Teaching Fellows who traveled last spring to the Central American country created a resource to help future students who want to study abroad in a nation known for its natural beauty, as well as its rapid social, economic and environmental changes.
A new book with insights from Elon University Teaching Fellows will help future students better prepare for study abroad experiences in Costa Rica.
Edited by Elon juniors Tabitha Core and Robin Gottlieb, both education majors who studied in Costa Rica last spring, “Costa Rica: From Arenal to Zapote (Gringo Guests on Tico Turf)” features a collection of blog entries from students enrolled in an Elon course there on the culture of the Central American nation.
The entries focus on student reflections about identity, culture, economics, family and even “play time” in which they shared details of their travels and recreational adventures.
The book is available for purchase from Amazon.com. All proceeds benefit Elon University scholarships for studying abroad. Several students traveling to Costa Rica this spring, including members of the women’s soccer team, are already reading the book.
“We’re using the book as a type of research resource,” Gottlieb said. “We hope the book enriches student experiences when traveling abroad.”
Core and Gottlieb took part in a Dec. 4 book launch inside the Mooney building’s Curriculum Resources Center. Joined by Professor Tom Arcaro, who led the general studies course in Costa Rica last spring on which the book was inspired, and Deborah Long, interim dean of the School of Education, the two students met with classmates and friends who stopped over to offer congratulations.
“The idea for this book was for students to wring every bit of value out of their experience,” Arcaro said. “And future classes really will get more out of their own experiences in Costa Rica by reading a book for students, by students.”