Faces of Brazil

In this course we will study four central elements in contemporary Brazilian culture which have been reshaping the country's "face." We will focus on the legacies of a slave-based social structure by studying the favelas and the MST (Landless Rural Workers' Movement) which led to new formations in both urban and rural landscapes, but also to a perplexing mirror of social violence. We will analyze different narrative texts from directors and authors such as Sérgio Bianchi and Ferréz. Critical texts will be drawn from social activists as well as from theorists, such as philosopher Renato Janine Ribeiro and anthropologist Alba Zaluar. (PGSE 0215 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect./disc.