CIEE Liberal Arts Program in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil

  Brazil

• Salvador: 
Salvador

Term: Fall, Spring, Throughout the year 
Dates: Fall 22 weeks: late June-mid-December; Spring 24 weeks: early January- late - June; Academic Year 53 weeks: late June - late June; Calendar Year 48 weeks: early January-mid-December

Description: The Liberal Arts program has three main objectives: to improve students' oral and written Portuguese language skills; to facilitate students' knowledge of contemporary Brazil and the northeast region; and to provide students with the opportunity to take regular Brazilian university courses. This is achieved through academic work combined with extensive cultural excursions and exposure to different aspects of life in this unique, African-infused region of Brazil.

Academic Program
The CIEE Study Center in Salvador da Bahia was established in 2000. Students begin by participating in an Intensive Language and Culture Program (ILCP), held in Salvador da Bahia for the fall semester and in São Paulo for the spring semester. In the fall semester, students enroll in a three-credit language course and a three-credit interdisciplinary culture course prior to the regular semester. In the spring semester, students enroll in an intensive, four-credit language and culture course prior to the regular semester. The ILCP prepares students for the regular semester by providing them the opportunity to focus intensively on Portuguese language acquisition and to learn about Brazilian contemporary society. The semester program offers a combination of direct enrollment classes at a Brazilian university, CIEE Portuguese language courses, and specially designed CIEE courses about contemporary Brazilian art, culture, race, and economic issues. This program is ideal for those students wanting to improve their Portuguese language, or for advanced Spanish speakers who would like to learn Portuguese.

Academic Culture
While U.S. students are accustomed to a very structured system, professors in Brazil generally leave students on their own to determine the intensity of their workan approach which is geared towards the student who is motivaed, self-sufficient, and deeply interested in the subject matter of the course. It is a more rigorous, autonomous academic system.

The CIEE academic year program takes place from late June to late June of the following year, and the CIEE calendar year program coincides with the Brazilian academic year, taking place from early January to mid-December. Academic year students have a two-month break between the fall and spring semesters and are encouraged to travel independently throughout other parts of Brazil and Latin America. Calendar year students have a break of four weeks between the Brazilian first and second semesters (the North American spring and fall semesters). Students are responsible for housing, and meals during these breaks.

Highlights:

• Learn Portuguese through a four-week intensive language and culture program prior to the semester, followed by semester-long language courses at various levels
  
• Enroll in CIEE courses in Afro-Brazilian studies with a focus on race, class, anthropology, and culture
  
• Participate in cultural activities, including a weekend excursion to Porto Seguro, the birthplace of Brazil

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: Please check the CIEE website for current program pricing

Experience Required: yes