Seja bem-vindo ao nosso blog! Welcome to our class blog!
As part of our short-term off campus experience, our class will maintain a collaborative blog. Check back here for updates on a regular basis from faculty and students on the trip!
Curious what's in store? Here's a snippet from our course description:
INDS s33 Brazil in Watercolor: Sexuality Politics in the Tropics
Forever the country of the future, but never forgetful of the past, Brazil pushes forward through turbulent political times that threaten hard won progressive change. From Zumbí dos Palmares to Lei Afonso Arinos and Lei Maria da Penha to PL João W. Nery, Brazil boasts a rich tradition of engaging social justice through non-institutional and institutional avenues. This course analyzes the relationship between protest and policy through an investigation of sexuality movements and institutional responses to advocacy. Despite the saying that Brazil is not for amateurs, by the end of this course students will gain a deeper understanding of Brazilian politics, identity, and institutions - and even um pouquinho de português.
First, we investigate the historical and social bases for an intersectional identity politics of race, gender, and sexuality. Then, we ground our course and field experiences in sexuality movements that have emerged to champion the struggles of marginalized lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and trans identities (homens trans, mulheres transexuais, e travestis). We will meet with prominent social movement activists and nongovernmental organizations that promote LGBT rights and citizenship. Finally, we evaluate institutional responses – both successes and failures – to movement advocacy through field visits to participatory councils and policy machinery for LGBTs.
Our course will take us to three major centers of LGBT activism in Brazil: Salvador da Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and São Paulo. In each, we will dive into experiential and embodied learning with the members of marginalized communities.
This course satisfies: Politics [Identities and Interests] | [Institutional Politics] | Latin American Studies | Gender & Sexuality Studies | GECs Queer Studies C009; Latin American Studies C072