Brazil and Brazilians: Exploring History, Culture, and the Environment in Bahia and Rio de Janeiro

Brazil boasts some of the most beautiful places on earth and many Brazilians work to defend them and create a more just society.  But for most foreigners, Brazil is only a nation of beaches, soccer and deforestation. Yet Brazil is much more than its stereotype suggests.  Like Americans, Brazilians debate how to cope with a changing environment. Some advocate for sustainability, while others prioritize economic growth. Addressing problems associated with poverty poses challenges for both groups.

These debates are not new. They began more than 500 years ago when the Portuguese first established a colony there. Today, like the United States, Brazil is a major industrial and agricultural nation, but the legacies of those early colonial days live on. This spring semester 3 credit course abroad will allow students to see beyond stereotypes and develop a complex view of Brazil and Brazilians. Students begin their study on campus and then, during 16 days in May, travel to Brazil to turn their academic study into tangible understandings.

During our visit, we have the unique opportunity to collaborate with Brazilian students and faculty at the State University of Santa Cruz (UESC) in Bahia, who accompany us for part of the trip and translate for us. They help us to see how college students, as well as historians, writers, geographers, farmers, and environmentalists, view their nation and its challenges.

Students visit UNESCO World Heritage Sites (Salvador and the Atlantic Forest in Bahia and Christ the Redeemer in Rio de Janeiro) as well as farms and non-profit organizations where environmentalists are developing sustainable practices to protect endangered species.

Students should expect to walk in urban and rural areas for up to an hour at a time.  General Education and advanced academic credits in History or International Studies are available. History majors receive non-western credit.

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