Costa Rica: Model of Peace and Democracy

Catalog description

This course will cover both the political and peacemaking aspects of this interesting Central American country. We will discuss the history of the political system in Costa Rica, and how it came to develop and retain its current democratic form. We will also focus on how, in addition to being a model of democracy, Costa Rica is also a model of a nation that lives and promotes peace. Costa Rica has no military organization - but it does have a "Peace Army" - a non-profit organization started by a former American Woman, focusing on teaching peace to children. Costa Rica is also the main home of the University for Peace. In the classes prior to our trip we will cover the history and current status of the political system in Costa Rica, and the development of its peaceful orientation and structures. On the Travel-study portion, we will visit the Peace University, talk with leaders of local government, as well as political and social organizers; we will go with Peace Army staff to visit a model school teaching NVC and Heart-Math - systems that promote children's feeling peace and speaking peace; we will spend time at Monteverde, the famous Quaker peace retreat, and also visit some of the famous tourist sites in the country sucha s the volcano and the beautiful Pacific coast beaches.