Brazil in the 21st Century: A Cultural Study of a Globalizing Nation Hosting High Profile Events: International Relations, Sustainable Policies, Education, Society, and the Global Context of the Portuguese Language .
Due to an overwhelming number of applicants, the program is currently not accepting applications for 2013. However, I would like to encourage you to contact the 2014 Faculty leader, prof. Elias to pre-register and interview for the 2014 Dialogue – s.elias@neu.edu. Brazil will be Hosting the World Cup in 2014, and applications along with acceptance should occur during the last week of October, at the latest. Because of limitate space and logistics, preference will be given to students enrolled on the Portuguese program, their friends and early birds applicants. We are looking forward to have you there with us!
The Brazil in the 21st program is supported by several agencies, institutions and organizations, including the office of International Relations of the government of Belo Horizonte. This program offers students immersion into some of the world’s most dynamic, diverse and growing cities in Brazil: Belo Horizonte, also known as the Garden City and Brazil’s third largest city. This academic program offers students immersion into one of the world’s most dynamic, diverse, and growing populations of Brazil. The program is hosted by two well-respected institutions: 1) the top-ranked UNA University and 2) the Cultural Institute Brazil United States (ICBEU). The host university, UNA University, is a vibrant and innovative institution of higher education and is considered the best private university center in the state of Minas Gerais. Students will relate well to UNA University as it shares a similar profile to that Northeastern University, which aims to prepare students for life-long learning in a global marketplace.
Students will participate in two classes at ICBEU’s and UNA’s centrally located campuses around the Savassi district of Belo Horizonte, which provides quick access to many historical and cultural points of the city. Students will study the global context of the Portuguese language. Also, students will study the social, cultural, economic and political dimensions of Brazil’s first planned city, Belo Horizonte—a large city of 2.5 million residents in a metropolitan region of nearly 6 million. With an urban plan inspired by L’enfant’s Washington, DC, Belo Horizonte boasts large promenades lined with some of the most arresting architecture in South America. Belo Horizonte has attracted some of the leading technology companies in the world, like Google and Fiat as well as hosting the 2014 FIFA World Cup. Participants in the Dialogue will have an opportunity to meet and exchanges ideas with leading government officials, policymakers, economic developers, industrial giants, students from UNA university via Buddy System, and cultural experts.
The cultural immersion is furthered through academic exchange with students at UNA University, whom will act as mentors and buddys during the program, introducing students to the deepest layers of the Brazilian culture. The academic program will be complemented by numerous guided excursions, including an excursion to historical Ouro Preto, Sāo Joāo Del Rey, and Tridents, along with a visit to the Marvelous City of Rio de Janeiro and other important satellite and historical cities in Brazil, in which students will have the opportunity to compare and contrast the cultural facets of a planned city such as Belo Horizonte, a historical city of gold such as Ouro Preto to the fascinating Rio de Janeiro urban spaces. Students will also engage in lectures, and field visits with scholarly authorities and local leaders.
At the end of the program, students will have had the opportunity to interact and exchange ideas with people from many diverse backgrounds, and thus gain exposure to a wide spectrum of Brazilian society and Brazil’s place in the global community. Ultimately, students will return home with a new knowledge of the layers of the Brazilian Culture and how the “old” and “new” Brazil compare and contrast. In addition, students will have an unique opportunity to reflect on the new global directions of Brazil. The course introduces students to the dimensions of the Brazilian Culture, and its influences on the Brazil we know today. Students will learn about how Belo Horizonte grew as a planned urban center and industrial and technological hub. They will also learn several cultural aspects of business and economy related to the new developments in Brazil. Visits to organizations, such as Fiat and Vale, institutions, along with dialogues with locals and leaders will give the students the opportunity to study the layers of the Brazilian Culture, developments, and perspectives for a global Brazil in the 21st century. The language tool and the knowledge of Cultural frameworks will set the context for this learning experience.
Housing: In Belo Horizonte Students will stay at the Boulevard Hotel http://www.boulevardhoteis.com.br/eng/index_eng.html in double rooms with breakfast and Wifi included. The hotel is walking distance to the Liberty Palace and the University. In Rio de Janeiro, students will stay at the Military Hotel Club waking distance to the Lagon.