Spanish Language Immersion in Alajuela, Costa Rica

Program Overview | Course(s) | Beyond the Classroom | Payment Information | Application Deadline | Requirements | Contact

Program Overview

This immersion program provides students with the opportunity to explore the rich culture and language of beautiful Costa Rica. Through this unique cross-cultural experience, students will live with local host families and enroll in Spanish language classes.

Classes take place at Instituto de Cultura y Lengua Costarricense (ICLC), a private Spanish language institute, specializing in teaching Spanish to non-native speakers. The ecological campus is located in Alajuela, 10 miles west of the Costa Rican capital of San José This is an academic program open to SDSU students and the general public.

The Summer 2013 application is now closed.

Please contact Chris Brown to submit a late application.

Courses

All participants will register for a minimum of four units of SDSU credit. Participants enrolling in a three unit course are also required to register in one unit of 299 or 499 Special Study. Classes are held daily, are taught by faculty from ICLC and focus on vocabulary, grammar, and conversation. Instruction is offered at various levels and participants will be placed according to proficiency.

• SPAN 201: Intermediate Spanish I (4 units)
• SPAN 202: Intermediate Spanish II (4 units)
• SPAN 211: Intermediate Conversation & Reading (3 units)
• SPAN 212: Intermediate Conversation & Writing (3 units)
• SPAN 281: Intermediate Spanish for U.S. Hispanics (3 units)
• SPAN 282: Intermediate Spanish for U.S. Hispanics (3 units)
• SPAN 299: Special Study (1 unit)
• SPAN 301: Advanced Conversation & Reading (3 units)
• SPAN 302: Advanced Conversation & Writing (3 units)
• SPAN 341: Spanish American Civilization (3 units)*
• SPAN 350: Advanced Grammar (3 units)**
• SPAN 381: Advanced Spanish for Spanish Speakers (3 units)
• SPAN 499: Special Study (1 unit)

*Course requires textbook to be purchased before departure: Loprete, C. (2001). Iberoamérica: Historia de su civilización y cultura. (4ta ed.). Prentice Hall.
**Course requires textbook to be purchased before departure: Dominicis, M. y Reynolds, J. (2011). Repase y escriba: Curso avanzado de gramática y composicion. VI Ed. Wiley, NY.

Beyond the Classroom

This is a home-stay program and all participants will live with a Spanish speaking family. The home stay experience facilitates immersion into everyday life and helps improve conversational skills. ICLC selects all home stays and makes all placement arrangements. Breakfasts, dinners and weekly laundry service are provided. Participants will have their own room, their own key and are free to come and go within the framework of the home stay rules. Participants will be met at the airport (SJO: Juan Santamaría International Airport) by their host family.

Activities
ICLC offers a variety of extracurricular activities on a regular basis. These activities may include visits to museums and the local zoos, local supermarket, theatrical performances, lectures etc. Students will cover expenses of public transportation and entrance fees.

Payment Information

Included in the Fee

• Tuition: Four or six units of SDSU resident credit
• Airport pickup
• Home Stay
• Breakfasts and dinners
• Weekly laundry service
• International health insurance
• Some excursions
• Pre-departure orientation

NOT Included in the Fee

• Airfare
• Lunches
• Travel/Trip cancellation insurance (recommended)
• Transportation to and from school
• Transportation to Juan Santamaría International Airport on departure date
• Optional tours and activities

The College of Extended Studies does not accept responsibility for any changes to program activities. If minimum enrollment is not achieved, the program may be cancelled.

Application Deadline

Summer: March 15 | Winter: October 15

Applications are accepted on a space-available basis.

Requirements

Admission and Prerequisites

• Open to SDSU students, students at other colleges and universities and the general public.
• SDSU students must be in good academic standing and have completed SPAN 102 or academic equivalent
• Minimum age to participate is 18.

Pre-departure Meeting
All participants must complete a mandatory pre-departure orientation. Details will be sent after acceptance into the program.

Airfare
Participants are responsible for making their own travel arrangements as airfare is not included in the program price. In the event the program is cancelled, the College of Extended Studies does not accept responsibility for any airfare cancellation fees incurred.

Passport/Entry Exit Requirements
U.S. citizens must travel with a valid passport that will not expire for at least three months after arrival and a roundtrip/outbound ticket.

Contact

A faculty member from SDSU's Department of Spanish and Portuguese will accompany the group and serve as instructor of record. For questions about course approvals please contact:
SDSU Department of Spanish and Portuguese
Phone: (619) 594-6588

For questions about payments, registration, and insurance requirements please contact:
Chris Brown
College of Extended Studies
Phone: (619) 594-0787
Email: travel.program@sdsu.edu