Location
Chile is a fascinating place to study law, particularly in the comparative Latin American context. Significant social debates in Chile are currently making  world headlines: from human rights abuses to increasingly active demands from indigenous groups. At the same time, Chile is a stable democracy with one of the strongest economies in Latin America. It has recently signed free trade agreements with the United States (the only country in South America with Peru to have done so), the European Union, and numerous Asian countries. Santiago, the capital of Chile, is conveniently located one hour west of the Andes Mountains and slightly more than one hour east of the Pacific Ocean. The University of Chile is located in the Bellavista area of Santiago.

Course Offerings and Credits
Harvard students enrolled in the program can choose from hundreds of courses at the Universidad de Chile (UCH). The University allows HLS students to take regular law school courses, as well as graduate courses. Please see the online catalogue for a listing of courses, which includes the number of credits per course and how often each class meets.
HLS students may receive a total of 10 to 12 classroom credits in relation to work done through the semester abroad program. Please see the HLS semester abroad webpage for more information about semester abroad credits and course requirements.

DRCLAS Regional Office
Harvard University established a Regional Office of the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS) in Santiago de Chile in July 2002. The purpose of the Regional Office is to promote research and projects by faculty members throughout Harvard University, as well as to assist Harvard students in exploring opportunities for research, internships and study abroad in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru.

Click here to watch a video about the Study Abroad Program experience.  

"The UCH exchange program has been one of the best opportunities HLS has afforded me. In addition to gaining exposure to bodies of law that I would never have encountered otherwise -- such as Mining Law, Latin American Telecom Law, and Indigenous Rights -- I've made wonderful connections at the Faculty of Law that I hope to maintain throughout my career. The DRCLAS program has been a tremendous resource during my time here, allowing a good balance of personal freedom and institutional support." - Sun Jung Kim, Harvard Law School Student, Class of 2009

Chile provides an extraordinary vantage point from which to study human rights issues and cases.  With a well-known history of human rights violations, particularly during the dictatorship in the 1970s and 1980s, Chile is now pioneering efforts to litigate or otherwise address its past, along with current and timely human rights cases and disputes, particularly with regard to natural resources, practice of democracy, and national development.
Chile also offers a unique opportunity to explore economic development in Latin America.  Often considered a success story by the international community, Chile welcomes foreign business and investment with its highly privatized industries and liberal trade policy.  However, these business interests often collide with the rights of the rural and indigenous communities.  Such conflicts of interest may provide another interesting topic of study for law students.        

There is a strong international presence in Chile and in Santiago in particular, which is home to numerous well-known human rights organizations, advocacy groups, and research projects—many of which are tied to world-class universities, NGOs, and IGOs. For many, Chile has served as a fascinating laboratory for economic and political development in Latin America.  The economic, cultural, and social developments of the past few decades have woven a history that is complex, textured, and controversial, resulting in an increasingly modern country that still retains many aspects of a more traditional society.

Universidad de Chile (UCH)
University of Chile is the country’s oldest and largest public institution of higher education and has more than 23,000 students at its 13 campuses that are located in downtown Santiago. The University of Chile is known for its research programs, and it produces over 50% of all scientific and technological publications in the country. As a large public institution, the Universidad de Chile has a diverse student body, and a wide range of programs and initiatives in the humanities, social sciences, law, and natural sciences. The University of Chile Law School has an especially well-known Human Rights’ Center (HRC), Center of Environmental Law, and Center for the Study of Computer Science Law. For more information on the
University of Chile, see Law and the Institute for International Studies.

The Universidad de Chile has a stellar team of Law School faculty.  Among them are such well-known professors as: José Zalaquett and Cecilia Medina, co-founders and co-directors of the Human Rights Center at UCH. Both have taught at the Harvard Law School. Professors Jaime Náquira Riveros, Felipe Bahamondez Prieto, and Hugo Fruhling Ph.D., former Harvard Law School Visiting Professor, have LLMs from Harvard Law School.

