Making Chile’s October 2019-March 2020 ‘Estallido social’ (Social explosion) accessible to students on campus

After the cancellation of the CSBSJU study abroad program in Viña del Mar, Chile in Fall 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, I propose teaching a course on campus centered on the intense protests that shook Santiago and all of Chile in the fall of 2019. Specifically, I plan to engage students on an exploration of how, in spite of the deep changes Chile has undergone since the 1990 democratic transition that followed the 1973-1988 dictatorship, there remains a widespread exclusion reflected in issues that have recently received global attention, such as racial, gender and socio-economic inequality, as well as immigration and environmental challenges.In dealing with current ongoing developments, I concentrate on pedagogical strategies and teaching/learning approaches that can make them more accessible. I propose a journalistic approach, which involves reading of local newspapers and periodicals, as well as watching a documentary, grounded on written reflection, group presentations and discussions. I also incorporate arts-based sources like song and graphic art as well as popular symbols and public events, which have been a mainstay of the street demonstrations. In order to develop students’ awareness of their own culture as it relates and differs from their own, I end with a comparison of the protests that originated in Minneapolis in May 2020 and spread through cities across the US. At the end, I invite questions and comments regarding my tentative course program as well as other experiences with the disruptions caused to Study Abroad by COVID, as we continue to engage in teaching and learning in turbulent times.