Mark Thurner
Center for Latin American Studies, CLAS
Latin American History and Culture/Overseas Study
As the core interdiscipinary course of the “UF in Costa Rica” study abroad program LAS/LAH 4905 will combine historical and anthropological materials and approaches to Latin American culture and society, providing a unique opportunity for learning first-hand about Latin America otherwise unavailable to UF students at the Gainesville campus. Although the course will be taught in English, students will make use of the Spanish language and cultural skills that they will be developing concordantly in the program’s six-credit intensive Spanish course taught by University of Costa Rica faculty.
The course will introduce students to general Latin American themes and problematics, and then focus on Central American and Costa Rican realities. Thus, the class will study and visit coffee and banana plantations since these have played a key role in Costa Rica and Latin America’s historical development; similarly, we will study and make excursions to Costa Rica’s key regions since regionalism is an important characteristic of Costa Rican and Latin American history and culture. In the course unit on precolonial and colonial history and culture we will make day trips to museums, archives, archaeological sites, and colonial churches in and around San José. In the course unit on the contemporary period of revolution, armed conflict, and postrevolutionary transitions we will examine Costa Rica’s key peacemaking role as a democracy, and students will have the opportunity to hear from key actors in that process. In all cases students will be required to take lecture and field notes and to integrate in situ learning with course readings.