HUM 3513 Costa Rica Colloquium: History & Culture

If we do not know where we come from, we cannot know where we are going. This course provides a new way of learning: Looking back, each one in his 'back', which allows to have more perspective on our daily walks in today's world. Sustainability is actually "a legacy for the future." Such true sustainability not only requires being aware of each one´s past -our culture and environment, but occupies, now more than ever, an introspective look in time and space. The history of many countries of the Abya Yala (an old name of the American continent) is a vision of the agro-environmental history and culture. The history in Costa Rica is linked to the ways in which its people use their natural gifts. Only by deeply understanding such complex relationships, can we opt for a harmonious future that preserves our well-being -that of people and the planet.

In this course the agro-environmental, socio-economic, and political features that have shaped and defined the history and development path of Costa Rica will be explored. The major social issues that have emerged to the present day will be uncovered to provide the student with an understanding of how Costa Rica's present-day culture has been shaped. A culture that tries to follow a sustainability path; where the simplest way to define sustainability is to see it as the options of having a harmonious future with total well-being.

This class provides an introduction to Costa Rican history and culture. Students will have the opportunity to explore 3 main areas: (i) the historical dynamics that have influenced contemporary Costa Rica's cultural profile, (ii) the global and regional dynamics that have influenced the history and cultural development of Costa Rica, and
(iii) Costa Rican characteristics in its present-day society and culture.