Admission requirements
Students within the BA Latin American Studies need to have completed the Propedeuse.
Non-major students who speak Portuguese and want to follow this course as an optional course: please contact tutor.
Description
Mobility, be it migration, political exile, the displacement of indigenous tribes or the afro-Brazilian diaspora, lies at the heart of the formation of Brazil as a modern nation and the formation of individual and communal identities. It can be both a painful experience and an empowering one, such as when we voluntarily take to the road in journeys of self-discovery. Navigating our way through texts from written and visual culture, this course examines mobility as central theme and what it can reveal about other fundamental concerns of Brazil: such as mobility and political protest, development and car culture versus environment, the complex relationship between movement, power and gender, including what happens when women take to the road etc. Texts are studied within their historical and political contexts to help us understand what they tell us about the making of Brazil in a global context.
Course objectives
Knowledge and insight:
Develop critical and analytical skills through close textual analysis of literary and filmic texts, with particular emphasis on post-1960;
To familiarize students with key Brazilian cultural theories, literary/film criticism and theoretical frameworks that help illuminate the texts at hand;
Academic skills and transferable (useful job market skills) that are developed include:
Oral presentation skills:
1. to explain clear and substantiated class readings (primary/secondary);
2. in the form of a clear and well-structured oral presentation and
3. in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria; using up-to-date presentation techniques; aimed at a specific audience;
4. to actively participate in a discussion following the presentation.
Collaboration skills:
1. to be socio-communicative in collaborative situations;
2. to provide and receive constructive criticism, and incorporate justified criticism by revising one’s own position;
3. adhere to agreed schedules and priorities
4. Project/time management skills.
5. Intercultural skills (communicate in different languages; understand cultural nuances etc.)
Basic research skills, including heuristic skills:
1. to collect and select academic literature using traditional and digital methods and techniques;
2. to analyze and assess this literature;
3. to formulate a sound research question (essay title/theme) using the literature provided and possibly additional sources;
4. to design under supervision a research plan/paper of limited scope, and implement it using the methods and techniques that are appropriate within the discipline involved;
5. to formulate a substantiated conclusion.
Written presentation skills:
1. to explain clear and substantiated research results;
2. to provide an answer to questions concerning (a subject) in the field covered by the course
a. in the form of a clear and well-structured written presentation (includes use of digital skills);
b. in agreement with the appropriate disciplinary criteria;
c. using relevant illustration or multimedia techniques;
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Seminar
Course Load
Total course of 5 EC is 140 hours.
Hours spent on attending lectures: 2 hours per week x 13 weeks = 26 hrs;
Time for studying the compulsory literature/view films/material online: 70 hours;
time for completing assignments or preparation classes: 10 hours;Time to write essays (incl.preparation/research): 34 hours.
Assessment method
Assessment
Class presentation – 30%
Final essay of approx. 3000 words – 70% of overall grade.
Assignments in Portuguese for Major students. Students who are not taking the course as part of their BA Brazil track can do the assignments in English.
Weighing
Presentation – 30%
Essay – 70%
The final grade for the course is established by determining the weighted average.
Resit
New essay submission
Exam review
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Blackboard
Blackboard will be used for:
- distributing materials and assessment purposes.
Reading list
Reading list will be made available to students in due course.
Registration
Enrolment through uSis is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available in Engels and Nederlands
Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs
Registration Contractonderwijs
Contact
For questions about the content of the course, you can contact the teacher:
Dr.Sara Brandellero
Administrations Office: van Wijkplaats
Remarks
Minimum attendance requirement to complete the module: 70% attendance.