Harvard Law students interested in enrolling at Universidad de Chile may find the following courses particularly interesting:

International Contracts
Contratos internacionales: elaboración, ejecución y cumplimiento provides students with an overview of negotiation of international contracts, both via regular judicial processes, as well as alternative methods of dispute resolution. The course also explores international arbitration. This class is taught by Professor Elina Mereminskaya, Ph.D. in Law from Universidad de Göttingen, and Professor Till Backsmann, who has a Ph.D. in Law from Universidad de Westfälische, Wilhems.

The New Law of the Civil Marriage
La nueva ley del Matrimonio Civil analyzes the concept of “family” in the Chilean and Latin American context, and the principles on which the new Chilean marriage law is based, which allows for the first time ever legal divorce in Chile. This class is taught by Professor Maricruz Gomez de la Torre, Ph.D. from the Universidad Complutense in Spain.

International Contemporary Law
Derecho internacional contemporáneo studies different aspects of international law, including its origins, resolution of investment disputes, international trade (ranging from bilateral trade agreements to MERCOSUR), as well as its application to international disputes. Professor Jeannette Irigoin Barrenne, specialist in international law, teaches this class.

International Relations
Relaciones Internacionales sets out to help students better understand international events and link them with events taking place in Chile. It focuses on the Cold War and its repercussions around the world, particularly in Latin America, in an attempt to explain the current world order. This class is taught by University of Chile Law School Professor José Rodriguez Elizondo, former Ambassador to Israel and author of many books on foreign affairs.

Labor Law & Fundamental Rights
This course studies the application of fundamental rights of the individual within the workplace, the origin of the normative recognition of these rights in Chile, the procedural mechanisms incorporated in the Labor Code and the form in which the realization of fundamental rights is achieved in practice. There is also an oral litigation workshop, based on the new procedural labor laws.

International Human Rights Law
The purpose of this course is to familiarize students with international normative systems that are increasingly relevant in humanitarian, political, academic, and professional areas. Specifically, we will study International Law of Human Rights, and also International Humanitarian Law, Refugee Law, and International norms to fight terrorism. The goals are for students to: understand the management and development of International Human Rights Law and other humanitarian systems as part of the evolution of political ethics; be familiar with the principal normative components of these systems, their legal and meta-legal of application and protection, their institutional principals and movements, and their relation to other themes; that they appreciate the moral, theoretical, and practical dilemmas that these areas present; and that they learn about the possibilities of acting in these fields as citizens and as professionals. This class is taught by Professor José Zalaquett, who has a Ph.D., honoris causa, by the Universities of Notre Dame and City University of New York.

“Although I have only had class with him for two weeks, Professor Zalaquett’s human rights class is quickly becoming one of my favorite law school classes.  He is extremely engaging and dynamic, and encouraged class participation, which is rare at the University of Chile.  He is also extremely knowledgeable yet open to the alternative viewpoints of students.” - Rachel Marx, Harvard Law School Student, Class of 2009

Environmental Law and Resolution of Disputes
Clínica de Derecho Ambiental y Resolución de Conflictos studies constitutional aspects of environmental law, including the use of the natural resources, the regulatory frame of artificial or natural surroundings, and resolution of disputes related to environmental rights. This class is taught by Professor María Nora González.

Indigenous Rights in Chile
This class provides students with theoretical and conceptual tools to analyze the subject of
indigenous pueblos and their legal claims, including the recognition of their territories, natural resources, authorities, customs, and separate legal system. Students study indigenous Chilean communities and indigenous cultural Rights, and do a critical analysis of indigenous legislation.

Mining Law
Mining is one of Chile’s largest and most profitable industries.  As such, this course focuses on the understanding and application of the laws governing mining activity within the state. In particular, students will look at Chilean mining policy (beginning with a constitutional analysis); the legal instruments for developing the industry; contracting in the mining context; and how to facilitate foreign investment, from the initial phases of obtaining concessions
and managing the use of land and water through the operative phases of exploration and exploitation.  The course centers around a careful study of the national Código de Minería.

Telecommunications Law
Chile has succeeded in creating one of the most competitive telecommunications markets in Latin America.  Beginning with a historical overview, this course examines the legal framework of the telecommunications industry in Chile and Latin America, focusing on themes such as free competition, equal access, and government regulation of new technology.  Students will also study recent court decisions and visit the headquarters of Chile’s largest
telecom provider, Entel PCS.

