February 17, 2005
INFORMATION: John McElwain or John Green, (661) 362-3494 or 3684
Spanish Institute to Travel to Costa Rica, Nicaragua
SANTA CLARITA -- College of the Canyons’ popular one-week Spanish Language Institute, to be held this July, will include a study abroad element in Central America. The travel is designed to bring relevance and context to what is taught in the classroom. During the study trip, students will practice their language skills, receive hands-on experience learning about the cultures, geography and biology of the areas and learn about the history of both countries from pre-Columbian times to the present.
The one-week, on-campus, language and culture segment of the course will be held from July 25-29, and the travel segment will be from July 30-Aug. 11. The college’s fall semester will begin on Monday, Aug. 15.
Students attending both sessions can earn up to 12 units of college credit in biology, history and Spanish. It is possible to attend either one or both sessions earning varying amounts of credit. The first week of the Spanish Institute will involve enrollment fees of $26 per unit, and the travel segment will cost approximately $1,845, plus enrollment fees. The $1,845 covers round-trip air transportation from Los Angeles to Nicaragua and from Costa Rica to Los Angeles; 11 nights in a first-class hotel; most meals; round-trip bus transfers; San Jose city tour; Managua city tour; a half-day tour of Sarchi Pueblo; a half-day tour of Cartago, Costa Rica’s old Capital; full-day excursion to Poas volcano; study excursion to lake Nicaragua in Granada; study field trip to the Tortuguero in the Caribean; and more. Most service charges and taxes are included.
“This is an outstanding opportunity for students and community members to experience the richness of two countries in Central America,” said Claudia Acosta, a native of Nicaragua and chair of the Foreign Languages Department. “The educational elements of the trip provided by biologist Miriam Golbert and history professor Brad Reynolds will provide students a perspective about both countries that few vacationers experience,” said Acosta. “While the countries we will visit have a similar biodiversity,” stressed Acosta, “they are countries of great contrast politically, economically and socially.
Golbert will provide students with a unique look at contemporary issues in environmental biology in Costa Rica and Nicaragua and help students to understand conservation and biological diversity in Central America. She is an associate professor of biology at College of the Canyons and holds a master’s degree in cellular and molecular biology, as well as a doctorate in education.
Reynolds is chair of the history department at College of the Canyons and is a specialist in U.S., Caribbean and Central American history. He earned his Ph.D. in history from USC and will instruct on the history, customs, economic and political development of Central America and Latin America.
An information meeting will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday, March 1 in the College of the Canyons Library for anyone wishing to learn more about the college’s Intensive Spanish Institute and educational travel trip to Central America.
The meeting will be conducted by Acosta and is designed to provide in-depth information about both on-campus and travel aspects of the institute. The educational elements will be discussed by Acosta, Golbert and Reynolds. All will be on hand to answer questions at the meeting. Community members are encouraged to consider taking the Intensive Spanish course on campus, as well as the travel segment.
This travel program is one of many that College of the Canyons offers, and it recognizes the growing trend in adding these kinds of experiences to college curricula nationwide.
For more information on this program, contact Acosta at (661) 362-3530 or by e-mail at claudia.acosta@canyons.edu.
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