Our Education Abroad Programs

This winter-term program in Argentina is an opportunity to earn 6 credits that satisfy requirements for the Spanish major and minor. Course offerings: SPN 341 taken in conjunction with SPN 317 enables students to improve oral proficiency, language skills, and foster cultural awareness. Students also explore business concepts and practices pertaining to several key industries involved in Argentina’s economy, such as tourism and agriculture. Outside of the classroom, students experience Argentinian life, via living with host families and engaging with the community through cultural events and excursions. This program is unique as it travels to various locations throughout Argentina and home stays are arranged and planned by the director — not involving a third-party provider. This allows for flexibility to create a once-in-a-lifetime experience abroad.

Integrating Spanish and Health aspires for students to make comparisons and critically reflect upon healthcare practices. This involves the institutional delivery of healthcare in both the United States and Costa Rica. Students will live with host families in Heredia, a city in Costa Rica, for thirteen days. During that time, students will learn about the healthcare system in Costa Rica, interact with and observe healthcare professionals as they work with patients, learn about longevity in the Blue Zone, and investigate alternative medicinal practices. In addition to attending classes, students will attend lectures about the healthcare system in Costa Rica — plus participate in workshops and simulations at a medical school to acquire practical skills.

The Way of St. James is a journey like no other to deepen understandings of Spanish and European cultures (and, by extension, both Western civilization and pilgrimage studies). It is something that anyone out of the hundreds of thousands who have done El Camino would be more than likely to corroborate. This course takes place during three weeks of the winter term, while hiking along The Way of St. James (Camino Mozárabe and Camino Francés — a UNESCO world heritage site).

The Immersion Spanish Program offers a great opportunity to study Spanish, live with a host family in Costa Rica, and volunteer in the community for three weeks. In a five-week period, students will be able to complete two courses that count toward the Spanish minor/major. The first two weeks of class will take place online and will prepare students for the last three weeks of immersion in Costa Rica. Once students arrive in Costa Rica, they will live in the city of Heredia. Heredia is an important cultural center for Costa Rica and has managed to retain a typical Latin American pueblo feel despite increasing modernization. It is home to the National University and is only 20 minutes from the airport and the capital city of San José. Known as the "City of Flowers" for the colorful tropical vegetation in the surrounding mountains, Heredia provides the convenience and manageability of a smaller city (pop. 75,000). As tourism is minimal in Heredia, students experience a truly authentic cultural and linguistic immersion during their stay.