• Eleven American students started their study abroad program at Universidad de Santiago, in the context of the College of Charleston International Program, and opportunity for academic exchange led by the Department of Linguistics and Literature of Universidad de Santiago. This is the second time that Universidad de Santiago receives students from that public university of USA.

By the end of August, eleven American students coming from the College of Charleston participated in a welcome breakfast at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, in the context of the academic exchange program led by the Department of Linguistics and Literature of the Faculty of Humanities (FAHU) of Universidad de Santiago. The program allows students at the College of Charleston, a public university in South Carolina (USA), to spend one academic semester at Universidad de Santiago and take courses of Linguistics, International Relations, Spanish, History and others.

Dr Marcelo Mella, Dean of the Faculty, Dr Roxana Orrego, Director of the Department of Linguistics and Literature, and professors at the program also participated in this welcome activity. “This program will contribute to internationalize the university and to show our students that there are foreign institutions that trust our university to strengthen their students’ training,” Dr Orrego says.

The International College of Charleston

The International College of Charleston is a study abroad program led by the Department of Linguistics and Literature of the Faculty of Humanities that allows students at that College to spend an academic semester at Universidad de Santiago de Chile, just like if they were at their own university.

The students attend courses given by professors at the Department of Linguistics and Literature and the Department of History, and they include Chilean History, Political Science, Advanced Spanish and Grammar.

New members of the FAHU community

The group of American students will be here until December and they are: Jalen Dourine Brooks-Knepfle, Alexandra Elizabeth Comey, Amber M. Corry, Gregory Wayne Czekaj, Arthur Hamilton Dunlop, Edwin Randolph Hille, Alexander Joseph Hyams, Reilly Brielle Kilpatrick, Alexandra Elizabeth Mocerino, Alyssa Marie Páramo and Eric Charles Singleton.

During their first days in Chile, the students were accompanied by professor Andrew Sobiesuo, Associate Provost for International Education of the College of Charleston. He said he was very satisfied with this new exchange process, which has contributed to strengthen collaboration links between both institutions.

Dr Sobiesuo said that this program is important because learning Spanish is essential for his students. “We teach Spanish at our university, but we think it is very important for our students to spend some time living in the culture where that language is spoken. The program helps them to live the Spanish culture,” he says.

He added that the program has called the attention among Charleston students. “We have had very good results: Last year nine students came and this year three of them wanted to come again, but only two of them were able to come in the end. Let’s hope next year we have 14 or more interested students,” he says.

The students who came on this occasion said that they were interested in the program to improve their Spanish level and to learn about the culture of our country.

Translated by Marcela Contreras