Santiago Courses – 2026 Summer Session I
Academics
Santiago's position as the Chile's political, cultural, and media hub offer a dynamic setting to explore contemporary issues such as democratic governance, social movements, and the press within the context of Chile’s evolving political landscape. The city’s rich history, diverse communities, and active public discourse provide an engaging environment for Spanish language development and offer a firsthand look at the social and political currents that shape everyday life.
You will enroll in three to seven credits in Session I and/or Session II. At least one 3-credit course is required each session you are enrolled. No prior knowledge of Spanish is required for the program, though taking a language course while you are abroad is encouraged for a richer cross-cultural experience.
Courses Offered:
Course availability is contingent upon scheduling constraints, meeting enrollment minimums, and is subject to change. View course details and descriptions.
Courses marked with an asterisk* are taught in Spanish
Summer Session I
Spanish Language & Latin American Society
- Basic Spanish Conversation for Daily Communication
- Intermediate Spanish I*
- Spanish Composition I*
- Advanced Spanish I*
- Dances of Latin America
- Native Cultures of Chile
- Survey of Latin American Literature I*
International Studies, Law & Journalism
- Latin American International Relations*
- Forensic Psychology
- Peace, Conflict and Democracy in Latin America
- Race, Gender and Media
- Sustainable Business
Summer Session II
Spanish Language & Latin American Society
- Basic Spanish Conversation for Daily Communication
- Intermediate Spanish II*
- Spanish Composition I*
- Advanced Spanish I*
- Dances of Latin America
- Native Cultures of Chile
- Twentieth-Century and Contemporary Latin American Poetry*
International Studies, Law & Journalism
- Crime and the Media
- Earthquakes, Tsunami and Natural Disasters
- Hate Crimes: An International Perspective
- International Human Rights
- Social Entrepreneurship
U.S. Visiting Professors
While most USAC courses are taught by local faculty, the following U.S. professors will also teach in this program:
Summer Session I, 2026
Course: Forensic Psychology
Monica Miller, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Reno
Professor Miller is a Foundation Professor with a split appointment between the Sociology Department and the Interdisciplinary Sociology Psychology PhD Program at the University of Nevada, Reno. She has published over 250 articles and 20 books. Professor Miller was awarded the 2025 Nevada System of Higher Education Researcher Award and the 2025 American Psychology-Law Society Mid-Career Award. She has taught abroad in many places and is passionate about cultural life lessons which enhance her and her students' experience.
Summer Session II, 2026
Course: Hate Crimes: An International Perspective
Emil Bernick, Ph.D., University of Nevada, Las Vegas
Emil Bernick has been a professor for over 50 years and currently services as both a Professor and the Interim Chair for the Department of Criminal Justice at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. He has taught a variety of courses ranging from Human Relations to Public Policy and Criminal Justice. Professor Bernick's experience is wide as well as inclusive from being a Fellow at the Department of Housing and Urban Development to being President of a non-profit organization that runs a head start and other childcare programs. He is passionate about immersing himself in another culture abroad and sharing those experiences with students both during his time abroad and back home.
USAC Course Descriptions
Click the course title to view course details, description and availability. To request a course syllabus: syllabus@usac.edu
- Summer Session ISpanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in SpanishSummer Session IISpanish 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
- Summer Session ISpanish World Languages and Literatures 100-level 1 credit Taught in English/SpanishSummer Session IISpanish World Languages and Literatures 100-level 1 credit Taught in English/Spanish
This course is designed to provide students who have not previously studied Spanish with basic lexical, grammatical, and functional resources to manage daily situations while studying abroad.
- Summer Session IICriminal Justice Journalism 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
We’re excited to introduce this new course option as course details are being finalized. Please check back after 1/15 for full course details.
- Summer Session IDance 100-level 1 credit Taught in Spanish and EnglishSummer Session IIDance 100-level 1 credit Taught in Spanish and English
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
- Summer Session IIGeology 100-level 3 credits Taught in English
We’re excited to introduce this new course option as course details are being finalized. Please check back after 1/15 for full course details.
- Summer Session ICriminal Justice Psychology 400-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course will introduce students to the reciprocal relationship between psychology and law: How psychology affects the law, the legal system, and legal actors (e.g., jurors, police officers), and how the legal system affects psychology in return. The course examines the legal system through the use of psychological concepts, methods, and research results. It seeks to clarify the basic dilemmas that persist in the legal system and looks at the ethical, moral, legal, and "gray areas" of the law. Students will learn how psychology plays a part in influencing legal decisions, policies, and practices.
- Summer Session IICriminal Justice 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
We’re excited to introduce this new course option as course details are being finalized. Please check back after 12/1 for full course details.
- Summer Session ISpanish 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
- Summer Session IISpanish 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
- Summer Session IIPolitical 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
- Summer Session IPolitical 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
- Summer Session IAnthropology World Languages and Literatures 400-level 3 credits Taught in EnglishSummer Session IIAnthropology World Languages and Literatures 400-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course explores Chile’s native cultures and languages, encompassing diverse contexts from the north to the southern region. Students will analyze the current situation of native peoples as a reflection of a long history of resistance against colonization and foreign influences. The course will investigate aspects of native cultures, including history, religion, economy, and social organization. It will also analyze how these elements combine to form cultural identities and how these identities are conveyed through language and other ways of expression.
Prerequisite: introductory coursework in college-level anthropology
- Summer Session IPolitical Science 300-level 3 credits Taught in English
This course will cover topics related to democratization in Latin America, including political and social changes from the 1970s. Students will develop skills to analyze the dynamics of dictatorships in Central and South America effectively. They 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.
- Summer Session IJournalism 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
- Summer Session ISpanish 300-level 3 credits Taught in SpanishSummer Session IISpanish 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
- Summer Session ISpanish 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
- Summer Session IGeneral 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.
- Summer Session IISpanish 400-level 3 credits Taught in Spanish
Presents a clear and thorough study of Latin American poetry from the period of the Vanguards (20's) until the present, taking into account its diversity and experimentation. Students will study the texts within the historical context in which they were written. A variety of authors from Central and South America will be discussed.
Prerequisite: six semesters of college-level Spanish, or equivalent