Santiago Courses – 2025 Spring

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Studying abroad can be a more meaningful and invigorating learning experience than at home—both inside and outside of the classroom. You may be more curious and alert than you usually are so use this heightened energy to enhance your studies as well as your cultural and geographical explorations. You may also encounter different teaching styles and course processes; be prepared to adapt and to learn.

Academics

You will enroll in 12 to 18 credits per semester comprised of language courses plus electives in Latin American culture, journalism, and international studies. All students must complete a minimum of one language course, although we strongly encourage students to complete an entire language track. Course availability is contingent upon student enrollment and is subject to change.

Click the course title to view course details, description, and availability.

Spanish Language Tracks

USAC offers intensive language courses grouped into tracks in which courses are taught sequentially (back to back) within one semester. If you have already taken the first course in a track, you do not have to take it again for credit, but you must audit it to be prepared for success at the next level. Language courses are small and typically have a maximum enrollment of 15 students each.

Language Courses

• Elementary Spanish I

  Spring

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

• Elementary Spanish II

  Spring

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Intermediate Spanish I

  Spring

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

  Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Intermediate Spanish II

  Spring

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to help learners of Spanish to develop basic communicative competence and critical thinking skills. It offers an intensive study and practice of the productive and receptive language skills in the oral and written modes. The main emphasis of this track is on communication.

  Prerequisite: three semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Spanish Composition I

  Spring

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The focus of this course is to improve learners´ written abilities through the analysis and the production of different types of texts. In addition, several grammatical topics will be reviewed in order to enhance and refine the learners´ grammatical competence.

  Prerequisite: four semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Spanish Composition II

  Spring

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The focus of this course is to improve learners´ written abilities through the analysis and the production of different types of texts. In addition, several grammatical topics will be reviewed in order to enhance and refine the learners´ grammatical competence.

  Prerequisite: five semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Advanced Spanish I

  Spring

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed for students who may manage daily tasks and interactions, but still need to improve their control over different oral and written registers. In addition, this course will offer students the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary in specific and technical areas, and to improve grammatical accuracy in their oral and written expression.

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Advanced Spanish II

  Spring

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  These two advanced courses of Spanish have been designed for students who may manage in daily tasks and interactions, but still need to improve their control over different oral and written registers. In addition, these courses will offer them the opportunity to enhance their vocabulary in specific and technical areas, and to improve grammatical accuracy in their oral and written expression.

  Prerequisite: seven semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

Spring Semester

Language and Literature Electives

• Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills

  Spring

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course is designed to improve the knowledge, listening, and expressive capabilities of language

  students. Students will not only learn necessary vocabulary to express themselves in daily situations, but

  they will also learn to navigate more complex situations through conversation and free discussion of

  contemporary topics, using visual material, listening comprehension exercises, articles, and other course

  materials. The objective of the course is to facilitate the acquisition of language necessary to express

  oneself in daily situations.

  Prerequisite: four semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent, or instructor approval

• Survey of Latin American Literature II

  Spring

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course offers a broad view of the evolution of Spanish-speaking Latin American literary genres during the 20th century. Several key works as well as many literary excerpts will be examined to provide a well-rounded vision of this century, including Gabriel García Márquez, Pablo Neruda, Jorge Luis Borges, Gabriela Mistral, César Vallejos, and others.

  Prerequisite: five semesters of college-level Spanish; students who have completed second-year Spanish with strong grades may be considered with home university approval

• Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Latin American Short Story and Essay

  Spring

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course will cover topics in Latin American literature to develop students' ability to analyze texts and their relationship to the political and cultural environment of the time. Students will examine the evolution of the short story in different periods and key authors in the production of this literary genre.

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

Latin American Cultures, Journalism, and International Studies

• Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility in Latin America

  Spring

  Economics Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  In this course we will study the key concepts of Business Ethics and Corporate Social Responsibility. Specifically, we will focus in business cases and the difficulties of doing ethical business with social responsibility in developing countries with weak institutions, such as the Latin American countries. Main industries to analyze will be mining projects, and its socio-environmental conflicts, energy projects and retail.

• Chile's Native Cultures and Languages: Southern Chile

  Spring

  Anthropology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will focus on the diverse indigenous cultures of Southern Chile (Patagonian, Mapuche, etc.) and the Polynesian culture of Rapa Nui. It will provide insight into these societies' lifeways and how the Western world has dramatically changed ways of living and traditions since the first contact between these two worlds.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college anthropology

• Dances of Latin America

  Spring

  Dance 100-level 1 credit Taught in Spanish

  This course provides a comprehensive introduction to a variety of dances of Latin America. Students will learn the essential steps of a selection of four dances typical of the region. The course is designed to encourage students to acquire a greater understanding and interest in Latin American culture.

