English Language Challenges

Hi everyone!

Whenever I have the opportunity to learn English, I take it without hesitation, because I have always had a great interest in this language. But if you ask me why, I wouldn't know how to answer. Maybe it's because I always did well in English at school and also because everything I watch and listen to, whether it's music, series or movies, I prefer a thousand times that they are in English. I think there is something more special about it haha

The experience of learning English at university was enriching for me, even in spite of this new form of online classes, because it helped me to practice my English beyond grammar, I mean to be able to speak in English in an improvised way. Because, in school the teaching approach they give to English is to learn how to write, but with these classes I have been able to develop my ability to speak English as if it were my second language. 

In relation to the blogs, personally it has been a very fun experience, because they have allowed me to reflect on different topics, whether it is the pandemic, music, movies, career, etc. and that has helped me to increase my English vocabulary. 

I have to admit that as the classes progressed, I realized that the two biggest aspects of my English that need improvement are my vocabulary and pronunciation. Sometimes when I speak in English I struggle to find the right words to express myself.  So I watch movies and series in English, listen to music in English and read articles or books in English.

Outside of English classes, I use English most of the time, as I mentioned before when I listen to music, in fact I only listen to music in English. Also, sometimes when I chat with my friends who know English, I write to them in English. And well also, sometimes when I am alone at home I establish a conversation with myself in English, a bit weird but it helps haha. 

Changes to my Study programme

Hi everyone!

Today I'm going to talk about what I would change about my study programme.

The Sociology Career has a curriculum that allows to train students in theoretical and practical terms in a very complete way, thanks to the different theoretical and methodological courses. However, what I would change with respect to the curriculum would be the faculty courses, reducing their number, I mean, from 3 to 1, because they are a greater academic load and in my opinion those courses are not very necessary.

Regarding the workload and the length of studies, I find that there are certain courses that have a huge academic load, but there are others where they don't, so in my opinion there is usually a certain balance. But, what could change with respect to this issue is the amount of readings required by the courses, because many times they tend to be excessive. Especially now in the current context of the pandemic it is more difficult to concentrate on reading, because at the university it was easy to print the texts and go to libraries to read them in complete silence. A possibility that, for many, including myself, is not the same at home. 

In relation to the infrastructure of the faculty, I have not yet had the opportunity to know it in detail, I mean, although I know the outside of the faculty, I have not been able to have the experience of having face-to-face classes to reflect how one feels inside the classrooms. So, I could not say much about the infrastructure, except that FACSO is very nice from the outside.  

The technological methods due to the pandemic have been the most used to conduct online classes. Although it has been difficult for those who do not have a good internet connection or a personal computer, the methods have been effective so far, except that it is often tiring to have to watch the recorded classes again (some of which last 3 hours), because one does not fully understand them. 

Finally, regarding the teaching methods, I find that the teaching team of each course has tried to give us all the possibilities to be able to manage the course in the best way. Although there are some professors who make their classes as if they were face-to-face, which for us as students tends to be tiring, I understand that in this context we are all learning. Besides that for teachers it must be quite stressful to conduct online classes, because many are not very familiar with technology and teleworking mixed with domestic work is often very difficult. 

Postgraduate Studies

Hi everyone!

In this blog I would like to talk about my graduate studies.

Since I started studying Sociology, I immediately became interested in the area of gender, that is, Sociology of Gender. That's why I started researching about gender theory, allowing me to know and understand many things. I found great authors who explain how gender opens the space for us to look beyond a biological differentiation between men and women. This concept is defined as a sociocultural construction that is not related to or dependent on sex. Most research focuses on gender relations between men and women and the oppression of women. However, studies on gender-neutral or non-binary gender are very scarce.

Therefore, within the area of gender I would like to specialize in gender-neutral or non-binary gender and also in queer theory. To be able to contribute in the future with studies and research on these topics and to be able to make visible those people of non-binary gender. Especially in Chile, there is very little awareness at the societal level. In fact, although the gender identity law enacted in 2018 was an advance, it only considers those people who transition from one gender to another within a binary range (female / male) and those who identify with a gender outside that range are not recognized at the state or institutional level.

In Chile this subject is not much addressed academically, so I would have to study it abroad and one of the countries where there is much awareness of queer theory both socially and academically is in the United States. If the pandemic did not exist I would like to go to seminars in the United States, especially those led by Judith Butler, one of the pioneers of queer theory. But since we are living in a pandemic context I can only do online courses on queer theory.

My dream job

Hi everyone!