Orientation Program
DRCLAS RO organizes a weeklong Orientation Program exclusively for Harvard Law School students participating in the exchange program. This program includes an intensive Chilean Spanish language program and an experiential learning program focused on Chilean culture, history, and politics.

Internships
Harvard Law School students can do internships and research projects (while on the Study Abroad Program) at organizations such as Chile Transparente; Pro-Bono (a non-profit organization that provides voluntary legal services to the community); Corporation for the Promotion and Defense of the People’s Rights (CODEPU-CHILE), and the Mental Health Center and Human Rights for People who have been Tortured (CINTRA).  

Other possibilities for internships include: United Nations High Commission for Human Rights in Santiago (UNHCR), the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), as well as the Ministry of Justice, private law firms such as Baker and McKinsey and Carey Company, private foundations, and non-profit organizations.  While students will not be able to receive clinical or course credit for their work in conjunction with an internship, it provides an exciting opportunity for personal enrichment or to develop their 3L written work requirement.

Housing
To enhance the cultural and linguistic experience of study abroad, HLS students may choose to live with local families in Chile. The DRCLAS Regional Office works closely with a local housing coordinator to facilitate home-stay opportunities. DRCLAS can also assist in finding other housing options.

Applying to the Program
There is a straightforward process to apply for Harvard’s study abroad program in Santiago, Chile. As a potential participant in the program, you are responsible for putting together your own program of study.   You must identify (a) a full-time faculty member at Harvard who is willing to monitor your activities oversees (including reviewing any written work you do while there) and supervise a one-credit paper for a grade after your return; and (b) a full-time faculty member at the Chilean university who is willing to act as your primary contact while you are overseas.

Please contact either Sara Zucker at (617) 495-9030 / szucker@law.harvard.edu or Ben Cook at (617) 496-0899 / bcook@law.harvard.edu

For more information about the human rights program, please contact James Cavallaro, Director of HLS’s Human Rights Program, jcavalla@law.harvard.edu

Harvard Law School Students should also submit the following information as part of their application:

1.  That you are interested in participating in the Harvard University study abroad program at the Universidad de Chile in Santiago, Chile.
2.  The period of time that you propose to study there – i.e., when the semester at the foreign school begins and ends (either mid February to June or mid July to December).                  
3.  The name of your proposed Harvard faculty supervisor.
4.  The name and contact information of a full-time faculty member at the foreign school who has agreed to act as your supervisor while you are there.
Program Director, Mr. Steve Reifenberg, sreifenb@fas.harvard.edu, and DRCLAS Student Coordinator, Ms. Pilo Mella, mella@fas.harvard.edu, in Santiago, can help facilitate the Chilean university contacts based on the individual HLS student’s interests.
5.  A statement of your educational objectives. This is a brief statement (3-5 double-spaced pages), which should describe your academic goals and how the semester abroad is expected to satisfy these goals.
6. The courses you would like to take, with the number of hours/ minutes each meets per week during the semester as a whole; this information is necessary for ABA guidelines. Please provide a one-paragraph description and reading list for each course if possible.   If any of the courses have prerequisites, please indicate how you will satisfy these.  This information can often be found by looking online at the University’s web page. The average law school course at UCH meets 2-3 hours per week for 16 weeks, with some exceptions.
7. The average academic load at UCH is approximately 30 credits per semester for a regular student. This is normally a total of 3 classes.  
8. As the courses are taught in Spanish, please supply evidence of your fluency and proficiency in Spanish, such as a transcript from an undergraduate university or certificate from a credible language institution. An interview to determine your proficiency may also be required. Pilo Mella, DRCLAS Student Coordinator, may interview candidates for the Fall Study Abroad Program in person during her annual visit to Cambridge in March.  Otherwise, she may organize interviews over the telephone or Skype.
9. The Universidad de Chile evaluates students through exams given throughout the semester, some of which will be oral.  Most courses consist of two midterms and a final exam, although some may require additional projects or written work.  Class attendance and participation may factor into the grade as well, depending on the course.
10. Please indicate the grading method that the foreign school uses, including the minimum passing grade.  UCH uses a scale of 1 to 7, with a 4 being the minimum grade necessary to pass.
11.  Your official status at the foreign school during your time there.  Students in the Harvard Program are considered Exchange Students at their respective universities.
12.  A copy of your Harvard Law School transcript.
13.  A letter from your proposed Harvard faculty supervisor indicating that he or she is willing to act as your supervisor during your proposed time abroad and commenting on your proposed program of study.