  This course is taught once a week for four months. Each session lasts two hours and will cover one Latin American rhythm. The rhythms to be covered include Merengue, Salsa, Chachacha, Bachata, and Tango.

  This course has an additional fee

• Government and Politics in Latin America

  Spring

  History Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Students in this course will analyze major socio-political and economic processes within the scope of Latin American politics. The course will cover historical adaptations of central political and economic development models and their democratic transition. Students will have the opportunity to produce research analyses on indigenous movements, social policy, drugs, sustainable development, women and LGBTQ rights, and religion.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college-level political science

• International and Cross-Cultural Reporting

  Spring

  Journalism 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will focus on best practices in foreign reporting, planning for reporting trips in culturally diverse communities, analyzing international media within global and historical contexts and learning to create publishable cross-cultural news content, as well as provide comparative analyses between the cultural context of Mexico and Central American countries, and the Southern Cone (Chile, Argentina, and Uruguay). Also, comparisons among the international political arena of Peru, Bolivia, Brazil, and Ecuador would be part of the analysis. This course is designed to prepare students to work as multimedia journalists in a foreign country such as Latin American countries as well as report on diaspora and immigrant communities within the United States. The concept of cross-cultural reporting also extends to working in distinct communities.

• International Human Rights

  Spring

  Political Science Sociology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course examines the challenges of promoting and protecting human rights in Latin America. Focusing on the most critical analytical and empirical debates since the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1948, Students will discuss the most relevant theoretical frameworks in the historical context of the construction of international human rights regimes. The course will expose the challenges Latin American peoples have faced under authoritarian regimes as well as human rights abuses committed during the period of "state terrorism.” Students will also develop the framework to effectively analyze transitional justice policies in democratization processes.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college level history or political science

• Marketing and Social Media

  Spring

  General Business Journalism Marketing 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Coming Soon

• Race, Gender and Media

  Spring

  Journalism 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course examines the intersections between the media and the social constructions and understanding of race and gender. Students will develop the ability to critically evaluate topics related to mediated representations of gender, sexuality, intersectionality, diversity in media industries, gendered labor markets, gendered audiences and fan cultures, gender, power, and identity in digital era communication. These topics will be explored and studied through literature from sociology, communication and media studies, cultural studies, feminist theory, and internet/new media studies.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college journalism or communication course

• Social Entrepreneurship

  Spring

  Entrepreneurship General Business 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  In this course, students will develop the theoretical foundation necessary to analyze social issues, sustainable development, community development, and economic philosophy. Students will also create a business plan to demonstrate their ability to effectively evaluate financial returns and social impacts, including the issues facing marginalized and disadvantaged communities. This course utilizes the social business model canvas, and students will develop advanced competency in identifying screen solutions, developing value propositions, creating financial and impact goals, and evaluating external risks.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college-level business management or entrepreneurship

• Sustainable Business

  Spring

  General Business 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Businesses have, historically, concentrated on generating wealth, jobs, and contributing to economic development within their operational communities. This approach has enabled managers to prioritize profit maximization as their central objective and source of value. Recently, however, businesses are confronted with the challenge of not only reaching a constant financial growth but also fostering social and environmental shared value through their investments and operations, as a way to give back to the society and the geographical space they get so much from. New trends in business recognize these new social demands as an opportunity to enter the market as a socially responsible enterprise. This perspective encourages the development of novel business practices, products, and services that cater to society's growing preference for socially and environmentally responsible offerings. This course will explore these diverse approaches and highlight the emerging strategies companies employ to align the creation of business value with contemporary expectations of social and environmental sustainability.

• Women and Society: Latin American Perspectives

  Spring

  Anthropology Women's Studies / Gender Studies 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course focuses on the problems women face in Latin American societies. These issues are products of the male-female interrelations rooted in Latin American cultures, communities, and ideologies. The course will approach the role of women in developed societies from different critical perspectives, contrasting what has happened with Latin American women and their cultures throughout history.

  Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent

• Writing for Strategic Communications

  Spring

  Journalism Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The goal of this class is to help students develop a personal, professional-quality, strategic communications writing portfolio. Students will be involved in many writing activities intended to encourage career readiness and develop essential skills to becoming a successful writer.

  Prerequisite: two semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent