Faculty Research

Report on Faculty Exchange
Universidad del Salvador; Buenos Aires, Argentina
By Clary Loisel, Associate Professor, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures

El Obelesco	Casa Rosada Presidential Palace

At this time, I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with supporting my proposal for a Faculty Exchange to the Universidad del Salvador in Buenos Aires , Argentina , from April 12 to May 5, 2005 . Professors Hendrix and Kia as well as the other members of the International Committee deserve special recognition, as does Provost Lois Muir for her willingness to fund my project. It is important that I also thank Meghan Squires and Joy French for their help during my application process. I am deeply appreciative and am even more committed to helping improve awareness of diversity issues on the UM campus because of my overseas experience in Buenos Aires. I look forward to the opportunity to expand on this report in person or via telephone or e-mail.

One of South America's most sophisticated and appealing cities, Buenos Aires is home to 3 million proud port city dwellers. With extensive suburbs encompassing another 10 million people and a modern, bustling downtown adorned with numerous elegant older buildings, this cosmopolitan city is an ideal place for university faculty and students. After spending approximately three weeks in Argentina's capital, I am pleased to report that my experience was extremely positive and would highly recommend the implementation of a formal UM faculty exchange and/or a study abroad program (for UM students) with the Universidad del Salvador. I tried to maximize my time there and feel that I participated fully in all aspects of my Faculty Exchange.

I have organized my report around the same categories used in my initial proposal. Much of what I write, however, can easily fit under several categories.

Contributions to the Universidad del Salvador (students and community):

I served as an advocate for The University of Montana, the city of Missoula, and Montana in general. As part of my responsibilities, I distributed information about The University of Montana (that Professor Kia provided me) to the faculty in charge of study abroad opportunities at the Universidad del Salvador. I also answered questions concerning UM, Missoula, and Montana in both informal and formal settings.

I initially met with Doctor Alicia Lidia Sisca, (Chair of the College of Humanities) of the Universidad del Salvador. We spoke about literature, education, philosophy, and cinema. Dr. Sisca honored me by giving me a signed copy of her book on Martín Fierro, one of Argentina's (and Latin America 's) most important romantic poems. The following day I had an introductory meeting with Adrea Casareto and Viviana Giudici, Academic Advisors for International Exchanges, María Soloeta, General Advisor for International Exchanges, and Mirta Estela Barreiro, Director of International Exchanges. We spoke at length about The University of Montana and the Universidad del Salvador. During our meeting we agreed that each university would benefit enormously with a formal exchange program. Later that day, I had a meeting with the professors of the College of Humanities in which we exchanged pedagogical insights. I then gave an academic presentation on "La conquista de México: Bernal Díaz del Castillo y la Historia verdadera de la conquista de México" to the students in the College of Humanities who study literature and their professors. Afterward we all enjoyed the lively exchange that took place in the question and answer period. The following morning I gave a presentation about the U.S. educational system, student life, and study abroad opportunities using The University of Montana as the model and distributed information that Professor Mehrdad Kia had given me to a group of students from the College of Law. The discussion that we had at the conclusion of my talk proved extremely valuable as various students stayed afterward to ask me specific questions about studying at The University of Montana. I also had the pleasure of meeting with several UM students who are currently studying at the Universidad del Salvador. These students highly praised the academic program and facilities. The next day, I observed a class for non-Hispanic students learning Spanish and was impressed with the level of analysis that the pupils offered. The following week, I traveled north to Pilar, which is a branch campus of the Universidad del Salvador and gave an academic presentation entitled "Sinopsis histórico-literaria: del 'boom' al 'posboom'" to faculty and students interested in literature. I also gave another presentation on study abroad opportunities at UM for interested Argentine students. Moreover, I had the privilege of meeting and talking to Doctor Silvia Vallejo, Professor of Spanish, who gave me valuable insights into Argentine literature. The entire faculty, staff, and student body treated me kindly and made me feel at home. Everyone seemed genuinely pleased that I had come to their university to explore further possibilities of exchange opportunities.

