WFU/Southern Cone: Chile & Argentina

Resident Professor
Spring 2011: Luis Roniger, Political Science
Spring 2012: Clay Hipp, Schools of Business  
Spring 2013: Gary Miller, Health and Exercise Science
Spring 2014: Irma Alarcon, Romance Languages 

Location
Wake Forest University's semester program in Chile is based in the capital city of Santiago.  As the cultural and economic heart of the country, Santiago is both known its thriving business sector and its vast array of museums, galleries, and festivals. The city serves as a major Latin American travel hub, thus making it easy for students to visit other sites in Chile and Latin America.

The program starts with a three week pre-trip and cultural orientation in Buenos Aires.  Students will spend three weeks in February participating in home stays and undertaking an intensive Latin American culture course.  This will be an excellent introduction to Latin American and the program.  Students will then travel to Santiago, Chile.   

Duration
Spring semester; typically February-June. 

Accommodations
In order to optimize learning of language and culture, students will live with Argentine and Chilean host families.

Academic Program
All students will receive 15 to 18 hours of credit for their semester abroad.

HMN 183 The Contemporary Argentina Experience (1.5h pass/fail)
This course is taught in English

HMN 186 The Contemporary Chilean Experience (1.5h pass/fail)
This course is taught in Spanish and English

Spring 2014 courses
ANT/LIN 150: Introduction to Linguistics
NOTE: Under either designation, this course satisfies the Cultural Diversity (CD) requirement, and counts for the Linguistics minor. Under the ANT 150 designation it also counts as a Division IV requirement.

This course is an introduction to the nature and study of human language. Language, which distinguishes human beings from other species, fascinates not only linguists, but also cognitive scientists, anthropologists, psychologists, fiction writers, and scholars in many other disciplines. Throughout the semester we will explore issues such as the properties of language that make our species unique; how language originated and developed; how it is learned and used; the relationship of language to other types of behavior; oral, written and signed languages; language families; analysis of linguistic data; and social issues surrounding language use. The first half of the semester will cover the core areas of linguistics in detail (phonetics, phonology, morphology, syntax, and semantics); the second half will focus on other subfields, such as second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and computational linguistics.       


LIN 330: Introduction to Psycholinguistics and Language Acquisition
NOTE: This course counts as an elective for the Psychology major and minor, and for the Neuroscience and Linguistics minors.

Lin 330 offers an introduction to the field that explores the psychological processes underlying the acquisition, production, and comprehension of language. Central questions include: How do we acquire our native language? Considering the limited input, how do children learn to make the most subtle grammatical distinctions? Is language an exclusively human phenomenon, or do other species exhibit linguistic systems? If language is exclusively human, then what is it about human psychology and biology that distinguishes linguistically our species from others? What is the relationship between language and thought? Is there a “universal grammar” common to all human language? If so, what are the underlying psychological processes? If not, what are alternative explanations for the demonstrated similarities between languages? How does our processing and perception of language change depending upon whether the input is oral or visual? All of these issues, as well as many other fascinating aspects of native language acquisition will be explored.

Typically Offered Courses 
Spanish Course
All students are required to take one course taught in Spanish.  Students have the option to take an appropriate level Spanish course taught by Universidad Diego Portales (UDP) faculty OR students can take a regular UDP literature course taught in Spanish with Chilean students (for those students with the prerequisite Spanish language skills).

Final course must be from one of the following Options:
3 credit UDP course taught in Spanish with Chilean students in the area of student interest (required for those students with the prerequisite Spanish language skills). Below are the curently approved course, we expect this list to grow (please note that not every course listed is offered every semester): 

WFU/Southern Cone Course Approvals
 

OR
3 credit WFU independent study course.  The independent study will be pre-arranged with a Wake Forest faculty member on our home campus and done electronically.  It will be the student's responsibility to set up the independent study, for which a set of requirements and guidelines will be distributed.

OR
3 credit internship.  There are a variety of local nonprofit organizations, government ministries, and think tanks where students in the program can apply for an internship position.  The Fulbright Commission of Chile, the Ministry of Education and the House of Peace are just a few examples of the internship opportunities available.  A limited number of English speaking internships are available. 

Cost
Students will pay regular WFU tuition and a housing fee.   The cost will include materials, orientations, some side trips, some meals, housing during the program, laundry, and registration fees. 

Students are responsible for personal expenses, some meals, visa and passport fees and all airfare (the United States to Buenos Aires, from Buenos Aires to Santiago and from Santiago to the United States).  However all accepted Wake Forest students will receive a travel scholarship up to $1,500.00.

Selection Criteria
*Good academic standing

Scholarships
Please contact the Center for International Studies for information on scholarships.

Contact Information
Dr. Peter Siavelis, Professor of Political Science
Tribble Hall C-302
Telephone: (336) 758 5451
E-mail: siavelpm@wfu.edu