english language challenges

Hi everyone! This is the last blog of the semester. Topic today is about english itself. This language has become practically in the global language. Globalization and increasing range of the internet had contributed. So, english is such a language that most of people know, at least as a basic vocabulary and pronunciation. Although I believe this as an effect of cultural homogenization, I also conceive this, positively, like an instrument for make communication easier, between people from other countries. English is, comparing with other languages, easy to learn. Do not involve so many conjugation like spanish and french. Pronunciation is practicable.
Chilean education favour english learning. English classes are introduced at very early ages, and also there are a lot of resources at the internet, available for children. I start with English classes in second grade in school. Since that moment I always use english for stuff like translate a song, or similar things. Now is has become necessary for translate articles and chapters of books, and also at work. Sometimes comes an foreigner couple and the easier way to communicate is through english. In University I have taken two english courses. The strenght of these courses is the blogging part. It allows to you to improve your writting skills and also develop more vocabulary. I think, however, is necessary to introduce more interacting spaces, when oral skills get improved, and also students be prepared for communication in situ, and also other current situation in profesional field, like a conference, a congress, or and exhibition. Oral skills must be strengthen as like writting habilities. 

Changes to the anthropology study programme

Hi. Today the topic is a little more serious. It is about the study programme of our careers, in my case anthropology, or archaeology more specifically. Each university offer a delineated study programme. Different kinds of orientation. University of Chile is one of the few that contains the career of archaeology in this country, although as a speciality of a bigger one (anthropology). This situation is very important, and relates with above because in this faculty see archaeology from the american perspective, and hence adopt this study scheme. Like a pair of recognized anthropologist said once "american archaeology is anthropology or it is nothing" (Willey and Phillips, 1958:2). So, archaeology here seems to have such perspective what value the human customes and their collective imagination. I think all that is correct. Like archaeologits, we can not forget cultures behind material remains. But, about the specifical anthropology programme of University of Chile, I consider necessary extend the variety of micro specializations. Archaeology is esentially an interdisciplinary career. Make links with architecture, astronomy, biology, chemistry, linguistics, religion and exisnting discipline, since we are talking about human being living in society and inside of an ecosystem full of living forms that  related with them, actively or passively. So, we could have an archaeology of lanscape, architectural archaeology, archaeoastronomy (fortunately already included in anthropology programme), religious archaeology, between many others. Of course, many of these specializations are shared with anthropology itself (like linguistic anthropology, again, not included in study programme). The problem is, scarce diffusion of all social careers inside the country, leading to stretch study programmes. Promote diffusion of these careers is the only way for make solid study programmes. Now, with the iniciative to open a TV channel of University of Chile, there is hope for social sciences to gained attention.