The Universidad del Salvador is most impressive; beginning a formal "Faculty Exchange" would be advantageous for all parties involved. UM students would undoubtedly receive an excellent education while abroad. During my visit, I spoke to the Spanish faculty and discussed the feasibility of joining them for a semester (perhaps in 2007) to teach a course on Twentieth-Century Mexican Literature (my specialty) and/or a course on comparative U.S./Hispanic narrative. Professor Sisca was most enthusiastic about this possibility. I also took an extensive tour of the buildings that comprise the downtown "campus" and am pleased to say that the Universidad del Salvador's facilities (library, classrooms, offices, dining facilities, etc.)-especially at the Pilar campus are excellent. Hence UM professors and students alike would benefit greatly from the opportunity to spend time at the Universidad del Salvador. (I should note that the downtown "campus" is comprised of many separate buildings in various locations in Buenos Aires and that the campus in Pilar is much like that of UM's).

I would like to highlight several of the meetings I had with Viviana Giudici, one of the Academic Advisors at the Universidad del Salvador. She was extremely hospitable and assured me that the Universidad del Salvador would like to become a full partner with UM. She gave me catalogues and brochures that contain information on student study abroad programs. I have turned these materials over to Ms. Meghan Squires in the International Programs at UM. The one or two observations that Ms. Giudici made concerning study/teaching abroad opportunities that I feel are worthy of reporting concern financial problems for Argentine students and faculty. She pointed out that although three students from UM had studied at the Universidad del Salvador, no student from the Universidad del Salvador has studied at UM. She wondered if there was any way that UM could help subsidize the exchange program by perhaps offering greatly reduced housing for a faculty member or a reduced rate for room and board for a student. Otherwise, she does not think that many Argentine students or professors would be able to afford to spend time at UM unless the economic situation of Argentina dramatically improved.

Anticipated effect upon UM curriculum:

To help encourage UM students to study in Buenos Aires, I carefully investigated lodging and transportation in the capital as well as possible excursions. I priced economy hotels for students who might want to participate in the course "Reading the City: Buenos Aires" during Wintersession and am pleased to report that there are many options. Such a course might be particularly attractive to UM students who want to escape some of Missoula's coldest weather (since January is a summer month in Buenos Aires) and earn credit toward a degree. Perhaps one of the best deals is the Hotel Bauen in the downtown district, which is only about a block away from a metro stop. (I stayed in this hotel and can recommend it). As of May 2005, students sharing a double can expect to pay about $20.00 per person per night. This amount includes breakfast. The rooms have a private bathroom, a heater and an air-conditioner as well as limited cable TV. The hotel staff was friendly and helpful.

I rode the metro often, and experienced no difficulties whatsoever. Furthermore, it is laid out logically and is quite easy to use. Everything is well marked, and there are often workers who patrol the metro to help answer any questions. I cannot imagine any potential UM faculty or students having a problem navigating Buenos Aires' metro system. In fact, the metro is designed so that the public would want to use it. Buses are, of course, another option and are also efficient and inexpensive.

Iguazú Water Falls (Boca del Diablo)

One excursion that I would highly recommend is to the Iguazú Falls. Located at the extreme northeastern tip of Argentina, the Cataratas del Iguazú ( Iguazú Falls ) are among the most awe-inspiring sights on the planet. They provide the backdrop in the movie The Mission that stars Jeremy Irons and Robert DeNiro. While at Puerto Iguazú, I took a boat ride at dusk on the Paraná River, which allowed me to see Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina simultaneously. When the sun had completely set, the boat pulled up to the bank of Paraguay so the tourists could witness a dance ritual performed by Guaraní Indians who came out of the jungle. The following day I took a guided tour to a mining area and watched how quartz was harvested. We continued on to see the Mission of San Ignacio Miní which was absolutely amazing. These mission ruins are impressive for the quantity of carved ornamentations still visible and for the amount of restoration done. No roofs remain, buy many of the living quarters and workshops have been re-erected. The mission's centerpiece is the enormous red sandstone church.

