Diploma de Extensión en Chilean Studies

Introduction/overview

The University of Chile offers a consolidated and unique academic experience designed for foreign residents and international students interested in acquiring a deeper understanding of Chile.

The Chilean Studies program provides an online interdisciplinary exploration of Chilean histories, cultures, literatures, music, and films.  Students enjoy a series of modules that provide windows into the country's politics, institutions, public policies, cultural developments and social movements. They also learn about Mapuche culture and medicine.  Together, we explore and learn different approaches to understanding Chile, a highly complex society undergoing rapid change.  Throughout the semester, students enjoy online sessions, which are complemented by in-person activities.  They attend talks given by special guests, participate in the Chilean Studies Documentary Film Series, and visit cultural sites throughout Santiago and beyond.

Objectives

1. The first main objective of the program is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of Chilean history, society and culture.  We do this through different modules that are interdisciplinary.  Each module has a different instructor, trained in different disciplines, which include history, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, literature, music, film studies, and political economy.  

2. The second main objective is to provide a setting for exploration and study through a creative final project.  Students are encouraged to research a particular cultural form or practice in Chile, develop a creative project (video, podcast, online presentation, artwork, etc.) and present it to the group at the end of the semester.

3. The third main objective is to foster a sense of community amongst our students and instructors based on the ideals and themes of the program, embracing and promoting, in this way, the values of cultural understanding, tolerance and intercultural awareness.

Details/Format of the Program

Language: All classes are in English* 

Start Date: Classes begin May 15th and end December 4th.

Online Sessions: Students attend four sessions each week as they advance through the program: Tuesdays and Fridays from 10:15 am to 1:30 pm 

Vacation Periods: Two vacation periods are contemplated: Chilean winter break and September recess. 

U-Cursos online system: Materials, links, forums and student-instructor communication, grades, and videos are streamlined through our U-Cursos online system.

Recorded Sessions: Classes are synchronic, recorded, and made available for student convenience through our online system U-Cursos.

Extra-Curricular Activities: Beyond online sessions, there are in-person activities, which include cultural field-site visits in Santiago, specialized field trips to other regions, talks, film screenings, music concerts, etc.   

*Except the Mapuche module and The Popular Music and Culture Workshop, which are translated simultaneously into English.

Chilean Studies Modules

1. Chilean Society

The Chilean Society module provides basic knowledge about Chilean institutions, cultural practices, and organizations to facilitate a better understanding of Chilean society, but also to provide a foundation for the themes and topics that are covered in the other modules.  Topics discussed include an overview of the Chilean political constitution, the basics of the Chilean political structure, a panorama of organized religions in Chile, the Chilean education system, issues/policies related to gender, among others.  

Instructor: Claudia Flores

2. Chilean History and Culture through Literature and Film

In the Chilean History and Culture through Literature and Film module, students watch, analyze and comment on documentary films, feature films, and novels, which articulate important political and cultural themes that have marked Chile during the past sixty years.  Students are provided with crucial context and information at the beginning of each session before they participate actively in the analysis, and in the discussion of, key Chilean films and their impact.  By the end of the semester, students will have gained a panoramic understanding of the recent past and be in a better position to understand Chile's present. 

Instructor: Anthony Rauld

3. Chilean History 

The Chilean History module provides students with an overview of the major periods and events that make up Chilean history, including the colonial era, national independence, the rise of the Chilean Republic, the War of the Pacific, the “pacification” of Mapuche territory, the nitrate era, the ratification of the Constitution of 1925, industrialization, among others.  The main objective of the module is to help students contextualize contemporary Chile by connecting with its past. 

Instructor: Daniel Stewart

4. Social History of Chile

The Social History of Chile module provides a social history of the 20th century.  It provides an overview of Chile's main social, cultural, and political characteristics, emphasizing processes of social change: a country primarily rural and traditionally Catholic experiences urban growth, the diversification of its politics, and the flowering of its own art, music and literature.   

Instructor: Claudio Barrientos

5. The Mapuche of Chile

The Mapuche of Chile module provides an overview of Mapuche culture and history, and some of the most important manifestations of Mapuche political and cultural resistance.  The module seeks to contextualize the historic tensions between indigenous communities and the Chilean state.  It examines how Mapuche continue to demand rights to their territory, culture, language and political representation.  Additionally, the module introduces students to the main components of Mapuche language, medicine, food, family structure and philosophy.

Instructor: Karina Manchileo

Translator: Anthony Rauld

6. Chilean Literature

The Chilean Literature module introduces students to the main literary voices of Chile, including renowned figures such as Blest Ghana, Gabriela Mistral, Pablo Neruda, Roberto Bolaño, Diamela Eltit, Vicente Huidobro, José Donoso, Hernán Rivera Letelier, Pedro Lemebel, Isabel Allende, Maria Luisa Bombal and Nicanor Parra. 

Instructor: Carlos Soto Román

7. The Political Economy of Chile 

The Political Economy of Chile module discusses some of the main aspects of Chile's political economy and how the country's economic policies have changed over time.  Some of the topics covered include: the neoliberalization of the economy, Chile's wealth and income distribution, the regional variations of the Chilean economy, the centralization (and decentralization) of economic and political power, and the environmental impact of Chile's extractivist model.  The module also explores how social/political movements have sought to challenge the Chilean economic model.

Instructor: Hassan Akram

8. Chile and the Environment

The Chile and the Environment module provide students with an overview of Chile's rich ecological and geographical diversity, as well as the impacts brought about through climate change and economic development.  The module contextualizes the many different environmental conflicts that have affected communities throughout Chile in recent history and explores the political and social dimensions of these struggles.  The module also provides a perspective on the future regarding Chile's environmental policies in the context of Chile's ongoing legislative reforms.    

Instructor: Jessica Ulloa

9. Chilean Rock and Pop

The Chilean Rock and Pop module explores the musical landscapes of Chilean music of the last 60 years.  Students listen to and analyze some of the most important musicians, bands, and artists of Chile, and they study the contexts in which their songs and albums were produced.  In six sessions, students discover the different music scenes that have come to shape several generations, from the folk music sounds of the early 1960's to the urban music that is currently listened to on a variety of different online platforms.  

Instructor: Lucas Araya

In-Person Workshop: Popular Music and Culture

The Popular Music and Culture workshop provides an overview of Chilean popular folk music and culture.  It provides a unique perspective on history and culture by focusing, in part, on the way different cultural influences came together during the colonial era to form a unique musical and cultural style.  Focusing on the way music (and art in general) has been produced and shared in Chile, singer and song-writer Luis Le-Bert takes students on a journey to explore the main tenets of Chileanness.  Incorporating a phenomenological and performance-based pedagogy, this module provides students with an invaluable experience they will never forget. 

Instructor: Luis Le-Bert 

Translator: Anthony Rauld

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