This course examines the history and culture of Brazil by confronting issues of power, social class, race, and gender. In addition to reading ethnographic texts that have focused on issues ranging from poverty to political corruption, and from the practice of religious faith to the expression of transexual identities, we will study films, songs, and dance forms as expressions of Brazilian national identity. While we will devote class time to studying rural and indigenous communities, the class will be particularly focused on urban experiences including drug trafficking and treatment, politics and policing, and prostitution and plastic surgery.
Coursework will involve brief lectures, small group discussions, individual and group presentations, and either one large or several small writing assignments.