International Programs
Report on Faculty Exchange
Pontíficia Universidad Católica de Chile
By Clary Loisel, Associate Professor, Department of Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures
I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with supporting my proposal for a Faculty Exchange to the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile in Santiago, Chile, from May 14 to May 22, 2004. 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. I would also like to thank Ms. Meghan Squires for her 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 Santiago. I am also happy to expand on this report in person or via telephone or e-mail.
Santiago is a modern, vibrant city located at the foot of the Andes. I had the pleasure of visiting Chile's capital and am pleased to report that my experience was completely positive. I would recommend a UM faculty exchange and/or a study abroad program (for UM students) without hesitation. I tried to maximize my time there and feel that I participated fully in all aspects of my Faculty Exchange.
I 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 Pontificia Universidad Católica (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 (which Professor Kia provided me) to the Spanish faculty at the Catholic University. I also answered questions concerning UM, Missoula, and Montana.
I met with Professors Carola Oyarzún, Agustín Letelier, and Pedro Lizama (Chair of the Departamento de Letras), all of whom treated me kindly and made me feel at home. We spoke about literature, education, philosophy, and cinema. They seemed genuinely pleased that I had come to their university to explore further possibilities of exchange opportunities. I was able to encourage one faculty member in particular--Professor Carola Oyarzún--to consider seriously the possibility of spending at least a semester at UM. (Professor Oyarzún is an excellent scholar and teacher and is fluent in English; she would be a welcome addition to the Spanish Section at UM).
The Universidad Católica is most impressive; maintaining a "Faculty Exchange" with them is of the utmost importance. The campus is beautiful and offers a high standard of top-notch education to its students. I observed one of Professor's Oyarzún's classes and was impressed with the level of analysis that the students offered. The work under discussion was David Mamet's American Buffalo, and I enjoyed being able to interact with the students and Professor Oyarzún. I argued that Mamet's play is a further extension of Arthur Miller's Death of a Salesman since both works deal with the American Dream. The students and Professor Oyarzún were delighted with my participation. After class I also had the pleasure of reading many of the students' papers on a variety of dramatic works and was amazed with the level of sophistication of analysis. Professor Oyarzún also gave me a copy of her syllabus that she uses for her Spanish-American drama course and a handout on the Theater of the Absurd. I now have new ideas on how to approach the study of drama with my own students. Moreover, she and I spoke of the feasibility of my joining the faculty of the Universidad Católica for a semester (perhaps in 2006) to teach a course on Twentieth-Century Mexican Literature (my specialty) and/or a course on comparative U.S./Hispanic narrative. Professor Oyarzún was most enthusiastic about this possibility. She also invited me to return to Santiago in late September to participate in the "XIII Congreso Internacional de Estudios Literarios." I will certainly share this information regarding the conference with my colleagues in the Spanish Section. I also took an extensive tour of the campus and am pleased to say that the Universidad Católica's facilities (library, classrooms, offices, dining facilities, etc.) are excellent. Hence UM professors and students alike would benefit greatly from the opportunity to spend time at the Universidad Católica.
Anticipated effect upon UM curriculum:
To help encourage UM students to study in Santiago, I carefully investigated lodging and transportation in the capital as well as a possible excursion to the coast. I priced economy hotels for students who might want to participate in the course "Reading the City: Santiago" 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 Santiago) and earn credit toward a degree. Perhaps one of the best deals is the Hotel Apart Monteverde in the Bellavista district, which is only about five blocks away from a metro stop. (I stayed in this hotel and can recommend it). As of May 2004, students sharing a double can expect to pay about $23.00 per person, while those wanting to share triple will pay $19.00 per person. Those who are willing to share a quadruple should expect to pay approximately $18.00 per person. This amount includes breakfast. The rooms have a bathroom, plates, dishes, and silverware, a microwave, and a small refrigerator, a heater and an air-conditioner as well as limited cable TV. The hotel staff was friendly and helpful.
I rode the metro daily, and was impressed by how modern, clean, and well lighted it was. 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. The underground metro stations were decorated with murals, paintings (behind glass), advertising displays, modern art, and above the platforms of the metro had huge flat screen televisions that played the latest Latino videos. I cannot imagine any potential UM faculty or students having a problem navigating Santiago 's metro system. In fact, the metro is designed so that the public would want to use it.
My excursion outside of Santiago included a day trip to Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, two of the most beautiful cities I have ever seen. Viña del Mar and Valparaíso are only about an hour and a half away from Santiago by bus. The excursion to the cost takes the traveler through several of the valleys where (s)he may view vineyards. The Pacific Ocean flanks each of these cities; the views are stunning. One of the highlights while visiting Viña del Mar included a stop at the Anthropological Museum where one of the Maois (the huge figures from Easter Island ) is on display. Outside of Easter Island, there are only four Maois on display in the world, and I was fortunate enough to see one and be photographed with one. This kind of excursion would be ideal for UM faculty and students who may be interested in visiting Santiago in the future. The coastal cities offer a beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle of the capital city.
Pablo Neruda's House
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 being able to visit two of the Nobel Prize Chilean poet Pablo Neruda's houses-one in Santiago , the other in Valparaíso. I was treated to a superb tour of his home in Santiago and got to actually see his Nobel Prize. Having taught Neruda's poetry in Spanish 312: Introduction to Spanish-American Literature and Spanish 494: Spanish-American Recipients of the Nobel Prize in Literature and then having the opportunity to tour two of his houses has left an indelible impression on me, which I can in turn share with my students.
