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Study Abroad


Study abroad with CCV and earn credit while experiencing other countries and cultures. With a class size limit of 15, you can expect the same student-centered learning experience you have in your other CCV courses.

Study abroad courses include a 10-day study trip, led by an instructor and a CCV staff member. Course fees can be covered by financial aid.

Costa Rica, Fall 2009

Study Abroad in Costa Rica
January 8 – 17, 2010
Intercultural Communication (COM 1030)

Course fee - $2242, includes group flight to and from Burlington, most meals, lodging, transportation in Costa Rica, and entry fees. Does not include tuition or registration fee.

This course offers students the unique opportunity to travel to Costa Rica to experience first hand the central role that culture plays in all forms of communication. Most of our time in Costa Rica will be spent in rural regions and will feature many opportunities to learn about the natural environment as well as engage in cultural experiences. The course requires being in good physical condition with a willingness to spend extended time outdoors. During the first half of our trip, we will center ourselves in the mountain community of San Luis, near the “Tico” village of Santa Elana, and adjacent to Monteverde, one of the world’s most famous tropical cloud forest reserves that sits high along the continental divide. The second half of our trip will be spent in Puerto Viejo de Talamanca, a tiny and lively beach village on the Southern Caribbean coast that is home to many distinct cultures, including Indigenous, Afro-Caribbean, and Spanish peoples. In both locations, we will immerse ourselves in Costa Rican culture by engaging in a wide variety of educational and nature-based activities.

Highlights of the time in Costa Rica include:

  • Experiencing the music, dance, food, art, sport, and language of two distinct Costa Rican communities.
  • Visits to cultural centers and local markets, including one of Costa Rica’s largest and most diverse traditional craft villages
  • Excursions to Monteverde Reserve, Selvatura Bridges, Finca La Bella coffee tour, waterfalls, a chocolate tour, and to workshops of local folk artists.

The course includes 3 pre-trip meetings and one post trip meeting at CCV Upper Valley:
Saturday, September 19, 10 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday, October 24, 10 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday, December 5, 10 am – 5 pm
Saturday, January 30, 10 am – 3 pm

FACULTY: Amy Beth Kessinger is a long-time faculty member at CCV Bennington. She taught secondary school in the Caribbean, attended graduate school in England, and most recently participated in an exchange program to Australia. Amy Beth is an intrepid traveler and has led many groups abroad.

Application packet
Applications are being accepted now and will be reviewed in the order received.

Registration procedure

Past Trips

Since 2002, CCV has taken students to Greece, England, Ireland, Mexico, Italy, France, and Belize on 10-day study trips in courses ranging from Art Appreciation to Ornithology.