Virtual Costa Rica

- Learn about the culture, history, and current realities of Costa Rica
- Students will research an aspect of Costa Rica that is of particular interest to them
- All students will receive in-state tuition
Professors Mary Klayder and Marta Caminero-Santangelo have created a virtual education abroad course to introduce students to Costa Rica. Learn about this country through readings, research, guest lectures, and cultural activities.
This program is a virtual program, so you can participate from wherever you have an internet connection.
Students will earn three credits and be enrolled in ENG 390, LAA 302, or HNRS 492. All students will receive in-state tuition for their participation in this virtual education abroad course.
The course will introduce students to the culture, history, and current realities of Costa Rica. Classes will be synchronous and asynchronous with many Costa Ricans giving guest lectures from their homes with opportunities for questions. Topics to be covered in the course include Costa Rican Spanish, Indigenous culture and language, ecotourism and sustainability, Nicaraguan immigrants in Costa Rica, biodiversity, the coffee and chocolate industries, and more. Students will also have the opportunity to research an aspect of Costa Rica that most interests them and create a project.
Minimum 2.5 GPA required (exceptions considered after submission of a petition).
Funding opportunities include KU Study Abroad virtual scholarships, Honors Opportunity Awards (Honors students), and the Mary Klayder Scholarship (English students).
For more information, please feel free to contact Mary Klayder (mklayder@ku.edu) or Marta Caminero-Santangelo (camsan@ku.edu) or Mari Keyser (mkeyser@ku.edu), the KU Study Abroad program coordinator.
Mary Klayder is Associate Director of Undergraduate Studies in the Department of English, a University Honors Faculty Fellow, and an avid proponent of study abroad. She has led more than 50 study abroad programs at the University of Kansas.
Marta Caminero-Santangelo is the Director of the Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at KU and faculty member in the Department of English.