Harvard Summer Program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

  Brazil

• Rio de Janeiro: 
Rio de Janeiro

Term: Summer 
Dates: June 22-August 17

Description: Rio de Janeiro, with its ebullient and diverse cultural life, is an intriguing center for the arts, theater, music, exhibitions, street performances, international conferences, and cultural and social debates. From 1763 to 1960, Rio was consecutively the capital of the colony, the empire, and the republic of Brazil. Nowadays the city's dwellers treasure their colonial and nineteenth-century architectural heritage as well as their superb museums, impressive libraries, and historical archives.(With its vibrant popular culture, famous beaches, splendid bay, and wonderful climate, Rio de Janeiro provides students with the ideal atmosphere for full immersion into the Portuguese language and Brazilian culture. Students stay in family homes, where they have the best chance to experience the Brazilian way of life and to speak everyday Portuguese. In addition, students in the program benefit from special lectures and workshops by Brazilian artists, activists, and renowned scholars. A large number of instructional excursions in and around Rio allow students to have hands-on experiences with different social strata of the population. The course is hosted at Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio), one of Brazils leading universities. For the last two weeks of our program, PUC-Rio will generously accept all students at its well established and closely supervised Internship Program. Students will be able to choose to do their internships either at the private sector or at nongovernment organizations. Opportunities include, but are not limited to arts, environmental, health care, and law organizations.

Highlights: PORT S-Dx Study Abroad in Brazil: Brazilian Culture and Portuguese Language

In this second-year-level course in Brazilian culture and Portuguese language, students participate in language sessions and instructional excursions, and experience Brazilian film and popular music, expanding and strengthening their linguistic skills and learning about the history and people of Rio. The course provides students with numerous occasions to interact with native Brazilians from diverse backgrounds and to speak Portuguese. In class, students can reflect upon the different uses of the language in which they are immersed. They compare levels of formality in written and spoken language, and develop their written and spoken academic Portuguese. Students attain an advanced linguistic level by the end of the course. Morning sessions integrate intensive language instruction with readings, films, and popular songs, providing a comprehensive overview of the history and culture of the Marvelous City. Afternoon and evening sessions include visits to Old Rio, samba and capoeira schools, the Maracanã soccer stadium, churches, museums, and nongovernmental organizations, offering students an informal experience of the rich cultural and social life of the city. Excursions to additional sites around Rio such as Parati and old coffee plantations enhance students' understanding and enjoyment of Brazil. The program ends with a capstone seminar designed to give students an opportunity to critically reflect on their experience learning Portuguese and integrating into the local environment. As a final product of the eight week program, each student produces a twelve-page report, in Portuguese.

Prerequisites: one year or one accelerated semester of Portuguese.

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Cost in US$: $5,610

- tuition
- room and breakfast
- excursions (including meals when appropriate)

Experience Required: no

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Essay
• Transcript
• Written Application

Harvard Summer School Study Abroad Programs's Mission Statement: The Harvard Summer School makes Harvards academic resourcesa distinguished faculty, well-equipped laboratories, fine museums, and a world-class university library available to men and women of many ages, backgrounds, and nationalities through an intensive summer session of liberal arts courses in Cambridge and overseas. Our international student body includes Harvard undergraduate and graduate students, visitors from other colleges and universities, highly qualified secondary school students, adult learners, and nonnative English speakers seeking to refine their language skills. Students take courses to challenge themselves academically, meet degree requirements, prepare for graduate school, gain college experience, advance their careers, and pursue personal enrichment. Students who study at Harvard Summer School may reside in a supportive residential environment, commute to campus, complete courses via distance education, or participate in one of the faculty-led programs based abroad. Many come to experience the extraordinary environment of Harvard College academics, resources, and residential life. Harvard Summer School serves the University community by providing faculty with teaching opportunities that allow them to experiment with new materials and teaching methods. Students from many Harvard schools take advantage of the breadth of summer course offerings to meet requirements for concentrations and degree programs, and to create more flexibility within their term-time academic program. Harvard graduate students from abroad can work on refining their English language skills, and Harvard College students take advantage of the summer session to expand their cultural, social, and intellectual horizons by studying abroad.