Another excursion that I recommend is to Colonia and Montevideo, Uruguay. Colonia is only about fifty minutes away from Buenos Aires by ferry and is an agreeable, slow-paced town whose colonial-era Barrio Histórico/Historic Neighborhood is a UNESCO world cultural heritage site. Though Colonia attracts relatively few foreign tourists, its proximity to Buenos Aries and its charm draw thousands of Argentine visitors. From Colonia I took a two and a half hour bus trip to the nation's capital, Montevideo. Uruguay's capital dominates the country's political, economic and cultural life even more than Buenos Aires does Argentina's. Nearly half the country's 3.3 million citizens live in the capital, but there is logic to this. Montevideo's fine natural port links the country to overseas commerce, and the almost exclusively rural economy hardly requires a competing metropolis for trade and administration. While in Montevideo, I took a city tour and saw the Plaza Independencia (the downtown plaza where the remains of José Artiga- Uruguay's independence hero is located), the Teatro Solís ( Montevideo 's leading theater), Plaza Constitución (the heart of Montevideo during colonial times), Mercado del Puerto (an area of restaurants, artists, and craft persons), and the Palacio Legislativo (Congress Building). I also took a daylong bus trip to Punta de Este, Uruguay, to visit some of the most beautiful resort areas imaginable. Along the way we stopped at the Uruguayan artist Torres García's home to see his artwork. This kind of excursion would be ideal for UM faculty and students who may be interested in visiting Buenos Aires in the future. Uruguay offers a welcomed escape from the hustle and bustle of the Argentine capital.

I also took initiatives to enhance the courses that I offer at UM. As a Professor of Spanish-American literature, one of the trip's highlights was having dinner with Professor Adolfo Prieto (who is now retired and lives in Rosario, Argentina, but who on occasion still offers specialized courses at the Universidad de Rosario). Adolfo Prieto is the first person to have written a book on the Argentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, arguably the most important writer Latin American author of all time. Having taught Borges' short stories in Spanish 312: Introduction to Spanish-American Literature and Spanish 450: Spanish-American Narrative of the Twentieth-Century and then having the opportunity to listen to Professor talk about Borges and other writers has left an indelible impression on me, which I can in turn share with my students.

Authentic materials are extremely helpful when teaching students about different countries and cultures. I was also able to add many new teaching tools, which will enhance my ability to educate UM students. I took many photographs, bought postcards, posters, movies, maps, music, pamphlets, books, and magazines that I intend to use in my future classes. (The International Office has a copy of all of my photographs).

Finally, I would like to mention the long talks I had with a number of Argentines about their points of view concerning the Dirty War. During the period between 1976 and 1983, human rights groups estimate that 30,000 people, mainly but not exclusively Argentine "disappeared" for political reasons. Such conversations have better prepared me to teach SPAN 359: Spanish-American Civilization through Literature and Film and contemporary Argentine literature in general, especially novels like A Funny Dirty Little War by the late Osvaldo Soriano.

Anticipated effect on my scholarship and research:

My international experience has broadened my perspective in terms of research possibilities. I can now speak first hand of Argentine writers, artists, and musicians and what it is like to spend time in Buenos Aires, Argentina .

