[This program coincides with Portuguese LSA.]

Brazil is the fifth largest country in the world, occupying half of the continent of South America. It is as varied culturally, geographically and demographically as it is vast in size, combining indigenous, African, and European elements in a uniquely rich symbiosis. Salvador, capital of the state of Bahia, with a population of around 2,250,000 inhabitants, was the first major port and the capital of colonial Brazil for almost two centuries. The city lies between green tropical hills and broad beaches along the bay of Todos os Santos. Many of the city's baroque churches, private homes, squares, and even the hand-chipped paving bricks have been preserved as part of Brazil's historic patrimony. In Salvador, more than anywhere else in the country, the African influence in the makeup of Brazilian culture is readily visible, from the spicy dishes still called by their African names (caruru, vatapá, acarajé), to the ceremonies of Candomblé which honor both African deities and Catholic holidays, to the capoeira schools where a unique African form of ritualistic fighting is taught.

FS Brazil is oriented towards the acquisition of an advanced level of the Portuguese language (Brazilian Portuguese) through the experience of living with a Brazilian family studying language, literature, and civilization, and excursions to sites of interest around Bahia. Our LSA/FS is located in the ACBEU (Associacao Cultural Brasil-Estados Unidos), which is one of the most important institutions of its type in Brazil.

Curriculum

• Portuguese 25: Advanced Portuguese. Composition
• Portuguese 35: Advanced Studies in Brazilian Culture and Society
  
• Portuguese 36: Studies in Contemporary Brazilian Literature
  

• Portuguese 9 and 20 or equivalent; or permission of the program director