Foreign Students Program (Study Abroad) Universidad Finis Terrae – Department of Literature
Santiago, Chile By Dr. Maria Eugenia Silva
I.
Introduction
This program is intended for advanced undergraduate students in Spanish (juniors and seniors). They can
register for one or two semester and transfer credits to JHU. Finis forwards official transcripts with
translation and grade equivalence to the Office of Study Abroad upon completion of the semester (s).
Students who enroll in the program can:
1. Take up to 3 transferrable courses during the semester.
2. Register in at least one writing workshop during the semester. These meetings are conducted by
reputable Latin American writers and are intended to improve students’ narrative and communicational
skills.
3. Attend up to 10 relevant cultural activities during the semester. To provide a couple of examples,
students visit places such as Pablo Neruda’s home and other important literary national landmarks. Also,
Finis possesses a School of Theater of international recognition. International students can attend plays
organized at the University by invitation.
4. Attend and participate in at least 3 conferences every semester with distinguished international speakers.
For example, in 2011 Finis will invite Roberto Ampuero, Pablo Simonetti, and Santiago Gamboa,
among other speakers.
5. Visit at no cost the renowned Finis Art Gallery. Not only international as well as national artists present
their work at Finis but also advanced art students have an opportunity to show their creations.
Note: A list of courses, cultural activities, workshop, and planned conferences are forwarded ahead of
the beginning of each semester in order for the students to have an idea of what is available to them
before registering.
II.
The Program
A. Advantages of the program
American students will profit intellectually by being immerse in the language of their concentration.
They will reinforce their communicational skills and will benefit from a program whose aim is to expose
them to stimulating scholarly debate. Finis takes very seriously the forum setting with the purpose of
having students gain experience from meeting important individuals. Finis had Jorge Edwards and
Antonio Skármeta speaking and sharing with students in 2010. The agenda for 2011 is as exciting with
invited guests such as Álvaro Vargas Llosa, among others. Also, the Department of Literature brings
lecturers whose publications have made a contribution to the literary field and 2011 begins with the visit
of scholar Enrico Santi.
Moreover, JHU students can attend literary workshops conducted by actual writers. The aim of these
assemblies is to provide a creative setting where students learn to present their ideas in an inventive
manner in the language of their concentration.
B. Duration
The duration of the program is one semester; however, it can be extended to two semesters. Semesters in
Chile go from March to July and from August to mid December. JHU students can attend either
semester, nevertheless, considering the American academic year enrollees are better off registering for
their fall semester.
C. Courses, Workshops, Conferences, and cultural activities: At the beginning of each semester Finis
provides:
A complete table with courses and workshops
A list of cultural activities and conferences programmed for the academic year.
D. Immigration.
Students are requested to obtain a student visa to attend Finis. A complete step by step is provided,
including the addresses of near by Chilean consulates where they can obtain the document.
E. Housing.
Finis provides choices for housing near the university. They consist of families who take foreign
students, inexpensive apartments, or boarding houses. They are all located in the vicinity of the school
which is considered to be one of Santiago finest neighborhoods. The standards of living in the area are
comparable to the USA and the district has all the amenities necessary to live comfortably. The families
that accommodate American students are recommended by the university.
F. Safety
Finis requests that students travel ensured. Upon arrival they need to demonstrate that they possess
travel insurance protecting them from life and health related incidents. The insurance company must be
internationally recognized and must have branches in Chile in the case students require assistance.
Examples are Met Life or Ing Life.
G. Cost
The overall cost of enrolling at Finis for a semester has not been determined yet. Nevertheless, JHU’s
students are charged what a local student would pay. There is no international fee or additional cost for
international students. A complete table of costs will be provided in a next e-mail.
III.
Conclusions
Being in Chile and meeting the very writers they study in their concentration is an invaluable experience for
JHU’s Spanish Students. Finis provides a safe environment where they have the opportunity to complement
their North American education with a program that allows them not only to increase their language
proficiency, but also to broaden their intercultural experience. Students who attend Finis will return to the
USA enriched by a better understanding of the Spanish speaking world.