Learn more about the “thin country” with “crazy geography.” The England of South America. A South American exception. The Republic of Poetry. Birthplace of neoliberal shock therapy. The descriptions for and of Chile abound. This spring 2025 program simultaneously reveals from whence such descriptions arose as well as both the truths and the falsehoods they may contain. The course examines the history of Chile from roughly 1800 to the present, always with an appreciation for its place in a broader world and always also with an attention to its regional and national specificities. During spring break, student who apply through experience will also travel to Santiago and the UNESCO heritage site Valparaíso.