Valdivia

Valdivia (fall and spring semesters)

The track is offered during both the fall and spring semesters with the goal of supporting the development of national parks in Chile, such as the Karukinka Natural Park in Tierra del Fuego. Students engage in course work at the Universidad Austral de Chile, mainly in the Geology and Geography departments. They will then apply their knowledge through a practicum at a national park.

Students will first engage in applied learning (two courses) and research in Valdivia and the surrounding areas. A research project carried out during the semester will provide students with the skills and methodologies they will need to carry out their fieldwork, which will include data collection and processing. Research projects are defined based on the needs of the in-country researchers and host institutions. They will be carried out under the supervision of a faculty member and in collaboration with a Chilean undergraduate student, who will act as a cultural mentor. The last component of the track is an internship* in an organization working in the fields of environmental studies and sustainability. Students in this track will also take the Middlebury Writing and Culture course.

Elective Courses at the Universidad Austral de Chile

First year:

• Geology
• Geology II

Second year:

• Geomorphology
• Terrain integrated in special geographic analysis
• Remote sensors
• Structural geology
• Introduction to petrology
• Remote sensors and GIS GRAL
• Geochemistry

Third year:

• Landscape ecology
• Natural risks
• Physical volcanology

Fourth year:

• Evaluation of territorial projects
• Territorial planification
• Evaluation of environmental impact
• Hydrogeology
• Environmental geology
• Environmental management

* Students interested in interning must verify that their home institutions will accept academic credit for an internship. General internship application procedures and deadlines will apply.