KENTUCKY
INSTITUTE FOR
INTERNATIONAL
STUDIES
BRAZIL 2005
COURSE SYLLABUS
Course Number: MLA 105-70
Instructor: Dr. Meta Mendel-Reyes
Credit Hours: 3
Prerequisites: None.
Title: Introduction to Contemporary Culture: Brazil.
Catalog Description: This course explores Brazil’s distinctive, multi-faceted
contemporary culture. The course will focus on popular culture as a means of expression
and as a lens for viewing society.
Purpose: The goals of this course are to enhance the students’ understanding and
appreciation of Brazilian popular culture from an interdisciplinary perspective.
Using the concept of cultural relativity, the course will explore all facets of culture from a
Brazilian perspective (insider view) as well as an American perspective (outsider view).
Topics will include the Afro-Brazilian roots of popular music; the samba school and
community; soccer and the nation; the role of the arts in the transition from dictatorship
to democracy.
Course Objectives: Course objectives include the development of first-hand, field-based
knowledge of Brazilian culture. The course is also designed for the students to build an
understanding of culture in a social and political context, and to apply it to what is
observed in Brazil, while also developing the ability to critically evaluate popular culture
in the U.S.
Content Outline: The course covers the following topics:
1. The concept of culture (cultural relativity, popular culture, cultural politics)
2. Overview of Brazilian cultural history
3. Overview of cultural groups in Brazil
4. The Afro-Brazilian impact (focus on capoeira, condomble)
5. Popular culture and community (focus on samba, soccer, telenovela)
6. Popular culture in daily life (customs, food).
7. The politics and economics of popular culture
8. The global impact of Brazilian popular culture (focus on music, dance)
Instructional Activities: Daily lectures will be followed by organized outings or
individual assignments (cultural observations). Debates, discussions, and daily
summaries will take place at the lodging site each day.
Field Experiences: The following field experiences are part of the course
experience:
1. Examination of popular culture and small town life in Pirenópolis.
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2. Half-day excursions from Pirenópolis to see rainforest and savanna adaptations Native American culture in environmental context.
3. Tour of Brasília, with discussions about Brazilian politics and history.
4. Examination of urban life in Salvador with discussions of Afro-Brazilian culture.
5. Analysis of Rio de Janeiro with discussions and explorations of popular culture in
context of urban life and poverty.
Resources: The course uses the local setting as the principal educational resource.
Grading Procedures: Grades will be determined by the following:
1) Three quizzes over the reading material and observations of the local setting –
each worth 50 points.
2) A final covering all readings and observations due the last day of class in
Brazil - worth 100 points (student may substitute the creation of a work of
popular culture for 30 points of final).
There will be a total of 250 points. The grading scale will be 250 - 225 A,
224 - 200 B, 199 - 175 C, 174 - 150 D, 149 and below F.
Attendance Policy: Attendance is required for all classes and excursions.
One unexcused absent will result in a loss of 20 points and a written reprimand
(hangovers, sunburn, tiredness, or homesickness are not considered appropriate excuses a documented illness is considered an appropriate excuse). A second unexcused absence
will result in dismissal from the program.
Academic Honesty Policy: Students are expected to do their own work (quizzes and
final) and not to copy or plagiarize the work of others. Documented cases of copying or
plagiarizing will result in a failing grade for that quiz or test.
Text and References: There are three books required for this course which you will need
while in Brazil. In addition, you will receive several reading handouts while in Brazil.
Brazil in Focus: A Guide to the People, Politics & Culture by Jan Rocha, 2000, Interlink
Pub., ISBN: 1566563844
The Brazilians by Joseph A. Page (Da Capo Press, 1995). ISBN 0-201-44191-8.
Gabriela, Clove and Cinnamon by Jorge Amado (Mass Market Paperback).
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