Area
Humanities
Sub-Discipline
Languages and Literature
Austral University of Chile
- City: Valdivia,
- Commune: Valdivia,
- Region: Los Ríos Region
goals
The Master's Degree in Contemporary Latin American Literature has the following objectives:
– To train graduates capable of problematizing the literary discourses of Hispanic American cultures and societies, developing their own lines of research.
– To establish a point of reference for dialogue with other programs and research groups, especially in the areas that it has developed or could develop in the future.
– To promote opportunities for knowledge and exchange (meetings, seminars, congresses, etc.) regarding Contemporary Hispanic American Literature.
Applicant Profile
Graduates in any discipline within the Humanities and Social Sciences, and teachers of Language and Communication (or similar titles), as well as those from related learning areas, are eligible to apply to the Program. To apply, you must complete the Application for Admission provided by the Postgraduate Studies Office and include the following:
I. Regular Admission
Applicants must submit an application for admission to the Graduate School of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities of the Austral University of Chile, attaching the documents indicated below.
1. Certificate proving possession of a Bachelor's Degree or Professional Title in the Humanities and/or Social Sciences. Those cases in which the applicant has the degree in process or their Bachelor's Degree is in another disciplinary area will be evaluated by the Program Committee as special cases.
2. Transcript of grades for the undergraduate degree (Bachelor's or equivalent). The degree certificate and transcript of grades must be originals or certified copies.
3. Submit two letters of recommendation, issued by academics or professionals of recognized prestige, relating to the applicant's ability and aptitude.
4. Letter from the applicant justifying their application, accompanied by their curriculum vitae.
5. Documentation demonstrating proficiency in English, French, or German at the level of reading theoretical or critical texts. If proficiency in other foreign languages is demonstrated, the Program Committee will evaluate the situation. Students without knowledge of a foreign language must pass an English proficiency exam during the first year.
6. Certificate attesting to adequate command of the Spanish language for those who are not native speakers of this language.
7. Additionally, all applicants must submit an original essay (exposition and discussion of a problem), between 4 and 5 double-spaced pages, letter size, Times New Roman 12-point font, on a topic in literature or the humanities in general (for example, an excerpt from an undergraduate thesis or dissertation). If the applicant has an existing academic publication at the time of application, they should submit a copy of that publication instead of the essay.
8. In addition, they must submit a thesis proposal descriptor, with a maximum length of 400 words. This descriptor is not binding, but should reflect the candidate's areas of interest.
9. Starting in the second half of 2017, a personal interview with the members of the Program Committee will be mandatory.
II. Special Admission
Valid for the following cases:
1. Program Transfer within the Universidad Austral de Chile. This applies to students who have completed all or part of the coursework in their original program offered by the Universidad Austral de Chile and wish to enroll in the Master's Program in Contemporary Latin American Literature. The requirements are the same as for regular admission, except that an official transcript or equivalent document from their original program and the respective course syllabi must be included. Additionally, in the cover letter, applicants may request credit transfer and/or recognition of credits earned in their original program. The Program Committee's decision regarding the application and/or credit transfer is final.
2. University Transfer. This refers to cases of students who, having completed all or part of the coursework in their original program at another Chilean or foreign university, wish to enroll in the Master's Program in Contemporary Latin American Literature. The requirements are the same as for regular admission, except that it is essential to include an official transcript or equivalent document from their original program and the respective course syllabi. Furthermore, in the cover letter, students may request, along with their application, the validation and/or recognition of credits earned in their original program. The academic committee's decision regarding the application and/or credit validation is final.
3. Places are available for the Linkage Plans of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities at the Austral University of Chile. The Linkage Plan is another way to obtain a Professional Degree and, as its name indicates, creates links between undergraduate programs and a Master's program offered by the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities. This option allows students to exchange the final semester course of the Degree Seminar for two courses taken in the same semester in a graduate program. The degree examination for obtaining the Professional Degree will consist of the presentation of a research paper based on the courses the student has taken.
In the specific case of the Master's Program in Contemporary Latin American Literature, accepted applicants must complete one of the program's required courses plus one elective course, depending on the semester. Upon successful completion of these courses, applicants will receive their professional degree, after passing the degree examination as described in the preceding paragraph. Simultaneously, the credits earned in the Master's Program will be automatically recognized if, after completing their undergraduate studies, they continue their postgraduate studies in this Master's Program. However, the number of places available is limited, subject to availability based on the number of students admitted through the regular admissions process. In any case, the program's Academic Committee will determine the number of places available each academic year.
Admission requirements for students who opt for the Binding Plan
1. Be in the process of taking or already taking the last semester of the Pedagogy in Language and Communication or Pedagogy in History and Social Sciences degrees of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities of the Austral University of Chile.
2. Applicants must submit an application for admission to the Graduate School of the Faculty of Philosophy and Humanities of the Austral University of Chile, attaching the documents indicated below.
3. A transcript of grades that proves that you only have the last semester of your degree left, duly stamped and signed by the director of the respective school.
4. Submit two letters of recommendation, issued by academics or professionals of recognized prestige, regarding the applicant's ability and aptitude. 5. Letter from the interested party justifying their application, accompanied by their curriculum vitae.
6. Additionally, all applicants must submit an original essay (exposition and discussion of a problem), between 4 and 5 double-spaced pages, letter size, Times New Roman 12-point font, on a topic in literature or the humanities in general (for example, a course paper). If the applicant has an academic publication at the time of application, they should submit a copy of that publication instead of the essay.
The admissions process is designed to incorporate students capable of meeting the Program's requirements and achieving its objectives, and is conducted by the Program Committee.
Graduate profile
The graduate will be able to:
– To analyze the problems, trends, authors, texts, poetics and relevant critical visions of contemporary Latin American literature.
– To apply current models and theories relevant to the study of literary and cultural discourses, in order to initiate a line of research of one's own in which to project one's academic production.
– To use critical tools in order to problematize themes and investigate with sufficiency, autonomy, collaborative and interdisciplinary spirit, the diverse discourses of contemporary Latin American literature and its relationships with other disciplines and textualities.
– Organize and/or integrate research teams and develop research skills that enable you to begin doctoral level studies in the field of humanities and/or social sciences.
Lines of investigation
The program maintains five associated lines of research, which are structured in three areas: current problems of literary genres; theoretical debates on contemporary Latin American literature; and inter- and/or transdisciplinary research seminars.
The lines of research are:
1.- Hispanic American poetry: avant-garde and neo-avant-garde poetry; indigenous poetry; regional and territorial poetry; women's poetry.
2.- Hispanic American narrative: questions about narrative subgenres (fantasy narrative, short story, referential narrative, chronicle, essay, etc.); women's narrative; regional narrative;
3.- Hispanic American theatre: dramaturgy, postmodern and post-dictatorship theatre.
4.- Latin American critical theory: cultural, gender, postcolonial, subaltern, regional, ecocritical studies, sociology of art and culture, among others.
5.- Inter- and transdisciplinary relations: literature and anthropology; literature and territory; disciplinary mutations in contemporary Latin American literature; the debate on the literary canon; writing, image and orality; writing and reading practices.
Spanish 
English