Masterexkursionen 2027

• Leitung: Prof. Dr. Jürgen Herget

• Die Exkursion: Südwesten der USA: Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Death Valley, Flagstaff, Gallup, Cortez, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Tucson und Yuma, Los Angeles
• Zeitraum: Ende Februar bis Mitte März 2027 (wahrscheinlich 23.02.–10.03.2027)
• Vorbereitungsseminar: Mehreren Sitzungen im Januar/ Februar, Voraussetzung ist eine persönliche Teilnahme vor Ort. 
• Anforderungen: normale körperliche Fitness, wenn mehrere Teilnehmer >25 Jahre sind und Autofahrer werden wollen / können, reduziert dies die Kosten für alle Teilnehmer deutlich; eine Anforderung ist dies jedoch nicht. 
• Kosten: ca. 1.500 Euro, je nach Gruppengröße und Gruppenzusammensetzung (ohne Flug, mit Übernachtung und Frühstück, Eintritte, Fahrten – d.h. alle Kosten außer Flug, Mittag-/Abendverpflegung und Taschengeld)

Chile: Neoliberalism and socio-environmental inequalities 

• Leader: Prof. Dr. Jessica Budds
• The Field Trip: Chile is often described as the economic development success story of Latin America. Under the military dictatorship in the 1970s, the country adopted neoliberal reforms in all aspects of the economy and society, and pursued export-oriented natural resource industries – including agriculture, minerals, wood and seafood – for global markets. While Chile has achieved impressive rates of economic growth and human development, as reflected in coverage of infrastructure and services, this has come at the cost of social inequality and environmental degradation. Scholars use the term “sacrifice zone” to describe the socio-environmental impacts of resource extraction, such as desertified valleys from export fruit plantations in northern Chile, and wildfire-prone commercial tree plantations in the south. Since the return to democracy in the 1990s, successive governments have sought to maintain the neoliberal economic model with greater attention to social welfare and ecological protection. However, this direction has been controversial, with inequality driving the social protests that started in 2019 and culminated in two failed attempts to reform the military-era Constitution in 2022 and 2023. This field course will examine how the country’s development model has shaped its economy, society, and environment, and how these dyanmics have been contested, with particular attention to the uneven spatial dynamics of investment and the distribution of benefits and risks. Based in Santiago and central Chile (from the Valparaíso or Coquimbo to the Biobío or Araucanía regions), we will look at the production of public and private urban space; social inequalities relating to housing, infrastructure and work; water governance, scarcity and security; and the conditions of production of export commodities and socio-environmental conflicts. The field course will be run in collaboration with local academics, organizations and stakeholders. 
• Timing: February/March 2027
• Preparatory seminar: February/March, Students spending a semester abroad can take part via Zoom.
• Requirements: This is a human geography field trip, with a focus on globalization, development and governance, and students will need to engage with these themes both theoretically and empirically, including through preparation and assignments. The course will be run in English, and any level of Spanish is useful, although not required. You will need the physical ability to walk for long periods/distances (disabilities will be accommodated as far as possible), good walking shoes and clothing, sun protection (February-March is late summer in Chile), a field diary (A5 notebook), and a (phone) camera. In addition, a serious, ethically-aware and flexible attitude is essential to work appropriately in Latin America and to engage sensitively with local stakeholders and lower-income communities. Comprehensive health insurance (including medical repatriation) is required, and non-EU passport holders may need a visa for Chile. 
• Costs: Approximately 1.500 Euro, including accommodation (B&B in shared single-sex rooms in basic hotels/hostels), local travel (public transport and private 4WD minibus), tours and activities (all collaborators are paid on ethical grounds). Travel between Germany and Santiago (from c. 750 Euro by air) and other personal costs (insurance, visa, meals) are not included.