Authentic materials are by far the most 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, photographs, posters, movies, maps, music, pamphlets and magazines that I intend to use in my future classes.
Finally, I would be remiss if I did not mention my long talks that I had with a number of Chileans about their points of view concerning Salvador Allende and Agustín Pinochet. Such insights have better prepared me to teach post-1973 Chilean literature, especially novels like House of the Spirits by Salvador Allende's niece, Isabel Allende.
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 Chilean writers, artists, and musicians and what it is like to spend time in Santiago , Chile .
During our initial meeting, Professor Oyarzún and I realized that she and I had a common interest in Spanish-American drama. I mentioned that I had just offered such a course at UM and told her which Chilean plays we had read. When she heard me mention the playwrights Jorge Díaz and Egon Wolff, she told me that she was a personal friend of both and asked me if I would like to meet the authors. (These dramatists are Chile 's equivalent of our Arthur Miller and Eugene O'Neill). I, of course, said that I would be delighted to, and she arranged the meetings. Both writers were absolutely wonderful, and I got to spend approximately two hours with each of them. We discussed their literary works, Hispanic literature in general, politics, history, and philosophy. They were kind enough to autograph several copies of their works for me, and I even had my picture taken with them. Because one of our Spanish graduate students studied drama with me last semester and is interested in pursuing theater as a possible topic for a Master's Thesis, I bought him two copies of Jorge Díaz's works and asked the author to sign them, which he gladly did. (Needless to say, the graduate student is thrilled; I was happy to do this for him). Meeting Jorge Díaz was of particular significance for me. I first read one of his masterpieces (El cepillo de dientes/The Toothbrush) when I was about nineteen-years-old and was enthralled with it. Almost twenty years later, I published my first article as an Assistant Professor on El cepillo de dientes. When I explained this to Jorge Díaz, he asked me to please send him a copy of my article, which I have already done. Both Jorge Díaz and Egon Wolff gave me their contact information and asked me to please correspond with them, which I naturally plan to do. The possibility exists to interview them and publish the interviews. Moreover, I can now pass on the experience and insight that I gained from meeting these authors to my students the next time I teach a course on Spanish-American theater. I can also show my students the photos of myself with these authors as well as the signed copies of their works.
Furthermore, I became aware of several brand-new, cutting edge writers like Pedro Lemebel, whose novel Tengo miedo torero/I'm Afraid Bullfighter was recently selected as Chile's "novel of the year." I also purchased several classic Chilean movies that I can share with my students. Of particular note is the movie "Coronación," an adaptation of one of Chile 's most renowned novels by José Donoso. Another important movie that I bought is "El chacal de Nahueltoro" by the highly regarded Chilean director Miguel Littín. Moreover, my knowledge about the great Chilean painter Roberto Matta grew considerably after seeing many examples of his work in various museums in Santiago. My interest in music was rewarded with further insight into Chile 's most famous folk group "Inti-illimani." In short, I look forward to offering a 400 level course on twentieth-century Chilean literature and film incorporating many of my experiences in Santiago.
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 talking about my experience in Santiago, Chile. During my stay in Santiago, I was able to visit many of the capital's tourist attractions. These included the Plaza de Armas (the main square in the heart of Santiago), the San Francisco Cathedral, the Museum of History, the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Visual Arts, the Museum in Solidarity with Salvador Allende, the main Post Office, the City Municipality, the Statue of Pedro de Valdivia (founder of Santiago), the statue of Caupolicán (chief of the indigenous Mapuche Indians), Plaza Italia (a Santiago landmark of hotels, restaurants, and businesses), La Moneda (the presidential palace that Agustín Pinochet bombed to try to get then President Salvador Allende to surrender on September 11, 1973. Today it has been restored as the Presidential Palace for Chile's current leader, President Lagos). I also took a cable car and rode over parts of the Metropolitan Park , which provided spectacular views of downtown Santiago and the Andes. I look forward to giving a public presentation concerning my visit to Santiago. Professor Kia and I have already spoken of arranging a talk through the "Brown Bag" lunch series.
 |
 |
| Cathedral Santiago | Municipalidad de Santiago |
I also met with Ms. Nuria Alsina, Director of Academic Exchanges and International Affairs at the Universidad Católica. She was extremely hospitable and assured me that the Universidad Católica would like to maintain a positive relationship with UM. She gave me catalogues and brochures that contain information on faculty exchange possibilities and student study abroad programs. I have turned these materials in to Professor Kia in the International Programs at UM. The one or two observations that she made concerning study/teaching abroad opportunities that I feel are worthy of reporting concern financial problems for Chilean students and faculty. She pointed out that although six students from UM had studied at the Universidad Católica, only one student from the Universidad Católica had 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 Chilean students or professors would be able to afford to spend time at UM. Ms. Alsina is particularly impressed with UM's forestry program and hopes that Chilean faculty and students will be able to spend time at UM.
My time in Santiago, Chile, will continue to reward me for many years to come. I grew 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. Thank you again for giving me such a wonderful opportunity.