Programs Description / Human Rights, Society, and Development in Latin America

This program offers students the possibility to acquire in-depth knowledge on human rights and their relationship with human development while living and studying in Costa Rica. Gender issues, social cohesion, and the dichotomy of exclusion and inclusion are also examined, adopting a developmental approach. In addition, the effort to strengthen democracy, as well as the impact on development of Latin America’s relationship with the outside world is analyzed. By means of applied theory, policy discussion, and field trips students enhance their understanding of Latin American reality and the challenges that the countries of the region face to secure sustainability and equality in their development processes.

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.

DEVELOPMENT IN LATIN AMERICA FROM A GENDER PERSPECTIVE

The aim of this course is to provide students with an in-depth understanding of the links between gender and development, and to show how equal relations between women and men are both, an end and a means of development. The focus is on the implications of gender and development theory for policy and practice, and the need to work on the creation of a more egalitarian society. The analysis is grounded on Latin America but looks into domestic approaches and policies as well as trends in the international arena, fundamental in today’s globalized scenario.

HUMAN RIGHTS IN LATIN AMERICA: A DEVELOPMENTAL APPROACH

This course is aimed at providing students with a profound understanding of the essence of Human Rights, both by analyzing their moral and political grounding, as well as the legal mechanisms in place for their protection at domestic and international levels. The relation between human rights and human development is the main focus that guides the progression of the concepts studied. The first part of the course introduces students to the basic concepts of human rights, their philosophical foundations and historical evolution, including the generational approach. The International Bill of Human Rights is reviewed, and the legal and political implications of cultural relativism discussed. In addition, institutionalized mechanisms for human rights protection are studied, starting with national institutions (the Constitutional Court and the Ombudsman’s Office), moving on to the regional mechanisms (Inter-American Human Rights System), and concluding with the international system (that of the United Nations). The second part of the course focuses on some of the main populations in situations of vulnerability: women, children, indigenous peoples, and migrants. The specific human rights of these groups will be reviewed as well as current efforts to provide them with special protection.

POLITICS AND DEMOCRACY IN LATIN AMERICA

This course explores Latin American politics, economics and society both, from a historical and contemporary perspective, with the idea of showing the links between an unstable past and an uncertain future, as well as their effects of this history on democracy. The course is mainly focused on how the historical tendencies in Latin American nations have shaped the changing relations between the state, the economy and society in an attempt to understand different challenges to the political order and democracy in Latin America. The Latin American region has an important historical relation with the United States, thus, one section of the course will examine the political, and economical relations between the United States and Latin American countries, including the main historical trends that help explain cycles of neglect and intervention.

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