Lately I have been rethinking what I would like to do with my life in the future, including what I would like my dream job to look like. Perhaps it is because of the pandemic that I have been able to have space to meditate and rethink what I would like to do with my life in the future.

First of all I have to say that I love my career, but if you were to ask me right now what my dream job would be I would probably answer acting in series or movies. I imagine myself maybe playing a superhero, maybe it's because of my new obsession with Marvel. However, I've never studied theater, so I may never get that kind of job.  

So, being more realistic and thinking about what I'm studying: Sociology. My ideal job would be to work at Sename to be able to help all the little ones there, so it would be an indoor job. Then, to be able to have a foundation for the needy children, to be able to give them a better life and make their day to day life easier, like UNICEF. Maybe the salary of my job does not give me much, but for me the main objective and one of the main reasons why I study Sociology is to be able to help people, especially the little ones. To have the tools to be able to do the right help. 

Now, first of all I would like to focus on helping people in my country and then travel around the world helping other people, maybe create in other countries the same base that I would create in my country. 

Positive, negative and funny experiences about this world pandemic.

Hi everyone!

Nowadays we find ourselves in a pandemic context that has generated a radical change for our lifestyles and It has brought us quite complicated moments.

Fortunately, for my part, I have had the opportunity to spend these difficult moments with my family, so I have been able to cope with this pandemic in a better way. However, as a family we have been in constant fear because my mother's job forces her to be in frequent contact with people, so she could catch COVID at any moment. Luckly, so far neither she nor the rest of my family have been infected. 

If I could say what is the worst thing that the pandemic has left, it is the fact that it has highlighted with greater emphasis the enormous inequalities of our Chilean society. And personally, for me the worst thing has been the online classes, which have complicated me a lot, becoming a constant discouragement and stress. 

Within all the bad there is always something good that stands out. And the good things that stand out are, first of all, being with my family. Secondly, I have been able to learn a lot about playing the guitar, which has been helpful in times of stress and anxiety. And lastly, I have "discovered" a great singer named Taylor Swift, whose music fills my soul.

Among the fun has been my obsession with the Marvel Cinematic Universe, as I am every day putting together theories or reading other people's theories related to the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies and series. 

I feel that this pandemic will bring us many lessons on a personal and societal level, even though we have shown as a society how unempathetic and individualistic we are. 

I believe that in a way this virus will not go away, so we must learn to live with it. 

My Favorite Movie

Hi everyone.

Today I would like to share with you about my favorite movie. I must admit that it is very difficult to choose a favorite movie, because I have one for each genre. So with that, you can guess that I'm a super movie fan. I love going to the cinema with my mom, friends, but especially with my grandma. I share a Disney obsession with her, so when a Disney’s movie comes out we immediately go to the cinema.

Anyway, that's not the only kind of movie that I enjoy. I like the romantic genre, drama and action. I can name a movie for one of them. For romantic: "Me before you", for action: anything from the "Marvel Cinematic Universe" and for drama: "La vita è bella".

However, out of the whole range of movies I've seen in my entire life, my favorite is "Brave", because 1) I love Disney princess movies and 2) she is a strong, brave and empowered woman whose fight flag is to lead the kingdom by herself without a man by her side. And also because it's the first Pixar movie with a female protagonist.

This film tells the story of Princess Merida of DunBroch whose interests are archery and horse riding. She defies an age-old custom and causes chaos in the kingdom by expressing a wish not to be compromised. Her mother, Queen Elinor, does not let Mérida do what she is passionate about, because Elinor considers that her interests are not what a princess should do and she must be married. So when Merida and her mother have an argument, she decides to leave and meets a witch. Merida asks for a spell to change her mother and the witch gives her a special cake. But when her mother eats the cake, it causes her to turn into a bear. 

The Best Holidays I've Had

 

When someone asks me about the best vacation I've ever had, I immediately think of 2014. In that year, my mom and I traveled to Orlando to visit The Wizards World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios. We've always been huge Harry Potter fans, so when we took this trip it was a dream come true.

The big day started at 5:00 am, we had breakfast and took a bus to Universal Studios. When we arrived, we immediately went to the "Hogwarts" castle attraction and then to the "Escape from Gringotts" attraction. We also took the "Hogwarts Express" train and experienced the scene where the dementors arrive as in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Askaban. 

Best of all was when we had lunch at a famous restaurant "The Three Broomsticks", where Harry and his friend were going to drink butterbeer. Also when we were in the bathroom and heard Moaning Myrtle, a ghost that haunts the girls' lavatory at Hogwarts.

The adventure lasted two days, but it was the best of my entire life.