index rating: Costa Rica rates 71/100 (with 100 being the most equal) on Equaldex’s LGBTQ+ Equality Index.

Global Peace Index rating: Costa Rica ranks 39/163 in the Global Peace Index. The lower the score, the more peaceful the country.

Languages Spoken: Spanish

Students will have the opportunity to practice the Spanish language principles learned in class and immerse themselves in Costa Rican culture while being housed in homestays with local families.

UA Department of Spanish and Portuguese 

UA Dept of Spanish and Portuguese - AZ in Costa Rica program page

Video - Student Testimony

College of Humanities Scholarships

Gilman Scholarship (for Pell Grant recipients)

Term: Summer
Application Deadline: February 25
Start Date: June 2 (Summer Session 1), June 29 (Summer Session 2)
End Date: July 6 (Summer Session 1), August 2 (Summer Session 2)
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Study Abroad Students

Anna Petronella

"As an art student, I wanted to be in a city that was surrounded by art and there is no better place for this than Florence, the birthplace of the Renaissance."

Anna Petronella
Santa Reparata International School of Art
Florence, Italy
Bryn Sharp

"Study abroad helped me identify my deepest passions in the field of Latin American Studies – urban development and environmental protection – and develop the application of photography to these subjects."

Bryn Sharp
Arizona in Viña del Mar
Viña del Mar, Chile
Christy Fierros

"If there's a program that really speaks to you, do it! Traveling abroad gives you a greater sense of your place in the world."

Christy Fierros
Climate Justice
Longo Mai, Costa Rica
Edward Monteverde Jr.

"I chose the Research in Munich study abroad program because it had a great balance of traveling throughout Europe and gaining technical knowledge and experience in the engineering field."

Edward Monteverde Jr.
Research in Munich
Munich, Germany
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