Discover the wide variety of places, regions and activities that you will experience in the Wheaton in Costa Rica program.
Pacific Coast
This excursion will open students’ eyes to a strikingly different region whose economic development has greatly influenced Costa Rica. The Pacific Coast is frequented by thousands of international and local tourists each year and remains one of the richest regions in Central America. Students will consider the implications of tourism on geography and ecosystems and how they fit in the dynamics of a “tourist town."
Atlantic Coast
Although Costa Rica has historically constructed its identity as a white-European country, the Atlantic Coast offers one of the best opportunities to understand the socio-political history of Costa Rica, including the Afro-Caribbean roots. Students will learn about the contribution of the banana, chocolate, and coffee industries to economic development of this particular region. They will be asked to analyze life for workers and their families, as well as administrators on a banana plantation.
Nicaragua: Service Learning Trip
Ten days in Nicaragua provide the last piece of comparative analysis of the program. Students will travel on public transportation, experiencing border crossing in Latin America. Upon arrival in Managua, the capitol city, students will meet a host team of native Nicaraguans who will be in charge of instruction for the visit.
This time will illuminate what students have previously learned about Nicaragua’s forty-year of dictatorship and the Sandinista Revolution. Students will be challenged to consider the differences between this country and its neighbor, Costa Rica.
Students will visit historical sites in Managua, Zelaya, Matagalpa, León and Granada. Nicaraguan hosts will provide instruction, discussion and a complete itinerary, putting emphasis on life within a socialist system, especially in aspects of education, the arts and Liberation Theology. In addition, students will visit cooperatives and environmentally responsible farms.
How to Apply
To apply for Wheaton in Costa Rica visit GoGlobal, Wheaton College's registration system for off-campus study and international travel, research, and internships.