A key component of my Faculty Exchange was to investigate Argentine theater as part of my newfound interest in Latin American drama. Buenos Aires has a vigorous theater community, equivalent in its own way to New York, London, or Paris. There are always performances on the docket. Avenida Corrientes is the capital's Broadway or West End, and I had the great fortune to find a hotel right off of Corrientes. My first stop was the Instituto Nacional de Estudios de Teatro/National Institute of Theatrical Studies, which introduced me to the long, rich history of theater in Argentina. I often went to the theater in the evenings and was fortunate to see such plays as La señora Macbeth (2003) by one of Argentina and Latin America's most famous playwrights Griselda Gambaro. (Last year I taught The Siamese Twins/Los siameses (1967) by Griselda Gambaro in my upper-division theater class and am now more able to understand the trajectory of her works). I also saw a classical production of Miguel de Cervantes' Numancia which embodies all the characteristics of a "tragedy" as defined by Aristotle. Moreover, I saw the play La Señorita de Tacna/The Spinster of Tacna by the internationally renowned Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa. The star of the play (Norma Aleandro) is the same woman who has the leading role in the movie La historia oficial/The Official Story , which is a film I almost always use in my Spanish-American civilization course. Furthermore, I saw a comedy called Los trisinger/The Threesinger by Antonio Calvar and two queer plays: Partes iguales/Equal Parts by Hugo del Barrio, a heavy, tragic play whose major theme is AIDS and 5Gays.com by Rafael Pence, a light comedy about a gay man who is on the verge of a heterosexual marriage. I can now pass on the experience and insight that I gained from seeing these plays to my students the next time I teach a course on Spanish-American theater. As part of another type of cultural experience, I dined at the Café Tortoni, famous for being the place some of the greatest Argentine literary figures of their day (Jorge Luis Borges and Agustín Storni, for example) gathered to drink coffee and talk about literature and politics. When I teach works by these authors in my Introduction to Latin American Literature class, I can enrich my presentation on these writers with postcards and personal anecdotes.

I also became aware of several brand-new, cutting edge writers like Federico Andahazi, whose novel El anatomista/The Anatomist (1998) caused an uproar when the wealthy sponsor of a national literary prize tried to overturn the award her committee had given the author. I purchased Luis Corbacho's novel Mi amado Mister B ./ My Beloved Mister B. (2004), which is currently one of the most talked-about novels in Buenos Aires. Furthermore, I was also able to find a copy of Cachafaz/La sombra de Wenceslao// Cachafaz/The Shadow of Winceslao by the Argentine dramatist Copi whose works (re)define "postmodern." Buenos Aires' annual book fair (La Feria del Libro) attracts more than a million book lovers during the first three weeks of April. At the book fair, I found two new publications on contemporary Spanish-American literature that address the current state of the field: Violencia y silencio/Violence and Silence (2005) and La fugitiva contemporaneidad/Fleeting Modernity (2003) by Celina Manzoni. These works are of note because they will help me be able to offer the most up to date information about Spanish-American literature to my students at UM. As a personal anecdote, I would like to mention that the President of Argentina, Néstor Kirchner, almost walked right into me at the Feria del Libro as he entered an auditorium to present a book. While at the Feria del Libro/International Book Fair, I attended the presentation by Professors A. García Bergua and J. Martínez Torres entitled "Panorama of Contemporary Mexican Literature/ Panorama de la literatura mexicana contemporánea."

I also purchased several classic Argentine movies that I can share with my students. Of particular note is the movie Happiness/Felicidades, which Hollywood nominated as the best foreign film of the year for 2003. Other important movies that I bought include The Son of the Bride/El hijo de la novia by Juan José Campanella, Minimal Stories/Historias mínimas by Carlos Sorín, and The Man from Buenos Aires/El bonaerense by the highly regarded Argentine director Pablo Trapero. Moreover, my knowledge about the great Argentine painters Alejandro Xul Solar and Antonio Berni grew considerably after seeing many examples of their work in various museums in Buenos Aires. In short, I look forward to incorporating my knowledge about twentieth-century Argentine literature and film into the variety of courses I offer at UM.

