#1 Brazil - Enroute to the First World
Monday - 10:00 a.m. Winter Term 2009 (14 weeks)
Coordinator: Len Steinberg Co-coordinator: Jerry Mehlman
Course Description
Brazilians have always envisioned for their nation a future of greatness on the world stage. This goal has, until recently, eluded them. To the phrase “country of the future” popular humor quickly added the rider “and it always will be.” Now, after two centuries of independent statehood, Brazil appears be making great strides towards first world status.
Since the 1950’s the largest of South American countries has evolved from a patrimonial society based mainly on the cultivation for export of sugar and coffee toward a modernized industrial and service economy with effective democratic governance.
As the worlds fifth largest nation state in both area and population and ninth in total economic output, Brazil is bracketed with Russia, India and China as the “BRIC” countries that collectively represent the worlds economic future. This S/DG is designed to provide an in depth look of this country enroute to the first world.
Topics
- Overview of Brazil
- History of Brazil: 1500-1954
- History of Brazil: 1954-present
- Who are the Brazilians–Ethnic Composition?
- Brazilian culture – art, music,films, soccer, novelas
- Political structure – pyramid of power
- Social dimensions - education, health, poverty, land reform
- Economic structure
- The Amazon basin
- Brazil and the world - foreign relationships
- Energy – international comparisons
- Social mobility – peasant life
- Being a tourist in Brazil
- To be determined
Bibliiography
Gordon, Lincoln. Brazil’s Second Chance. Brookings Institution Press, 2001.
Page, Joseph A. The Brazilians. Addison Wesley, 1995.
Schurze, William Lytle. Brazil: The Infinite Country. E.P. Dutton, 1961.
Worcester, Donald E. Brazil – From Colony to World Power. Charles Scribner’s Sons,
1973.
Pre-Meeting: Monday, December 15, 2008, 10:00 a.m. |