POST 8

Fifa world cup is one of the most important sporting events in the world, a real party where people from all nationalities go to support their teams. The World Cup is played every four years and since 1998 Chile did not participate in it, from the remembered World Cup in France, that time many Chileans traveled, using their savings, asking for bank credits, selling cars and houses, participating in the World Cup party.

So it is very important to have classified to the World Cup, for several reasons, first soccer is the most popular sport in our country and generates many feelings in people, people identify with our team. Second, playing a World Cup means big money and a push to Chilean soccer. Third, is a showcase for the country itself, the World Cup is seen around the world and the countries that advance in the cup are reported by the international press, becoming known worldwide.

My favorite Chilean player is Alexis Sanchez, the "wonder boy", he is a young player who debuted at age of 16 in Cobreloa, then he went to Colo Colo, then to River Plate of Argentina and now plays for Udinese of Italy. The truth is that I really like his speed and dribbling skills and also his muscular legs.

For the world cup I think I will be working on my thesis, but there is always time to meet with friends and watch the matches of Chile, with a barbacue or celebrating after a win, the truth is that I am not a big football fan, but it's fun and exciting to watch the matches of the selection with more people.

I would like to go to South Africa, I've always wanted to know Africa and may be a good starting point for an interesting journey.

POST 12

This essay has the objective of approximating a revision of the technologies I’ve used in different subject over this last academic year at college. As an Anthropology student of the Social Sciences Faculty of the Universidad de Chile, I think that the use of technologies presents itself as a big advantage as a learning tool for subjects, especially those that have to do with methodologies in social investigation. That’s why I pretend to demonstrate that the different technologies learnt this year, the 2009 Anthropology student has at his/her hands a considerable advantage over students licensed years earlier because, as it will be seen, these technologies facilitate the good exercise of the profession.

Years earlier, the Social Anthropology students weren’t taught technologies in depth. However, since this year, there has been an introduction to subjects, especially those that deal with methodologies, the teaching of technologies. Let’s review two of them to demonstrate how 2009 students have an advantage towards students from years before.

1. Atlas.ti. This software was learnt Qualitative Methods and Techniques in Social Investigation. Atlas.ti is an informatics tool being its objective the facilitation of the qualitative analysis of big volumes of textual data, mainly. Being that its focus is qualitative analysis, it’s not meant to automate the process of analysis, but simply to help the human interpreter, considerably speeding up a lot of the activities implicated in the qualitative analysis and interpretation. For example, the segmentation of texts in passages or quotes, codification or the writing of comments or notes, in other words, all of those activities that, if we didn’t have the software, we would have to do manually with the aid of paper, pencils, scissors, charts and photocopies.

2. SPSS. For the Quantitative Methods in Social Investigation course, we were taught how to use the software known as Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). SPSS is an informatics statistics program very used in the Social Sciences and the marketing studies. It is very popular due to the possibility of working with huge databases. It allows the reconfiguration of variables and registers according to the needs of the user. The software consists of a base module and annexed modules that have been constantly upgraded with new statistical procedures.

From the above review of two technologies learnt throughout the year 2009 by Anthropology students, we can conclude that it is absolutely important the teaching-learning of techniques capable of data processing, be them qualitative or quantitative. This is verified if we link that learning to the professional exercise of the discipline. It can also be pointed that being that the 2009 students learnt said technologies, they present an advantage over students from years before, who didn’t get the chance to learn about them. This is why we would like to end with the following question. How is it possible that in earlier years students weren’t taught how to use the above mentioned tools? An investigation is needed to clarify that answer.

POS 11

Today I will talk about the important challenges de Social Anthropology career in three specific aspects: (1) Technology, (2) Social Matters and (3) education.

(1) Technology. First, it’s important to mention that the Social Anthropology career doesn’t use much technology in its professional exercise. Generally, video cameras, photo cameras, voices recorders, on the one hand and software related on data processing, on the other, are examples of technology utilized by anthropologists. With that being said, maybe one of the challenges associated to the career regarding technology could be the personalization of instruments such as cameras and recorders, on one hand, and the adaptation of the software for a more trans-disciplinary approach. The former alludes to the possibility of adapting the ergonometry of cameras and recorders for the particular use of this equipment in anthropologic fieldwork. The latter makes reference to the possibility that the software may be used by people of other disciplines and not just by those related to the Social Sciences. To solve these challenges I think it is necessary, in the first case, that a group of anthropologists properly register the main needs on fieldwork while holding and manipulating cameras and recorders. To solve the second case, I think that colleges where Anthropology is taught there should be a line of investigation were the interdisciplinary application of software is treated. The critical problems that this area presents related to technology, is that most of the time the innovations associated to the area don’t reach poorer countries, or in the case they do reach only those with the mean to acquire it do, that is, very few people.

(2) Social Matters. The challenges regarding this area in the Social Anthropology career are related to the problematization of the introduction of contemporaneousness to the development of theory and methodology in the discipline. Classically, Social Anthropology advocated to the study of ethnical denominated people, however, today Anthropology has all the potential to study society in general. To solve such a problem it is necessary that theoreticians problematize in a better way the introduction of modernity and modernization under the classical presuppositions of Anthropology to create theoretical models for the study of society. The critical problems regarding this, is the inertia presented by the current theoretical developments present in the discipline and that they reflect the academic body of some of the faculties where the career is taught.

