West Virginia University heard the rhythmic call of Brazil years ago.

Now the University is listening to more than the colorful, effusive and carefree vibe of the samba. It is strategically aligning with a country that is well on its way to becoming a major economic force.

The College of Law. has engaged in a study abroad exchange program with two universities in Brazil for seven years. About 30 law students spend three weeks examining the legal structure, culture and politics of Brazil, and compare all three to that of the United States. Students experience three snapshots of Brazil in very different venues, from studying environmental law and biodiversity in the Amazon to the big city of Rio de Janeiro where they study Brazil's historical roots and examine poverty and race issues. The purpose is to broaden their horizons and expand their knowledge of international law acumen. Visit their travel blog by clicking here.

Seven colleges throughout WVU are branching out with Brazilian programs for student and faculty exchanges and academic programs. These colleges include Creative Arts, Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, Law, Mineral and Energy Resources, Business and Economics and Arts and Sciences.

Forty-four students from WVU had the opportunity to travel to Brazil this summer to study in music, sport sciences, law and social marketing.

Michael Lastinger, associate provost of International Academic Affairs – the unit that has led the Brazil initiative – said the music program’s connections have gone a long way in getting WVU connected with Brazil.

“One of the great results is that now we have a good basic Portuguese language program led by Sandra Dixon that we never had before, and it’s large in part because of the work we’ve done with the music department,” Lastinger said. “We now have seven colleges involved, and that’s 50 percent of them on campus.”

Lastinger said that Americans may not think of Brazil when considering international exchanges, most likely because of the distance.

“Usually the connections at WVU begin with a dedicated person who has passion for the country, and anyone who knows Brazil recognizes its importance, beauty, cultural significance, and of course its economic and agricultural power,” Lastinger said. “Brazil is seriously on the move to being one of the world’s next super powers.”

Lastinger along with George Lies, strategic planning grant administrator for international programs, have planned events in the fall to bring WVU even closer to Brazil, such as hosting eight faculty from two universities in Santarem (Sept. 5-9) and sponsoring a “Dialogue on Brazil” program as part of the cultural attaches visit from the Brazilian Embassy (Nov. 15-16), hosted by WVU Multicultural Programs.

A total of 14 WVU music students has received $4,000 fellowships to study on the Music Alive! exchange for 5 months, February through June, since 2007. In return, 22 students have come here from Brazil. To apply, students must be a full-time music major and have completed at least one semester at WVU, and studied Portuguese. Like all WVU exchanges, students pay regular tuition and fees charged at WVU (or use scholarships toward the trip such as the WV Promise Scholarship) and live in an apartment or with a host family in Brazil. While the current grant runs out Aug. 31 after five years. WVU will apply for a second round in April 2012. Click here to learn more.

“The College of Creative Arts supported the Brazil music exchange 110 percent under former Dean Bernie Schultz,” said Lies, who co-directed the Music Alive! exchange. “With that grant, and work by Amizade in Santarem, and the WVU Law School in Vila Velha, WVU’s academic departments began expanding into Brazil’s rural and urban markets to initiate faculty and student exchanges with Brazilian universities.”

Brazil initiatives
The College of Creative Arts kicked off its connections with Brazil in 2006 by pairing up with the Office of International Programs for a $206,000 Music Alive! Project with the Universidade Federal de Pernambuco and Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro.

Funded by the U.S. Department of Education’s United States-Brazil Higher Education Consortia Program, the program allows music students to study abroad during the spring semester by exchanging places with students from Brazil. WVU students begin studying Portuguese language courses in the fall semester before the trip, and enroll in intensive Portuguese classes during their time in Brazil, which fulfill general education curriculum requirements. The students also enroll in music, independent study and Brazilian culture courses.

The program, held each spring semester, has exchanged 38 students with Brazil to date, as well as multiple faculty in music education and jazz studies. The college also offered a Music Alive! short course for five students in May-June 2011 in Recife and Rio de Janeiro, and internships at Maracatu and Samba schools. The program is led by professors Janet Robbins, Paul Scea and Mike Vercelli.

Meanwhile, the College of Business and Economics initiated student recruitment in the Sao Paulo area. This reflects the hiring of College of Business and Economics Dean Jose V. ‘Zito’ Sartarelli, who is Brazilian.

The College of Law sponsors a three-week trip in which students go from living in Manaus, which is the heart of the Amazon region, to living in the city of Vila Vehla, and then to finishing up the trip in one of the most vibrant cities, Rio de Janeiro.

Law professor andr� douglas pond cummings, who does not capitalize his name, said that about 175 total students have participated in the trip and have viewed it as enormously important for their future practice and career, and many of them report being transformed by the experience.

“The best part for me is watching them take in the experience, since many are out of the country for the first time or even on an airplane for the first time,” cummings said. “Many have preconceived notions of Brazil and Brazilians, but for students to have their mindsets changed, their viewpoints broadened, their intellectual curiosity sparked and their sensibilities heightened, for me this is the greatest reward of the Brazil trip. Our students are changed for the better, I think.”

College of Physical Activity and Sports Science students traveled to Brazil in May and earned six credits by submitting a summary report of their experiences. Students learned about how sport opportunities are provided for youth across a variety of socioeconomic levels, and observed leisure and activity habits that are culturally unique from America.

The three-week trip in May was the first in the college’s history, and the college plans on making it an annual occasion. The purpose was to provide CPASS students with an opportunity to learn about Brazil’s culture and about sports programs in a new country, said Ryan Flett, assistant professor of athletic coaching.

“The most profound thing that I learned from the experience was the reminder of what matters most in athletic development,” Flett said. “In America and many other Western nations, much is invested in expensive facilities and technology, but Brazil reminded me to focus on what athletes really need to be excellent, rather than on what looks newer and bigger and brighter.”

Flett also hopes to establish close relationships with the Brazil partners by 2014, as the World Cup will be hosted there, as well as the Olympics in 2016.

These are some other ways WVU has connected with Brazil:

  • Since 2009, the WVU Foreign Languages program offers a two-year Portuguese program taught by a Brazilian instructor.
  • WVU has a strong Brazilian Student Association with more than 40 students, and it sponsors campus-wide events on Brazilian literature, music, and culture. Students in the association come from Campinas, Rio de Janeiro, Recife, Salvador, Sao Paulo, Vila Vehla, and other areas.
  • WVU has international exchange agreements with Brazilian universities including Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro, Universidade Luterano do Brazil, and Universidade de Vila Vehla.
  • The College of Engineering and Mineral Resources faculty visited UFPE and Escola Politecnica of Universidade de Sao Paulo to discuss engineering activities for 2012.
  • The WVU Psychology program hosted Brazilian faculty and students from Belo Horizonte, Sao Paulo, in the past two years; and, Public Administration faculty led research/seminars in 2010 in Florianopolis.
  • WVU’s Environmental Research Center and International Programs have submitted a $465,000 concept to USAID for Bio Diversity Conservation-Resource Management in the Amazon/Tapajos River Basin.
  • Amizade Global Service Learning offers programs to study in Brazil for the spring and summer. Topics include public policy, health care, the environment, and social marketing.

By Mel Moraes
University Relations/News

-WVU-

mm/07/13/11

CONTACT: Michael Lastinger, Office of International Programs
304-293-6955, Michael.Lastinger@mail.wvu.edu

Follow @WVUToday on Twitter.