Anticipated effect upon UM and local community:

I can now further enhance international awareness and interest on the part of UM students, staff, and faculty, as well as the Missoula community, by sharing my experience in Buenos Aires, Argentina. During my stay in Buenos Aires, I was able to visit many of the capital's tourist attractions. The Casa Rosada (the presidential palace) is at the east end of Plaza de Mayo and has an unmistakable pink façade. I took a guided tour of the Casa Rosada and visited its museum as well as many interior chambers. The museum contains many artifacts from the Juan and Eva Perón era. In fact, pop-celebrity Madonna crooned from the balcony of the Casa Rosada for her movie Evita, which is still Buenos Aires' magnet for political activities, including vehement protests. The Plaza de Mayo spreads out in front of the presidential palace, and every Thursday afternoon at 3:30 pm, the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo continue to march around it in their unrelenting campaign for a full accounting of Dirty War atrocities. Having the opportunity to speak to various "madres/mothers" was nothing short of a remarkable experience that I will never forget. The Cathedral Metropolitana is on the Plaza de Mayo and is a religious landmark and an even more important national historical site. Inside is the tomb of José de San Martín, Argentina's most revered hero because of his successful effort to liberate Argentina from Spain in the early nineteenth-century. South of the Plaza de Mayo, San Telmo is the birthplace of the tango and an artist's quarter where bohemians find large spaces at low rents. In the heart of San Telmo, Plaza Dorrego is the site of the Feria ("Fair") de San Telmo, a wonderful antiques market. La Boca is literally Buenos Aires' most colorful district. Part of La Boca's color comes from the brightly painted houses of the Caminito, a favorite pedestrian walkway that was once a railroad terminal and takes its name from a popular tango song. Uptown is the Palacio del Congreso, which set a precedent for contemporary Argentine public works projects. Modeled on the US Capitol in Washington, D.C., and topped by a green-hued dome, the congress building was completed in 1906. Recoleta is a Buenos Aires neighborhood that serves as a landmark of hotels, restaurants, and businesses. As Buenos Aires' most wealthy district, Recoleta offers many attractive public gardens and open spaces that include Plaza Intendente Alvear, where the capital's largest crafts fair takes place on Sunday. The Cemetery/Cementerio de la Recoleta is best known for its astonishing necropolis where the deceased Argentine elite rest (like Eva Duarte de Perón) in ornate splendor. Palermo is a wooded area that has now become a major recreational resource for all classes of Buenos Aires' inhabitants. On weekends, hundreds of recreational-seekers come to bike or stroll the parks shady lanes and paddle canoes or pedal boats on its artificial lakes. Palermo also contains some good museums, and the largest concentration of embassies in Buenos Aires. The Museo Municipal de Arte Hispanoamericano contains an exceptional collection of colonial art, including silverwork, paintings, costumes as well as antiques and is set among attractive gardens at the colonial-style Palacio Noel. There I bought a book on twentieth-century Latin American Art that contains many of the works I saw and studied. Such a volume will certainly be helpful when I teach my civilization course. I also visited the Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes, which is unquestionably the country's most important art museum. Bellas Artes houses works by European masters like Renoir, Rodin, Monet, Toulouse-Lautrec and van Gogh, as well as 19 th - and 20 th -century Argentine artists. While there I purchased a CD on Argentine art that contains photos of every work in the museum as well as information about each work. This will be invaluable for my Spanish-American civilization courses. Since the Teatro Colón opened in 1908 with a presentation of Aida, it has been a world-class facility for opera, ballet and classical music and has impressed millions of visitors. I took a guided tour of this theater and was fortunate to see warm-up rooms and storage rooms for costumes, shoes, and makeup. I even saw Giuseppe Verdi's I ombardi alla prima crociata at the Teatro Colón.

I look forward to giving a public presentation concerning my visit to Buenos Aires . Professor Kia and I have already spoken of arranging a talk through the "Brown Bag" lunch series.

My time in Buenos Aires, Argentina, will continue to reward me for many years to come. I am not the same person I was before going to Argentina: I grew enormously as a teacher, a scholar, and as a human being. I will do my best to share everything that I learned with my future generation of students at UM and am hopeful that UM formalizes a relationship with the Universidad del Salvador. Thank you again for giving me such a wonderful opportunity.

June 16, 2005