Santiago Courses – 2026 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

  Fall

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

  Fall

  Spanish 100-level 4 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

  Fall

  Spanish 200-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

  Fall

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

  Fall

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

  Fall

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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 Spanish

• Advanced Spanish II

  Fall

  Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

Fall Semester

Language and Literature Electives

• Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills

  Fall

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

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

• Survey of Latin American Literature I

  Fall

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  A panoramic vision of Latin American literature, from its beginnings to the 20th century. The course will study the evolution of different genre, fundamentally the novel, poetry and theater, through their more important movements, as well as representative key works.

  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 Cinema

  Fall

  Art Film Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  The purpose of this course is to provide a Pan-American vision of Latin American cinema from the 1980s to the present. The course will focus on the relationships established between societies and cinema, observing how the links are made in different aesthetics, and expressing different cinematographic language and content. Through the analysis of every film, the course will unveil the diverse cultural imagery which has been part of the artistic tradition of the continent.

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

Latin American Cultures, Journalism, and International Studies

• Chile's Native Cultures and Languages: Northern Chile

  Fall

  Anthropology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Students will learn about Chile's native cultures in the northern region, encompassing diverse cultural contexts from the ancient Aymaras and Atacameños to more recently recognized indigenous groups. This course will explore these cultures' essential aspects, including prehistory, myths, religion, economy, and social organization. They combine to form cultural identities and the transformations undergone in historical times and up to the present day.

  Prerequisite: one semester of college anthropology

• Dances of Latin America

  Fall

  Dance 100-level 1 credit Taught in Spanish

  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

• International and Cross-Cultural Reporting

  Fall

  Journalism 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Spring

  Journalism 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Students will appraise best practices in foreign reporting, plan for reporting trips in culturally diverse communities, analyze international media within global and historical contexts and learn to create publishable cross-cultural news content. 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 Political Economy and Business

  Fall

  Economics Political Science 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  In the last decades of the twentieth century, the Latin American economies found themselves in a profound economic, social and political crisis. In response to this, the governments implemented a set of profound pro-market reforms, a.k.a. the Washington Consensus. After decades of protectionism, the economies were now opened up to foreign trade and investment. Market forces were favored instead of State intervention. Social policy based on solidarity was replaced by individual risk-taking. The initial results were more than favorable, but the weaknesses of this new paradigm were revealed during the Asian crisis (1997) which triggered a backlash against the Washington Consensus in Latin America and it is uncertain whether the pro-market reforms will be deepened adjusted, or even reversed.

  In this course we will study the process of economic aperture alongside with weakened social safety-nets. Specifically, we will assess the economic structure and performance of Latin American countries, together with its most important policy components.

• Introduction to Communication and Media Studies

  Fall

  Journalism Speech Communications 200-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course aims to introduce fundamental principles in communication and media studies, presenting a

  variety of theories that aim to explain the reasons behind our communication patterns. It provides a

  comprehensive overview of the communications field, delving into both theoretical and historical

  perspectives. The course also examines the evolution of technology studies within Media and

  Communication Studies, exploring how communication technologies have remodeled human

  consciousness and culture by discussing diverse theoretical viewpoints regarding the media's role and

  influence in society, impacting social values, political beliefs, identities, and behaviors. Students will

  have the opportunity to study specific media, such as texts, films, and television shows, and analyze the

  implications of adapting narratives from print to visual forms across different time periods. Additionally,

  the course explores the influence of class, gender, generation, and race dynamics on both media

  production and reception.

• Latin American International Relations

  Fall

  Political Science Spanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  During its independent life, Latin America has been a live performer in the international scenery. Nevertheless, its behavior has been plenty of times only a reaction to external factors, ensuring its own interest and rules. Political treaties from Europe and United States towards this region are one of the many factors that Latin-American international relations have usually had to deal with.

  This course covers international relations as from a Latin-American perspective and how, as from the early XXI century, these have projected themselves worldwide in several arenas such as the political, social and the cultural ones. Along with the formerly described, it is proposed to discuss the projection of international relations in terms of the interests that matter to this region in particular.

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

• Marketing Principles

  Fall

  General Business Marketing 200-level 3 credits Taught in English

  This course will introduce students to the fundamental principles of marketing, including market segmentation, market demand, marketing strategy, initial product planning and promotion, and a focus on customers and competitors as primary points of reference.

• Peace, Conflict and Democracy in Latin America

  Fall

  History Political Science Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  This course will cover topics related to democratization in Latin America, such as the political and social changes from the 1980s. Students will develop skills to effectively analyze the dynamics of dictatorships in Argentina, Chile, and Venezuela. Students will also evaluate the effectiveness of establishing peace and cooperation by creating robust social institutions, strengthening civil society, safeguarding human rights, and decreasing socio-economic inequalities.

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

• Social Entrepreneurship

  Fall

  Entrepreneurship General Business 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  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

  Fall

  General Business 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  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

  Fall

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

  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

  Fall

  Journalism Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

Spring Semester

Language and Literature Electives

• Spanish Conversation and Oral Skills

  Fall

  Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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: Two 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-level anthropology

• Dances of Latin America

  Fall

  Dance 100-level 1 credit Taught in Spanish

  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

  Fall

  Journalism 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Spring

  Journalism 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  Students will appraise best practices in foreign reporting, plan for reporting trips in culturally diverse communities, analyze international media within global and historical contexts and learn to create publishable cross-cultural news content. 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-level journalism or communication

• Social Entrepreneurship

  Fall

  Entrepreneurship General Business 400-level 3 credits Taught in English

  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

  Fall

  General Business 300-level 3 credits Taught in English

  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

  Fall

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

  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

  Fall

  Journalism Spanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish

  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

To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu