Chile: Chilean Literature, Democracy and Social Change
Dates for WT2010: January 2 - 23, 2010
ARHU 319C/HIST329N/GVPT309F/CMLT498/HONR349C, 3 credits
The Jiménez-Porter Writers House is pleased to announce, for a third consecutive year, its Winter-Term Study Abroad in Chile Chile: Chilean Literature, Democracy and Social Change.
Conceived as an overall exploration of Chile’s traumatic past through the study of art and literature produced under Pinochet’s 17-year dictatorship, the inaugural trip became a brief but full immersion into Chilean society and culture.
Along with formal lectures in which the students had the opportunity to meet important Chilean writers as well as other international scholars, we visited many historic sites, the Palace of Government, Plaza de Armas and the National Cathedral, the Allende Museum, and Villa Grimaldi, during our time in the capital city of Santiago. We also attended live dance and music performances. We ate at many restaurants ranging from very traditional (historic, folkloric and kitsch) to moderately elegant. We visited all three of Pablo Neruda’s houses.
After a weekend at the beach, we traveled to the Port of Valparaiso, a World’s Heritage city. There we teamed up with twenty students from a local Elementary School for a week of Service Learning. During this week, each of our students paired up with one or two Chilean amigos. The children graciously hosted while the University students served as companions and mentors. Their limited knowledge of each other’s languages encouraged them to communicate in ways that were creative and fun. Along with teaching each other basic vocabulary, their cultural exchange involved music, dance, art projects, bus and boat excursions and—of course!—soccer.
As a result of these experiences, the students had developed a strong intellectual and emotional connection with each other, with Chile and its people and by, extension, with Latin American culture.
Perhaps the most eloquent way to convey the success of our Winter-Term in Chile 2007 lies in the words of our students. In their evaluations, they write: “It was incredibly wonderful.”
“The most rewarding experience ever.”
“Best Study Abroad experience out of the three I’ve done. Amazing…”
In light of our successful first year, we would like to offer this course again.
We will stay in shared rooms in modest hotels.
Faculty and Staff
Vivianne A. Salgado is a native of Chile and studied for four years of creative writing with Pía Barros at Ergo Sum, one of the most prolific literary workshops in Chile during Augusto Pinochet’s dictatorship. Salgado received an M.A. in Contemporary Latin American Literature from the University of Maryland and is currently working toward her Ph.D.
Please contact Professors Salgado and Schmidt for more information about course content and itinerary.
For questions about the application, registration and pre-departure logistics, please contact Shoshana Griffith, a Program Assistant in the Study Abroad Office.