Faculty-led programs
Portuguese language at the University of São Paulo
Brazil
6 undergraduate credits Portuguese language
May 23-June 24, 2010
Professor Eliete Sampaio Farneda
$2,500 plus airfare and tuition
Registration deadline: March 26, 2010
Status: Program open
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 (USP) 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, Brazil, 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 her master’s degree from the University of São Paulo and this is her second time directing the VCU program in Brazil.
Registration deadline: March 26, 2010
Applications will be accepted until the deadline or until participant space is full.
Program cost
$2,500 plus airfare and tuition
The program fee is $2,500 and includes the following:
- Accommodations and breakfasts
- Study visits and tours
- Ground transportation (airport to Hostel - Hostel to USP - Hostel to the airport)
- 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
- Public transportations (train, subway, bus)
- Passport application fee
- Visa fee
- Personal expenses during the program (estimated at $1,500-$1,800)
- Anything not specifically mentioned above
Please budget for these additional expenses.
Airfare
Airfare is not included.
Eligibility
Students must have at least a 2.0 GPA in order to participate in the VCU summer study abroad program. 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.
While in Brazil
This course will be divided in two parts. In the first part, the students will know the Brazilian history as well as the social and urban aspects, economic and cultural development of the Brazilian people. They will know the African influence in Brazilian culture. They will visit Bahia (Salvador and Porto Seguro) and Rio de Janeiro. This first part of the course will focus the humanities, in particular, the knowledgement of each region and the historical moment.
In the second part, the students will have the great opportunity offered for University of São Paulo to do a Portuguese Language Course focused in the Structure of the Language. After the classes, the students will visit some important places to practice the language.
The students will look at how the urban form has progressed for the first cities in the Fertile Crescent to Metropolitan areas. They will pay special attention to how and why the built form and urban patterns developed and how they have changed over time.
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, the Museum of Contemporary Art, the Museum of Geosciences, the Museum of Anatomy, the Museum of Portuguese language, and the Ipiranga Museum. The group will also visit cultural sites in the city such as parks, shopping districts, churches, restaurants, disco and theatres.
Hostel-style accommodations will be provided while in São Paulo and during the time spent traveling along the “Bahia and Rio de Janeiro.” 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 and fees 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 and fees, are as follows: undergraduate in-state, $221 (per 3 credit class: $655); undergraduate out-of-state, $439 (per 3 credit class: $1,309); graduate in-state, $455 (per 3 credit class: $1,357); graduate out-of-state, $567 ($1,693 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 2010 (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 April 15: 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 April 15, 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 April 15: I will be responsible to pay the entire program fee. In the event of an unexpected emergency that occurs after April 15, 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.
