Diploma de Extensión en Chilean Studies

General Objective

Designed for foreign residents and international students who are 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, as well as an overview of the country's politics, institutions, environmental policies, and social movements. The program also incorporates an introduction to Mapuche culture and medicine.  Together, we explore a complex society that is undergoing rapid change.  Throughout the year, students also work on a creative, multi-media final project, attend in-person activities on popular music and culture with musician Luis Le-Bert, enjoy talks by experts, and visit cultural sites throughout Santiago.

Specific Objectives

The first main objective is to provide students 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: history, sociology, anthropology, linguistics, philosophy, literature, music, economics, etc.).

The second main objective is to provide a setting for exploration and study (thru 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, etc.) and present it to the group at the end of the semester.

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

Format

All classes are in English (except the Mapuche module and the popular music and culture workshop, which are translated simultaneously into English). Students attend four sessions each week (Tuesdays and Fridays, from 10:15 am to 1:30 pm) as they advance through several modules at a time.  Two vacation periods are contemplated (in July and September).  

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

Modules and Workshops

The Chilean Studies program includes the following modules:

• 1. Chilean Society

The Chilean Society module provides basic knowledge about Chilean institutions, cultural practices, and organizations in order 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, gender roles, 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 fifty years.  Students are provided with crucial context at the beginning of each session before they participate actively in the analysis, and in the discussion of, key Chilean films and novels.  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 so-called “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 of the most important manifestations of Mapuche political and cultural resistance.  The module also seeks to contextualize the historic tensions between indigenous communities and the Chilean state, and examines how Mapuche demands are being incorporated into the new constitution, which is currently being drafted by the Constitutional Convention.  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 provides 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 constitutional process.  

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

Horas de clases

• Martes y viernes 10:15-11:45; 12:00-13:30
• Total de horas del diploma: 102 horas directas

Requisito

• Inglés Avanzado (B2*)

*establecido con entrevista personal

Coordinación

• Prof. Anthony Rauld y Prof. Claudia Flores

Formas de pago