(3) Education. Some of the biggest challenges for the discipline are the ones presented in this area. This relates to the capacity that Anthropology has to advance on the national educational system and also, on the ways how learning and teaching are carried out in multicultural groups. Regarding the national educational systems, Anthropology can design and implement reforms and public politics that are better suited with the national reality and its true worries. Regarding multicultural education, on the other hand, we refer to the possibility of creating new methodologies for the learning and teaching at schools were not only students, but also teachers from different cultures assist and teach, respectively. To solve this challenges its precise that the colleges were the Anthropology career is taught, lines of investigation and extension projects are created were its possible that the above difficulties above discussed are developed. These lines could even be institutionalized in an Anthropology of Education on the departments. The critical problems that this area of education presents is that there rarely are academic bodies in the career that deal with the subject specifically. This generates a lack of knowledge from the students on the subject.

POST 6

This December in Chile is going to be a presidential election. Chile is the most successful country in Latin-American, for its democracy and economical performance. There are three options for this presidential election. Sebastian Piñera is the representing the political coalition for change (coalición política por el cambio) that represents the right wing tendency. He is well known world class business man, an liberal economist that posses important companies in our country, like LanChile . The second option is Eduardo Frei, he is from the democratic cristian party, that belongs to the political concentration coalition, also with the socialists party, and the party for democracy. That coalition has been in the government for 78 years.
Eduardo Frei had the presidency from 1994 to 2000. He is an Ingenier, also the son of an ex president, Eduardo Frei Montalva in the period form 1964 to 1970.
The third option is Marco Enriquez Ominami that is an ex militant of the concertation coalition, but he (in general)is not seen as a person who belives in socialism and revolution and that has a lefty tendency. His position is very similar to the comcertacion coalition, but he criticies the govermnet and the coalition in general.
Those are the tree principal options but there is one more, the political coalition of the left socialist sector, Juntos Podemos Más. The candidate for this coalition is Jorge Arrate.
I´m not inscribed in the electoral records, therefore, I don´t vote. I wasn’t to register because I don´t agree with the current constitution, which, it was created in the military dictatorship.

POST 5

Hello!

Today I´ll talk about the places to visit in Santiago. I like the today topic´s! because in December friends of Peru were coming and I´ll have to show the best places of Santiago.

1. Diego is my friend who was coming of Peru. I would like to show Lastarria´s Neighborhood, because there are historical monuments, patrimonial architecture, some streets that still preserve, original cobbles, the joint activities that there realize, and today, the identical gastronomic existing offer, besides the interest of designers and artists to insert yours showcases in this sector. In short, the Neighborhood Lastarria, in spite of his sketches of modernity, supports urban characteristics of long ago and for especially, that breathes this tradition that makes it particular, as a small tribe, inside this great city.

2. The second place I would like to show the buin zoo because It is a very entertaining place. It this one very far, from the Terminal of Buses San Borja in Santiago, behind the Mall Estación, in the second level there go out the lines Buin-Maipo and Buin-Paine, which leave it in a whereabouts to 50 meters of the pedestrian access to the park.

3. The third place I will suggest an foreign tourist to visit in Santiago Of CHILE IS La moneda. The reason is because the political and historical traditional of that palace . That is the place of the president of the republic. Lost of important facts occurred there . These military offense to the socialist government of Socialist government, this is world wide issue , thousands of Chileans died .

4. The Compañia de Jesus, cathedral catholic traditional, this shows the Spanish heritage in the Chilean society, art , religion , culture language , esthetics is Spanish.

5. The General Cemetery is created by Bernardo Ohiggins, one of the first reformes made by the young republican in 1820.

POST 4

Hello, Today I´ll talk about september 18TH.
On 18 of September in Chile, the people and citizenship celebrates the National Independence Day. This occasion is for the anniversary of the first national republican government. On 18 of September of 1810 was the first national meeting, but only after almost 8 years later in 1818 the civil war finish between the Spanish and the republican army. Where Bernardo O Higgins, General of the Chilean army wins the battle of Maipú. In 1833 Chile was their final constitution after 5 years of discussion between liberal and conservative groups.
The people celebrate independent day and the birth of the Chilean republic, playing making barbecues with family and friends. Eating meat and drinking wine. Dancing cuecas, that is the national folk dance. This dance is practice by the peasant in the country. Chileans also play traditional games like fling kites, rodeo and horse racing. This country and farm culture, that’s because Chile was a country administrated by the Spain Kingdom, by a monarchy with residence in Spain. My family went out to the country to celebrate the native holidays. I come also my grandmother and all the brothers of my breast and it eats. It was very entertaining.
Byee!

PRESENTATION

My name is Marcela Quero, I´m studying anthropology at the faculty of social science.
My presentation for October will focus on a topic that is contentious in Chile: education in public university.

I'm interested in this subject because I believe that education in public university currently faces great challenges and tensions in the coming months. First, because now it is facing a general and specialized university reform, and secondly because the process is or constitutes a new policy for these universities.

My presentation will consist of two parts. The first attempt to problematize what is meant collectively as a public university. The elements for this discussion will treat the proposed new treatment of the state, along with the history of university reform from Europe. The second part is more ethnographic themes. I´ll discuss how they see education students who are currently in the Faculty of Social Sciences. I´ll interview and observe classes.

The relevance of this research is extremely important because, there will come a series of tensions and problems in public education. The university needs to further research. Also, the investigation will help students to prepare for the change, and also to initiate a line of research on university education.