• Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation

(2 units) (letter grade or credit/no credit option)
Recommended: Eligibility for English 1A or equivalent
This course will survey the biodiversity of tropical rainforests. It is designed from a natural history perspective and is typically taught abroad. Topics will include ecology, flora and fauna of rainforests, cloud forests, and dry forests. Emphasis will be placed on the effects of deforestation, balancing the needs of wildlife and people, establishment of park and preserve systems, and sustainable resource use. Countries such as Costa Rica are used to illustrate both the current extinction crisis and conservation efforts.


• Spanish 2: Elementary Spanish - Part II

(4 units) (letter grade or credit/no credit option) A.A./A.S. area E; CSU area C2; IGETC area 3B, language; CAN SPAN 4; SPAN 1 + SPAN 2 = CAN SPAN SEQ A Prerequisite: Two years of high school Spanish or college level Spanish 1
Recommended: Eligibility for English 1A or equivalent
Spanish 2 is a 4-unit second semester course with emphasis on oral and written communication in Spanish. We will be speaking in Spanish from the very first class. Our goal is to communicate with a native speaker on an intermediate level by the end of the course. To facilitate this, we will spend class time on oral communication and grammatical exercises in a communicative context.

• Spanish 3: Intermediate Spanish - Part I

(4 units) (letter grade or credit/no credit option) A.A./A.S. area E; CSU area C2; IGETC area 3B, language; CAN SPAN 8; SPAN 3 + SPAN 4 = CAN SPAN SEQ B
Prerequisite: Three years of high school Spanish or the equivalent or college level Spanish 2 or 2S.
Recommended: Completion of English 100 or ESL 100 (including parallel course in a native language other than English) We’ll thoroughly review first-year grammar and further develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills. We’ll sample a rich literary tradition as well as explore contemporary issues that highlight cultural differences we’ll be observing first hand.

• Spanish 4: Intermediate Spanish - Part II
(4 units) (letter grade or credit/no credit option) A.A./A.S. areas E, G; CSU area C2; IGETC area 3B, language; CAN SPAN 10; SPAN 3 + SPAN 4 = CAN SPAN SEQ B Prerequisite: Completion of 4 years of high school Spanish or college level Spanish 3
Recommended: Completion of English 100 or ESL 100 (including parallel course in a native language other than English)
Much of the review and exploration of Costa Rica’s rich culture and literature will be held in tandem with Spanish 3. Additionally,we’ll further develop speaking, listening, reading and writing skills.

Danielle Purdy
Danielle has taught courses in general biology, natural history, human anatomy, human biology, and zoology/evolution. She taught ecology for this study abroad program during the summer of 2005, and introduced her Tropical Biodiversity and Conservation course during the 2007 trip. In addition to Costa Rica, Danielle has traveled to Australia, St. John, Mexico, the Hawaiian Islands, and throughout western Europe. She is looking forward to returning to Barrio Jesus and is excited for another opportunity to teach among the unique flora and fauna of Costa Rica (especially the bats!).

Brion Murphy
An adult learner of the language, Brion Murphy,B.A., M.A. Sonoma State University, believes everyone can learn to speak Spanish. With a background in intensive methodologies for the teaching of Spanish as a foreign and second language, Brion has taught Spanish language and culture here at Santa Rosa Junior College and Sonoma State University for over twenty years. He has also either studied, lived and/or taught in Mexico, Central America, South America and Spain. Brion welcomes you to experience Spanish, feel free to make mistakes, make new Latino friends and above all, have fun.