Summer Education Abroad
Portuguese language, history and culture at the University of São Paulo
Brazil
6 undergraduate credits Portuguese language
May 30-June 29, 2009
Professor Eliete Sampaio Farneda
$2,265 plus airfare and applicable VCU tuition
Registration deadline: April 16, 2009
Status: Program full
The Office of International Education and the School of World Studies are pleased to offer a unique opportunity for students to study the language and culture of Brazil at Universidade de São Paulo, one of VCU’s international partner institutions.
Course and credit options: PORT 201 and PORT 202: Intermediate Readings and Intermediate Portuguese (6 credits)
Course description
This customized academic immersion program offered exclusively to VCU students by Universidade de São Paulo aims to develop a high level of Portuguese language fluency and forge a lifelong appreciation of Brazilian life and society. The program offers a combination of classroom instruction and experiential learning activities that will allow students to learn Portuguese as they explore life and living in São Paulo, South America’s largest and most cosmopolitan city. Each day will be filled with new cultural events, activities and encounters with real Brazilians. Course content and activities have been meticulously organized by VCU and USP faculty and staff through the schools’ international university partnership. Students will learn about the language, history, politics, culture, music, art and media of contemporary Brazil and about the influence Brazil has had and still has on the U.S. and other nations around the world.
The program will be led by Eliete Sampaio Farneda, a visiting instructor at VCU from the University of São Paulo. Sampaio is a trained specialist in Brazilian Portuguese as a second language. She received a master’s degree from the University of São Paulo.
Registration deadline: April 16, 2009
Applications will be accepted until the deadline or until participant space is full.
Program cost
$2,265 plus airfare and applicable VCU tuition
The program fee is $2,265 and includes the following:
- Accommodations and breakfasts
- Study visits and tours
- Ground transportation
- On-site program director support
- Application fee and deposit
- Pre-departure orientation
- VCU administrative fees
- International Student Identification Card
The following are not included in the program fee. Students are responsible for:
- Airfare
- VCU tuition and fees
- Most meals
- Passport application fee
- Visa fee
- Personal expenses during the program (estimated at $1,000-$1,800)
- Anything not specifically mentioned above
Please budget for these additional expenses.
Eligibility
Students must have a 2.0 GPA in order to participate. Pre-requisites include PORT 101 and 102 or equivalency. Students with extensive Spanish language experience will also be considered. Please contact Tony Brinckwirth in the VCU School of World Studies Media Center to take a Portuguese language placement test at abrinckwirth@vcu.edu.
While in Brazil
While in São Paulo, mornings will be spent in class and afternoons will be spent visiting various site of interest. Students will visit many museums in São Paulo including the Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology, Museum of Contemporary Art, Museum of Geosciences, Museum of Anatomy, Museum of Portuguese language, and the Ipiranga Museum. The group will also visit cultural sites in the city such as parks, shopping districts, churches and theatres. During the last week of the program, students will travel the “Estrada Real” with several stops in historical cities along the way including Mariana, Congonhas, Ouro Preto, Petrópolis, and the final destination in beautiful Rio de Janeiro.
Hostel-style accommodations will be provided while in São Paulo and during the time spent traveling along the “Estrada Real.” Most breakfasts are included at the hostels. Students may choose to eat lunch at the university cafeteria or elsewhere.
Important facts
- Tuition
- Financial aid
- Passports
- Payment of fees
- Refund policy
Tuition is charged separately and additionally at standard VCU rates for in-state students and at a 40 percent discount for out-of-state students. Estimated costs, based on current tuition per credit, are as follows: undergraduate in-state, $208.55 (per 3 credit class: $619.05); undergraduate out-of-state, $421.20 (per 3 credit class: $1,257); graduate in-state, $428.68 (per 3 credit class: $1,279.44); graduate out-of-state, $543.90 ($1,625.10 per 3 credit class).
Eligible VCU students may apply for need-based financial aid to participate in this program. Contact VCU Financial Aid, Ginter House, Room 110B at (804) 828-6669 or e-mail faidmail@vcu.edu. VCU offers its students a limited number of scholarships for study abroad participation. Contact VCU Education Abroad or see our Web site for further details.
If you have a passport, make sure it is valid for at least six months after your return date. If you do not have a passport, apply early because the processing time can take up to eight weeks. For more information on how to apply for a passport, visit http://travel.state.gov.
The non-refundable registration fee of $250 is due upon registration. The balance of the program fee and the tuition costs (based on the number of credits taken) will be billed separately through VCU Student Accounting after May 2009 (both amounts may be billed at the same time).
All withdrawals must be made in writing and submitted to the Director of Education Abroad.
The refund schedule is as follows:
- Prior to Jan. 8: I am eligible for a refund of the portionof the program fee that has not already been expended in payment of costs outlined on the individual program sheet in support of my participation. I understand that, as the spring progresses, the charges may reflect an increasing amount, depending on what payments have been made on my behalf. After Jan. 8, I understand that the entire program fee may be due. I understand that the refund amount cannot be determined until I formally submit written withdrawal from the program.
- After Jan. 8: I will be responsible to pay the entire program fee. In the event of an unexpected emergency that occurs after Jan. 8, I understand that I must provide a physician’s certification that my condition prohibits participation. In this case, refunds will be limited to recoverable expenses.
Every effort is made to provide updated and accurate information at the time of publication. The sponsors reserve the right to make necessary changes to the programs and costs. The university reserves the right to revise or alter all fees, regulations pertaining to student fees, and fee collection procedures at any time.
