Grecia, Costa Rica Academic Program
Rock Creek Bldg. 3, Rm. 223 | 971-722-7152 | FAX: 971-722-7170 | studyabroad@pcc.edu
General Coursework Description
Students will sign up for one 4-credit Biology course and one 4-credit Spanish language course. Immersion into the Central American setting will occur with active participation in full-immersion language courses, as well as lecture classes and field study in a number of unique biozones throughout the country of Costa Rica.
Specific Course Offerings
Student are required to enroll in both courses listed below, for a total of 8 credits.
Spanish (4 credits)
Students are required to enroll in one of the Spanish language courses listed below. Once they arrive into Grecia, students take classes at the Academia Centroamericana de Espanol where they will experience a unique immersion program of 6 hours of daily instruction, Monday-Thursday for 2 weeks. Students are placed in a class that best matches their current Spanish language proficiency. Students have the opportunity to broaden their language, while learning about various aspects of Costa Rican culture. All students are required to have completed SPA 101, or the equivalent, prior their departure on the international portion of the program.
- SPA 102 - First Year Spanish-Second Term (4 credits)
- SPA 103 - First Year Spanish-Third Term (4 credits)
- SPA 201 - Second Year Spanish-First Term (4 credits)
- SPA 202 - Second Year Spanish-Second Term (4 credits)
- SPA 203 - Second Year Spanish-Third Term (4 credits)
Biology (4 credits)
Students are required to enroll in the biology course listed below. The academic program begins first with one week of ecology study. Students visit and study two distinct ecological biozones with an initial 2-day stop at the Palo Verde Biological Station on the Pacific slopes of Guanacaste Province, followed by a 4-day stop at the Caribbean-side tropical environment research facility at La Selva. Following the 2-week Spanish language immersion program in Grecia, students complete the field biology portion of the program with a 5-day stay at the University of Georgia’s tropical research station, Ecolodge, in the Monteverde Cloud Forest.
- BI 200B - Principals of Ecology: Field Biology (4 credits): Introduction to concepts of ecology. Includes both a lecture component covering the principals of ecology and diversity of life, as well as a field component surveying plants, animals, and other kingdoms and their interactions with the environment.
Please Note:
Students will register for their study abroad classes during the mandatory, program pre-departure orientation session. As such, students will NOT have to enroll in any regular PCC courses during the regularly scheduled summer course registration period that occurs during the prior spring term.
Faculty Leader Information
The Biology faculty leader of this Oregon International Education Consortium study abroad program changes each year. The Summer 2013 program advisor and Biology course instructor is:
Shannon Ansley, Portland Community College, shannon.ansley@pcc.edu
Shannon Ansley is a Biology instructor and has taught at PCC since 2007. Shannon is an ecologist with a love for nature in general and animals in particular. She teaches general biology as well as wildlife conservation and management. Shannon believes that the best way to learn biology is to experience it, and strives to make meaningful connections between classroom concepts and the real world.
Oregon International Education Consortium
The Oregon International Education Consortium (OIEC) offers this unique program to enable students to study abroad while making normal progress toward their degree objectives. Typically, students earn 8-15 transferable credits in courses taught by community college faculty from Portland Community College, Central Oregon Community College, Chemeketa Community College, Clackamas Community College, Mt. Hood Community College and Rogue Community College. Credits earned will appear on the transcript of their home Oregon community college.