Overview of prominent characteristics and movements in Brazilian
culture, history, society, artistic and intellectual
development, as seen in Brazilian cinema, literature, art,
media, and historical texts. Given in Portuguese.
Additional Requirements for Graduate Students: Graduate students in split-level courses write three extra short
papers and a research paper of 20-30 pages, in addition to doing
an oral presentation and supplementary readings.
Athena Title
Brazilian Culture and Society
Prerequisite
PORT 3030 or permission of department
Semester Course Offered
Not offered on a regular basis.
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Student Learning Outcomes
By the end of this course, students will have a strong proficiency in Portuguese and be able to explore, in depth, topics of current cultural, social, and political interest related to Brazil.
By the end of this course, students will have increased cultural and literary awareness.
By the end of this course, students will have improved their oral/aural, written, and interpretive skills by analyzing, in Portuguese, representative texts, films, and other media.
Topical Outline
Film topics for example could include Brazilian New Cinema and beyond with theoretical readings on Glauber Rocha for example.
Social thematic topics could include slavery, racism, the Northeast.
Students will be expected to increase cultural, historical, and literary awareness in these areas. They will improve their oral/aural, written, and interpretive skills by analyzing representative texts from Brazilian films and other media. This will be accomplished through classroom discussions, dialogue on WebCT, and through various written assignments, midterm, and final examinations. Students will write response papers, a final term paper, and prepare at least one oral presentation.
Suggested topical outline based on films:
Introduction: "Limite" "Assim Era Atlantida"
Gilberto Freyre “Lusotropicalsimo” Casa Grande e Senzala (exerpts)
Early Brazilian Film: Silent Movies and the Chanchada
Grasciliano Ramos Vidas Secas "Vidas Secas" (Nelson Pereira dos Santos, 1963)
Discussion: Cinema Novo, Technical and Ideological Concerns, "Terra em Transe" (Glauber Rocha, 1967)
Discussion: Embrafilme, Colonialism, and Revolution Mário de Andrade Macuníama "Macunaíma" (Joaquim Pedro de Andrade, 1969)
Discussion: Cannibalism and Satire Manifestos de Oswald de Andrade, Xica da Silva "Xica da Silva" (Carlos Dingoes, 1976)
Discussion: Legend and History "Tenda dos Milagres" (Nelson Pereira dos Santos, 1977)
Discussion: Race and Representation of the "Other", The Documentary: "Getúlio Vargas"
Discussion: Interpretating History "Pixote" (Hector Babenco, 1980)
Discussion: The military junta 1964-83 civil rights, censorship, cultural acceptance and subversion in literature and music "Bye-Bye-Brazil" (Carlos Diegues, 1980), Chico Buarque, Roberto da Matta, the import/export issues during the military dictatorship
Discussion: The constitution of 1988: Traditional Folk Culture "Parayba Mulher Macho" (Tizuka Yamakasi)
Discussion: Gender and Perspective "Bananas is my Business" (Helena Solberg, 1993)
Discussion: Culture and memory vs. Cultural Memory" Clarice Lispector A Hora de estrela
Film: A Hora da Estrela" (Susana Amaral, 1985)
Discussion: Gender, Literature, and Film. Brazil in the 1990’s "Central do Brasil" TV, Soap Operas, and Popular Cinema, Central do Brazil Cidade de Deus book and film excerpts
