Programs Description / Environment, Sustainability, and Development in Latin America

This program explores the challenges that Latin American countries face to secure the sustainability of their development. The concept of sustainability adopted for this program is multidimensional, and the relationships of the non-environmental dimensions (i.e., economic, social, political and cultural) to the environment are analyzed. The spatial aspect of development is also studied, as well as the impact of tourism on conservation and local development. The use of case studies, policy discussion and field trips enable students to assess the efforts carried out by different stakeholders in the quest for sustainability and development in Latin America.

The program consist in 4 topical courses and a Spanish language course plus two optional courses taught 100% in Spanish to choose from: Latinoamérica a través del cine & Literatura Centroamericana. For more information about ICDS NEW course options in SPANISH & ENGLISH
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HUMAN DEVELOPMENT AND SOCIETY IN LATIN AMERICA

This course provides students with theoretical and practical knowledge as well as analytical tools to enable them to understand the complexities of development, its challenges and the set of policies and programs that could be implemented to secure the sustainability of the development process in Latin America. That sustainability is studied adopting a multidimensional approach, based, in part, on the work of United Nations, the World Bank and the Inter-American Development Bank. Social policies as well as sectorial ones (i.e., health, education, social security, employment and housing) are reviewed and thru seminars, students have the opportunity to participate in policy discussion. The role of the State and that of different stakeholders is looked into to broaden the scope for policy design and implementation. Last but not least, the vulnerability of certain groups (e.g., indigenous, Afro-Latin Americans, women, youth, people with disability and migrants) in Latin America is analyzed as well as their forms of exclusion and their survival strategies.

CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES IN LATIN AMERICA

This course enables students to understand the most relevant issues and challenges of sustainability in Latin America. To this end, case studies and examples are used as a base for policy discussion. In addition, a practical approach to the environmental green, blue, gray and brown agendas and cross-cutting critical topics (energy, climate change and land-use systems) constitute the mainstay of the course. The course has been structured under the following three main headings: (a) context, important values and principles; (b) threats and sources of threats; and (c) strategies to improve status.

RURAL AND URBAN SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT: GLOBAL AND LOCAL PERSPECTIVES

This course focuses on rural and urban development in Latin America. It highlights the most important characteristics of sustainable development and charts the evolution of urban and rural development policies and processes in the region. The course provides analytical tools for the students to understand some of the area’s success and failure stories in terms of sustainable development and their impacts on the environment and living conditions of local populations in rural and urban areas.

SUSTAINABLE TOURISM AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT

Sustainable tourism refers to nature-based tourism involving education and understanding of the natural environment and its relationship to local communities, managed so as to be ecologically, socially, and economically sustainable. The course is enriched by Costa Rica’s, as well other Latin American. countries’ experience in tourism and ecotourism. The course will be given in a seminar form, and will be complemented by guest speakers, tutorials, and field trips that are designed to provide an overview of ecotourism.

SPANISH LANGUAGE COURSES

During the first week of classes, students will complete a Spanish placement exam, according to which they will be placed in the appropriate level Spanish class. Descriptions of the three course levels most commonly taught through ICDS are below. For more detailed information in Spanish, see Appendix.

This course introduces the student to the Spanish language, therefore previous knowledge is not necessary, though some previous exposure would be helpful. The student will develop a basic linguistic capacity to navigate simple daily situations. Also, the student will develop the vocabulary and appropriate expressions to communicate with friends and family and interact in different situations such as restaurants, stores, buses, and the bank.
Intensity: 60 hours, 4 hours per week

Upon finishing the course, the student will be able to:

• Produce the sounds and patterns of intonation of the Spanish language.
• Write sentences and short paragraphs.
• Understand simple readings on a variety of topics.
• Know about relevant aspects of Latin culture.

• Greet and introduce him/herself properly
• Use pronouns correctly
• Acquire basic vocabulary for oral and written communication
• Use the verbs ser, estar, tener, haber, and hacer correctly
• Conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the present indicative
• Correctly use the simple preterite and the imperfect indicative
• Use the imperative appropriately
• Express likes/dislikes and opinions

This course is directed to foreign students who need to acquire quickly and efficiently oral and written competence in the Spanish language.
Intensity: 60 hours 4 hours per week

Upon finishing the course, the student will be able to:

• Use the basic grammatical structures of Spanish in real conversational contexts
• Write more complex sentences and paragraphs
• Understand reading on various topics
• Learn about the Latin culture

• Conjugate regular and irregular verbs in the present indicative
• Understand and use appropriately the differences between simple past and the imperfect tenses and the compound indicative tenses
• Use prepositions correctly
• Use the present and imperfect subjunctives correctly

This course is for foreign students who want to develop expertise in the use of the Spanish language as well as more fluent and precise oral and written communication. The course will be based around topics of interest that the group will propose.
Intensity: 60 hours 4 hours per week.

Upon completing the course, the student will be able to:

• Communicate effectively
• Understand and interpret written and oral messages
• Strengthen intonation and pronunciation of the Spanish language
• Learn about relevant aspects of Latin American and specifically Costa Rican cultures

• Use verb tenses correctly
• Put into practice complex syntax constructions
• Write appropriately and with good spelling
• Acquire and practice orally and written the vocabulary of the chosen topics
• Reach fluency and confidence in the use of the language