ICDS, jointly with Universidad Latina de Costa Rica, offers students the opportunity to build their own semester according to their interests and academic needs. Choose from a variety of courses related to sustainable development and social justice including the environment, politics, and human rights. The goal of this program is to help students acquire an in-depth knowledge of these topics and develop cultural awareness through exposure and immersion into the Costa Rican way of life.
In addition to traditional course work at Universidad Latina, students will reflect on their personal experiences, participate in group discussion, and explore themes of sustainability outside of the four walls of the classroom. Through organized field trips, daily life in San Jose, planned cultural activities, the homestay program, and the service-learning component of community work, students will have the opportunity to interact with locals, engage with the culture, and experience the pura vida lifestyle that the world has come to know and love of Costa Rica.
The service-learning core course contains weekly sessions of community service in and around the greater San Jose area. ICDS was founded on the principle of creating global citizens and maintains a large network of community and non-profit partnerships to allow students a window into the real lives of Costa Rica- a window to learn, and a window to help. Each student is individually matched to a community work site that aligns with their experience, career interest, and Spanish language level. Connecting with some of our at-risk populations or engaging with innovative sustainability projects is an important element of the ICDS curriculum that allows students to connect to the community on a deeper level.
Costa Rica is home to one of the most diverse populations in Latin America and an unlimited number of cultural and ecological sites that students can see while studying with ICDS. With San Jose as students’ home base, and the main hub of travel in Costa Rica, many of the most iconic beaches, volcanoes, and waterfalls are easily accessible for day or weekend trips.