Chile: Political Systems and Economic Development

Key Features

“Although there were many unique opportunities in this program - including homestays, excursions, living with the Mapuches, and amazing professors - by far the best experience this program has to offer is the ISP. The month of ISP was the most rewarding experience of my time in Chile. I not only got the opportunity to meet with people in a field that interested me the most, but also I gained a sense of independence and self-responsibility that I can carry with me for the rest of my life.”

Program alum

Discover the economic and political changes shaping Chile.

Analyze the ongoing process of modernization in Chile and its impact on the country´s culture, identity, economy, and political system.

The program consists of three main components:

An eight-week homestay with a Chilean family in Santiago and concurrent courses at the Universidad de Santiago
A series of educational excursions to northern and southern Chile
A four-week Independent Study Project (ISP) at the end of the semester

Each component highlights a different perspective on Chile's evolving national and global identity and deepens students' understanding of the social and political underpinnings of Chile's export-driven economy.

Santiago (program base) — Live in Chile's modern capital city and financial center
Santiago provides a vibrant and relevant context for the study of Chile's political and economic development. While in Santiago, students live with host families and attend lectures and seminars given by professors, politicians, and social leaders at the Universidad de Santiago and other locations.

Intensive instruction in Spanish
This program gives students the chance to improve their Spanish significantly while experiencing Chilean culture and studying the impact of recent economic and political changes.Intensive Spanish instruction incorporates classes and short excursions that contribute to students’ immersion in Chilean culture. The language course also helps prepare students for the ISP period.

Students will also improve their speaking, writing, and cross-cultural field study skills through daily interactions with their host families.

Playing the traditional Mapuche sport palin in Valle de Elicura

Educational excursions and field studies
As part of their field study experience, students participate in group educational excursions throughout Chile that enable them to observe and interact with different communities.

Highlights include:

Travelling to Antofagasta to visit one of the world's largest open-pit copper mines. While there, students will learn about the importance of copper mining to Chile’s history and economy.
Visiting Valle de Elicura in the south of Chile to live among indigenous Mapuche communities and learn about their ongoing struggle to maintain their culture and identity in 21st-century Chile. Learn more about the program's excursions.

Independent Study Project
During the final month of the semester, students focus on an Independent Study Project (ISP). This gives students the opportunity to closely examine a topic related to political systems and/or economic development in the context of Chile. The ISP is conducted in Santiago or in another approved location appropriate to the project.

Students choose ISP advisors from among the many professionals affiliated with the program. In the past, students have used their ISPs as a jumping-off point for more advanced research conducted through Fulbright and Rhodes scholarships, or in graduate school.

Sample ISP topics include:

The importance of Chile’s copper industry
The concentration of media ownership in Chile
The effects of the 2010 earthquake on Chile’s wine industry
Microfinance for rural women
Identity assertion among Mapuche university students
Women’s reproductive rights in Chile
The impact of the economic crisis on the salmon industry
The tourism industry in southern Chile
Ethnotourism in indigenous communities
Milk cooperatives and issues pertaining to their survival in Chile
Free trade agreements and their importance for the Chilean economy
Public policies addressing pollution in Santiago

Credits: 16

Duration: 15 weeks

Program Base: Santiago

Language Study: Spanish

Prerequisites: Coursework in economics, political economy, or development studies; 3 semesters Spanish Read more...