São Paulo, Brazil
Brazil is truly a land of contrasts. A variety of cultures, beliefs, and topographies make this nation a showcase of diversity. Although Brazil is considered a Latin country, the country's racial composition reflects the unique blend of indigenous, African, Asian, and European peoples. Brazil is home to two of the world's largest cities (São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro), the largest rainforest (the Amazon), and has one of the ten largest economies.
About the Program
The program is based in São Paulo and is offered in conjunction with the Fundãcao Armando Alvares Penteado (FAAP), a private educational institution. With a population of over 19 million people, São Paulo is the largest metropolis in South America and is among the largest cities in the world. The racial and cultural diversity of this city makes it ideal for the study of the causes and effects of economic development and political democratization.
All students participating in the program will be required to take four courses:
Women, Environment, and Social Change
Social, political, and economic policies toward the environment impact all members of society. This course will explore how such policies, especially those dealing with water resources, affect the lives of women. Students will visit NGOs, community centers and cooperatives, shantytowns, a water treatment station, dams and hydroelectric plants. There will be guest speakers (community leaders and activists, architects, engineers, politicians) to present on some of the topics or to guide the group during our visits. Students will have the option of volunteering (teaching English) at a center for women and children in one of the communities that we will visit.
Survey of Brazilian Society
This course is a survey of relevant issues and aspects of Brazilian communities: Afro-Brazilian religions; the Catholic Church, Evangelical movements, and social change; racism; construction of cultural and ethnic identities; social structure and social class; crime and social control; the economy and urbanization; language and culture. Students will visit NGOs, museums and cultural centers, historical sites, and communities as part of the course and there will be a number of guest speakers covering various topics.
Screening Identities in Latin American Cinema
This course offers an interdisciplinary study of contemporary Brazilian cinema focusing on issues of representation, reception and spectatorship, and construction of (national, cultural, gender, and racial) identity. In addition to the films viewed as part of the course, reviews and substantive readings will contribute to an examination of five main topics: 1) Constructions of Gender; 2) Representations of National Identity; 3) Race and Class; 4) Queer Images; and, 5) Marginality and Violence. All films studied in class will link two or more of these topics.
Portuguese I or II
All students will take a course in Portuguese language and will be placed in an appropriate level upon taking a placement exam.
ACADEMIC FOCUS
This program will be of interest to students studying economic development, social planning/public policy, Latin American studies, women's studies, and human rights.
This program is open to all sophomores, juniors, and seniors in good academic and social standing with a minimum gpa of 2.5. All students must complete at least one semester of Brazilian Portuguese prior to departure. Due to the challenging nature of study abroad, student academic and disciplinary records will be carefully screened.
Students on the program will reside in homestays with Brazilian families.
The program will include a variety of local excursions in and around São Paulo, including visits to the port city of Santos (the largest seaport in Latin America), Embu, and Salesopolis. Other excursions may include visits to Paraty, Rio de Janeiro (site of the 2014 soccer World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics) and Recife.
Students will be charged standard HWS tuition and fees, room fees, a ½ board fee, and a $600 administrative fee. This will cover tuition for a four-course semester, health insurance, housing with 2 meals a day (breakfast and dinner while in São Paulo in their homestay), and program-related activities and excursions. Students should plan to bring the remaining ½ board fee to cover lunches and meals during excursions.
Additional expenses not covered include airfare, visa, books, and personal expenses (laundry, entertainment, ground transportation, and independent travel). We estimate airfare for this program at $1100-$1300 from the East Coast, visa at $200, and books at $250. It is difficult to give an accurate estimate of personal expenses because student spending habits differ considerably. We would suggest a minimum of $1250 above and beyond meal expenses. However, students on a tight budget should be able to manage with less. If you are concerned about finances we strongly encourage you to talk to the CGE staff who can offer information and advice based on your specific situation.
HWS students must complete all components of the Global Education application in order to be considered for admission to this program.
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This program is offered in the Fall semester of odd years.
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All components of the application must be submitted online by the published deadline. Specific deadline dates are set each semester and will be in late September/early October (for Fall programs) and late February/early March (for Spring programs).
Program Handbook
IMPORTANT: The handbook(s) below is/are the most recent handbook(s) published for this program. A new version, with updated information, will be made available each semester. Program participants will receive their updated handbook approximately 2-3 months prior to their program’s start date.
FALL HANDBOOK
Please DO NOT MAKE TRAVEL ARRANGEMENTS until you have received final confirmation of the program start/finish dates for the specific semester you are attending. Dates included in versions of the program handbook intended for previous semesters do not necessarily apply to future programs.
NOTE: The information above is subject to change. Please see the CGE for more information.
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