Once accepted into the program, students will receive a comprehensive package from Santiago with additional information about the program.

The following Harvard College Students have indicated they would be willing to give feedback on their experiences in the Study Abroad Program in Chile:

Rachel Marx   rmarx@law.harvard.edu
Sun Jung Kim  smkim@law.harvard.edu
Jacob Kopas    jkopas@post.harvard.edu

Frequently asked questions:
1. Do I need to apply for a student visa before I leave the USA? If so, how?
Yes, you do. Before coming to Chile, DRCLAS Regional Office will send you a welcome package where you will find the required documentation to process your student visa at the closest Chilean consulate you can find. The address for the Chilean Consulate in Boston is: 1 Bernardo O'Higgins Circle, Brighton, MA 02135-7840 Telephone: 617-232-0416 Fax: 617-232-0817, Email: conchile.org@attbi For more information about the Student VISA process and its requirements, please click on the following link http://www.chile-usa.org/visarequirements.htm

2. Will I be able to register my student Visa when I get to Chile?
Yes. Once you arrive in Chile, on the third day of Orientation you and your study abroad fellows will go with the DRCLAS Student Program Coordinator to the Chilean International Police, to register your student visa and then to National Identification Agency to get your Chilean Id.

3. How long is the Harvard Orientation?
The Harvard Orientation is one week long, immediately before the start of academic classes at the local universities.

4. What will I be doing as part of this Orientation?
The Orientation program includes an immersion experience in Chilean language, cultural history, politics and literature. In addition there are daily intensive language classes to assist in the adjustment to the peculiarities of Chilean Spanish.  There are also a number of experiential learning visits scheduled as well as time to prepare and discuss strategies for taking full advantage of the opportunities in Chile.

5. If I have a cell phone do I need to bring it with me?
Depending on the technology that your cell phone has, you might be able to bring it with you and just change its “chip.” If you want to buy a cell phone while you are down here, there are several cell phone companies where you can find very competitive prices, for example: Telefónica, Entel PCS, and Smartcom.

6. Will I receive help in registering for my classes?
Absolutely. The Harvard staff will assist you throughout the process of class registration and selection. We also recommend that you contact students who have participated in the program in the past for information about class selection and other aspects of the program.  They will help establish contacts among Chilean students as well.

7. How many classes should I take?
Harvard requires a minimum of thirty credits of class during the semester abroad. These hours can be divided up into three or four courses, and a typical class meets for approximately seventy hours a semester.  You should also coordinate closely with Sara Zucker to be sure that you are taking the appropriate amount of credits in Chile to satisfy ABA requirements for study abroad. You should also contact the Harvard Law School Registrar’s Office regarding other requirements you may need to satisfy.

8. Will I have time to travel?
Yes, depending on the time of year, as there are holidays and scheduled breaks throughout the semester.  Many students have also traveled before and after their semester in Chile. Santiago is two hours from the beach and one hour from the mountains, so traveling to interesting places over the weekends is easy, close, and cheap.

9. Will I need health insurance?
Yes. You will not be permitted to participate in the program without valid health insurance. You must either demonstrate that you have health insurance independently or purchase continuing coverage through Harvard.  For more information please visit
http://huhs.harvard.edu/HealthnDentalPlans/StudentHealthIns.htm

10. Does Harvard offer activities throughout the semester?
Yes. Harvard schedules cultural and social activities throughout the semester such as dinner and cinema outings, invitations to important lectures, etc.  

11. Will I have access to the Harvard Office throughout the semester?
Yes.  The DRCLAS office and staff are always available to assist you. The office is available for studying on weekends, and you can connect your laptop to the Harvard network.

12. Does financial aid extend to study abroad?
Yes, contact the Harvard Law School Financial Aid Office at finaid@law.harvard.edu.

14. What level of Spanish do I need to participate in the Harvard Study Abroad Program in Chile?
We recommend that all participants should have intermediate or advanced level of Spanish.