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• Educational Excursions
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Chile: Education and Social Change

Program Highlights

The Chile: Education and Social Change study abroad program introduces students to the complex relationship between society and education and the political, social, and economic forces that shape educational policies and ideologies. SIT professors, researchers from the Universidad de Alberto Hurtado (UAH), members of governmental and human rights organizations, and local experts lead students in lectures and seminars while also guiding them in field studies.

The program consists of three main phases: a five-week homestay in Santiago, a three-week period during which students study educational systems in Temuco and Buenos Aires, and a four-week period during which students focus on their Independent Study/Practicum Projects. Each phase of the semester exposes students to different perspectives on education and social change through interactions with a broad range of stakeholders – from students and teachers to policymakers and social activists.

Santiago
During the first five weeks of the program, students live with host families in Santiago and attend lectures, seminars, and educational excursions with SIT and UAH professors and researchers. Discussion and research topics include education and equity, human rights and indigenous education, popular education and labor unions, and the impact of globalization on education and schooling. Students are also immersed in Spanish language study through intensive language classes and interactions with their host families. This five-week period helps students become acclimated to Chilean culture and introduces them to the current social and political issues surrounding education and social change in Chile.

Research and comparative study
During the second phase of the program, students participate in educational excursions throughout Chile and in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Students live with indigenous families in Temuco to learn about bilingual intercultural education and the conflicting relationships between the Chilean government and the Mapuche community. Students analyze this experience in light of their excursion to Buenos Aires and Argentina’s educational policies. During each excursion, students visit classrooms, meet with teachers and students, and learn from community and organizational leaders.

Independent Study/Practicum Projects
Students dedicate the final part of the semester to either an Independent Study Project (ISP) or an educational practicum. Students who choose to complete an ISP have the opportunity to critically analyze a topic or situation related to the educational and social dynamics in Chilean, Mapuche, or Argentine communities. Students who choose to participate in the educational practicum are placed in a guided, month-long teaching assistantship in a primary school in either Chile or Buenos Aires and its surrounding area . Students receive guidance from the academic director during their ISP or practicum.