Faculty
Whitworth University Costa Rica Center > Faculty & Staff >
Lindy Scott, Ph.D.
Director, Costa Rica Center
Professor of Latin American Studies
lscott@whitworth.edu
509.777.4837 (U.S.);
506.2267.6281 or 506.8719.1711 (CR)
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Education: Ph.D., Northwestern University
M.Div. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
M.A. Trinity Evangelical Divinity School
B.A. Ohio University
Joined Whitworth Faculty: 2007
Dinorah Scott, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Spanish Linguistics
Academic Director, Language Program
Student Life Advisor
dscott@whitworth.edu
509.777.4779 (U.S.);
506.2267.6281 or 506.8719.1711 (CR)
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Education: Ph.D. University of Illinois at Chicago
M.A. University of Mexico
B.A. Estácio de Sá College
Joined Whitworth Faculty: 2006
Nicole Sheets, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of English
nsheets@whitworth.edu
509.777.4743 (U.S.)
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Education: Ph.D. in Literature and Creative Writing, University of Utah, 2010
M.A. in English and Creative Writing, Hollins University, 2000
B.A. in English and Modern Languages, West Virginia University, 1999
Areas of Specialization: creative nonfiction, travel writing, spiritual writing, literature of pilgrimage
Joined Whitworth Faculty: 2010
Nicole says the following of her semester in Costa Rica:
I started at Whitworth the year the Costa Rica Center opened, so I started hearing all this buzz. I taught for two years in the Peace Corps and had been trying to find a way to teach abroad again, and the CRC fit nicely with that wish.
I think that any kind of travel jolts you out of the familiar, and part of what I try to do in creative writing is to get people to de-familiarize. I guess part of the work of writing is to see your everyday life in a new way, and that’s richer and easier in CR because so much is new each day. It may seem counterintuitive to offer English classes in Costa Rica, but studying English and Spanish at the same time is very complementary. In Costa Rica, you’re paying a lot of attention to language, and trying to live and work in a foreign language makes you very aware of how language works and what the limits are.
I’m hoping to become less paper-dependent, as Costa Rica is making me more conscious of how I use paper. I’ll be doing more with Blackboard and blogs, and requiring fewer hard copies. It may crash and burn, but I’ll try it, and it may be useful when I go back to Spokane.
Patrick Van Inwegen, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Political Science
pvaninwegen@whitworth.edu
509.777.4512 (U.S.)
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Education: Ph.D., Loyola University, Chicago
M.A., Loyola University, Chicago
B.A., Gonzaga University, Spokane
Areas of Specialization: international relations, comparative politics, the strategy of nonviolent action, trends in revolutions
Joined Whitworth Faculty: 2005
Here's what Patrick and his family have to say about his decision to spend his sabbatical in Costa Rica:
Patrick
Coming to Costa Rica fits in with some of the general research areas that I want to pursue more — sustainability issues, pacifism and nonviolence. There’s a lot that I can learn here to inform my research and my classes. It’s also nice to see a different culture, which is one of the main reasons we wanted to come as a family. Because we have been staying with a host family, we’ve been able to go to a neighbor’s birthday party and see how social gatherings work here. We’ve also gone with our host mom to her work to plant trees, and then afterward to play in the park. If we hadn’t made the decision to live with a host family, we never would have had these cultural opportunities.
I think one of the nice things about campus is that it forces you to do teaching and the students to do learning the way learning should be structured -- not are you in this class, at this time? Here we can integrate trips or even time spent with host families into learning about politics, for example. For me, that’s much more exciting.
Victoria
Initially, I was loving the idea of Costa Rica. But this was followed immediately by logistical concerns centered around the schooling of our children. Those concerns were relieved even before we left in talking with people who had the opportunity to go out of the country with very young children. Talking with the kids’ teachers helped too. They said that this is the best opportunity in the world; your kids will learn so much. We’re really enjoying it — and we’re so glad we’re with a host family! The second day after we moved in they took use to plant trees in a national park with family and work colleagues, and that would not have happened had we not been with a host family.
Ella
I was nervous when my dad told us we were going to Costa Rica, but I’m really happy now.
Alex
At first I was nervous because I thought, how am I gonna transport all my Legos? Now I’m happy I’m here. I like talking to all the students.
