The Program

This exciting program gives you the opportunity to experience life both in Bagaces, Costa Rica and Granada, Nicaragua. You will improve your Spanish language capabilities, and you will apply those skills immediately with your host families and through community involvement. You'll also have the unique opportunity to learn about Latin American culture through both classroom studies and interactive experiences in both urban and rural settings.

The program includes academic fieldtrips and service learning projects to introduce you to a few of the many faces of Central America. These will include a fieldtrip to San José, the capital city of Costa Rica. While there, you will visit sites such as museums and biological sites.

Location

You will begin your adventures in Bagaces, Costa Rica (population 10,000). Bagaces is known as the Cantón Ecólogico (ecological county) of Guanacaste. Centrally located in the province, it is less than an hour from active volcanoes and beaches.

After six weeks, you will move to Granada, Nicaragua, the oldest colonial city in continental America, founded in 1524. It sits on the shores of Lake Nicaragua and has retained much of its historic architecture.

Courses

This 15 week academic program has three distinct parts. You will participate in all three.

Part One (weeks 1-6) and Part Three (weeks 9-14):
Spanish courses will start in week 1 of Part One and continue in Part Three. In the Spanish courses, you will cover the equivalent of 2 semesters of language materials, continuing from your current level. Spanish credit will be granted for: Span 101, 102, 201, 202, 301, 302, 367, or 405.

Courses taught in English, with a Latin American Studies focus will also take place during Part One & Part Three. You will take History & Civilization of Central America (UWEC's History 411) and Race, Ethnicity & Social Class (UWEC's Sociology 314).

Part Two (Weeks 7-8):  Community Project
Students will spend 2 weeks on a community service project and live with host families. You will work on a very hands-on project identified by community leaders as having value to the residents. No academic credit is awarded, however the project fulfills the UW-Eau Claire service learning requirement.

Where Will I Live?

Both in Bagaces and in Granada, you will live with local families. Students on past programs in Costa Rica have rated their host family experiences as one of the most valuable parts of the entire program.


Academic Calendar

This fall program begins in late August and ends in mid-December. Exact dates are available the semester prior to departure.

Expenses

The estimated Fall 2009 Wisconsin resident fee cost is $7,225. This includes UW-Eau Claire tuition, fees, room, board, instructional materials, required field trips, CISI insurance and administrative fees. Minnesota residents may apply for reciprocity; residents of other states add $900 non-resident fees.

Additional costs: passport, airport departure tax, personal expenses, local transportation, and airfare. Estimate another $2,000 for these expenses. 

Total Wisconsin resident estimated cost for the semester is $9,225. Cost estimates may change at any time.

Financial Aid/Scholarships

If you qualify for financial aid, you can apply your aid to program costs. Your financial aid package will be based on actual costs in your host countries, including the cost of round-trip airfare. You  can learn about additional options, including a study abroad grant through the UW-Eau Claire Foundation;   a Wisconsin Grant for Study Abroad and scholarships for specific majors and national study abroad scholarships at http://uwec.edu/CIE/sac/finaid.htm.

Eligibility

This program is open to all academically eligible undergraduate students. You must be in good academic standing and have a cumulative resident GPA of 2.8 or higher. Although you may apply as a freshman, you need to be at the sophomore level or above at the time of departure. No prior Spanish language study is required.

Application Deadline

Applications for Fall 2009 are accepted beginning September 2, 2008.  The priority application deadline for Fall 2009 is November 17, 2008.

Complete applications will be reviewed after this date. Late applications will be considered if space on the program is still available. Please contact the Center for International Education to find out if spaces are available before submitting a late application. No applications will be accepted after January 30, 2009 for Fall 2009.

You can download an application at online applications, or stop by to pick up an application in the Center for International Education.

Comments

My experience was fantastic. The host families welcome you with open arms. The coursework is insightful and helped me understand the cultures I was immersed in. The teachers and program directors go above and beyond to help in any way they can. The service learning project is unbelievable. The program was life-changing for me! Ashley, past participant

It has been a rollercoaster of emotions. I have met and made connections with people in two very different countries. The service project was an amazing experience; the people in the community of El Fortin touched our lives and we touched theirs in a way I never thought possible in such a sort period of time. Meghan, past participant

Why study in only one country, when in the same amount of time you can grow to love two? The Bagaces/Granada program has taught me lessons about poverty, the importance of family and the excitement of learning a language like I could’ve never imagined. If you are ready to wake up everyday to an adventure of rainforests, the ocean, Spanish and amazing friends, then this program is the way to spend one semester of your college career. Sarah, past participant

This program taught me more about life than I ever could have thought. The first hand experience is so much more than any textbook could have taught me. Megan, past participant

The people we encountered throughout this program have affected me in such a way that I will never see life in los EEUU the same. They will always be in my heart. It’s such a special program … it forced me to confront myself on world issues that I had learned about yet not experienced, and I’d like to think I’ve become a better person because of it. Jennifer, past participant

My experience in Costa Rica and Nicaragua was incredible. I grew as a person in everyway possible. I took adventures that I couldn’t have imagined myself doing before the trip. It really challenges your limits and opens your eyes to a whole new sometimes beautiful, and sometimes not so beautiful world that is Central America. Katie, past participant

Have you ever been on a magical rollercoaster that passes through beautiful people’s lives? That’s what this trip reminds me of, because the vegetation is lush and the people are gorgeous, inside and out. Also, I say rollercoaster because you go through a lot of changes. You have to be a person that can acclimate easily to different situations. Overall I have never met so many loving people and felt so at peace with myself. Jade, past participant

The decision to come on this study abroad semester has been one of the best decisions I could have ever made. I have been stretched and challenged to step out of my comfort zone time and time again. I have been able to grow as a person so much as my mind has been opened to so many things. Academically it is challenging, but it has been more than worth it, and I feel like I have learned a hundred times more in this semester abroad than I could have learned in any one given semester. My mind has been opened up so much…academically, culturally, and individually. I have been able to live with several families who came to mean so much more to me than I ever could have imagined…the relationships I have formed are amazing…both in the study abroad group and in the host countries. To top it all off, we have the most amazing directors who aren’t just directors but friends, caretakers, teachers and fountains of knowledge about customs and culture. I have absolutely no regrets and I would do it all over again if I could…this has been the time of my life…who ever thought learning could be this fun! Ashley, past participant

Additional Information

For more information and an application, contact:

Center for International Education
Schofield 111
UW-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, WI   54702-4004

Phone: (715) 836-4411
Fax: (715) 836-4948
Email: studyabroad@uwec.edu
Internet address:  http://www.uwec.edu/CIE