DEADLINE EXTENDED TO NOVEMBER 3, 2009

IMPORTANT: American citizens and citizens of many other countries will need Brazilian visas (not included in program fee).

Program Description:

HUNTER-BAHIA 2010 consists of two courses: LACS 330, Brazilian History and Politics, an interdisciplinary field course, and MU-H 261, Brazilian Music: Understanding the Historical Richness of Brazil.  These courses provide analytic, interpretive materials on Brazilian history, culture, and politics, with a particular focus on Salvador, Bahia, the site of the course.  Readings and discussion in LACS 330 will treat authoritarianism, the transition to democracy, current successes and failures of Brazilian democracy, economic policy, and the role of social movements and popular culture. Especially in the Bahian context, it will examine globalization, socioeconomic inequality, the history and legacies of slavery and racism.  The music course will provide the insight into and appreciation of the richness of Brazilian music, from the 1500s to the present. The cultural Brazilian context as well as historical background will be provided through the use of DVDs, cds, photos, power point texts, and live music.  

Why Brazil?  Brazil is the world’s fifth largest and fifth most populous country, with the eighth largest economy.  It is a fascinating nation of contrasts and contradictions—of poverty and wealth, of the privileges and the deprivations of race and class, and of economic leaders employing cutting-edge technology while many labor under primitive conditions.  After 20 years of authoritarian rule following the military coup of 1964, social movements, opposition politicians, and some social and political elites brought about the end of the dictatorship and wrote the democratic constitution of 1988.  The once imprisoned labor leader, Lula, is now President of the Republic.  We will see that the realities of society and politics in Brazil are far more complex and sobering than Lula’s electoral victories might lead one to expect.  

Why Salvador?  Capital of colonial Brazil and a stunning UNESCO World Heritage site, Salvador is a now city of 3 million, 1000 miles up the coast from Rio de Janeiro.  It was the center of the colonial sugar industry and one of the principal ports of entry for African slaves brought to work in that industry.  Peopled at independence by Portuguese, enslaved Africans, and Amerindians, Salvador presents itself today as the most African of Brazilian cities, where culture, religion, foods, and, especially, music and the plastic arts all revel in their pluralistic ethnic roots.  The contradictions of race and class are clearly evident.  For graphic and audio illustrations of Salvador and its creative spirit, visit the rich website, bahia-online.net, created by “Pardal,” a transplanted New Yorker: 

http://www.bahia-online.net/TheMusicandDanceScene.htm ; and http://www.travel-images.com/brazil3.html 

Complementing the in-class seminars, HUNTER-BAHIA 2010 will visit museums, churches, monuments, markets, and performance spaces—sites that reflect the history of colonial Portuguese rule, the oppressions of slavery, the expressions of resistance in the popular culture, and the multiculturalism that is Bahia today.  Music is ever present in the daily life of Salvador, and the local arrangements team will organize visits to a candomblé ceremony and to a capoeira school, illustrating different styles of ritual music.  There will also be a one-day trip to Cachoeira and São Felix, historically important inland towns located on opposite sides of the Paraguaçu River. 

Students will live in shared apartments in the Hotel Porto Farol, located in Barra, close to both beaches and a shopping center.  Barra is the neighborhood of Salvador immortalized in songs by Caetano Veloso and Dorival Caymmi. 

Prerequisite

One of the following courses (or equivalent):
MU-H101 Introduction to Music 
MU-H 107 The World of Music 
MU-T 101 Music Theory Fundamentals 

Academic Inquiries

Prof. Kenneth Erickson, Political Science Dept.

HW1720

Phone: (212) 772-5498

E-Mail: kerickso@hunter.cuny.edu

Administrative Inquiries
Education Abroad Office E1447, Monday - Friday 9:30 am - 5:30pm
Phone: (212) 772-4983 
Fax: (212) 772-5005
E-Mail: edabroad@hunter.cuny.edu