U. launches new Brazil program

In January, the University announced the creation of the first Princeton in Brazil program. University faculty members in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Cultures are partnering with the Instituto Brasil-Estados Unidos to offer two levels of Portuguese classes exclusively to University students.

The possibility of a Princeton-in-Brazil program was first developed about two years ago, according to professor Pedro Meira Monteiro, one of the directors of the program. Working with Director of the Office of International Programs Nancy Kanach, the department decided to launch the study abroad program in August 2012.

In November 2011, Kanach and Director of the Portuguese Language Program Nicola Cooney, Monteiro’s fellow director who is on leave from the University this spring, went to Rio de Janeiro to explore locations for the Princeton in Brazil program. They chose to host the program at IBEU because of the quality of the staff and homestay families in the Ipanema area. The program was finalized about a month later.

During the four-week program, a maximum of 30 students will attend language classes in the mornings and culture classes and lectures by local musicians, writers and filmmakers in the afternoon. On each of the four Fridays, students will travel the area on cultural excursions.

Monteiro cites Brazil’s recent economic boom as well as the forthcoming 2014 World Cup and 2016 Summer Olympics as reasons interest in the Portuguese program has grown.

“Our philosophy for this program is to turn that economic interest into something more cultural,” explained Monteiro.

Even so, Princeton in Brazil program coordinators said they were surprised by the high number of students, around 23, that attended the information session on Wednesday. Monteiro said the department hopes that freshmen in particular will participate in the program.

“Our goal here is to attract [freshmen], to convince them that either a certificate or concentration [in Portuguese] can be very interesting,” Monteiro said. He added that there is still room for upperclassmen.

“Lots of people think of study abroad as fun only, but we are hoping to give students the whole package and an opportunity to continue their studies when they return,” said Megwen Loveless, acting director of the Portuguese Language Program. By targeting freshmen, she said she hopes students come back and enrich the department with their own input.

Alexandro Strauss ’15 was one of the freshmen that attended the info session. A Brazilian who grew up in America, he said he was excited to learn that the program consisted not only of language classes but an opportunity to become immersed in Brazilian culture.

“I appreciate that they’re giving freshmen more preference in this opportunity,” Strauss said in an email, adding that it “could well be helpful at some point down the line at Princeton — maybe even light the way toward a different major.”

Michelle Liu ’13, who is majoring in chemical and biological engineering, started taking Portuguese this past fall and became interested in the program and interning in Brazil.

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“I thought about applying to the many chemical companies that have research campuses in Brazil,” Liu said in an email. “However, none of them would have provided the intensive study that Princeton in Brazil does.”

Liu is a former staff writer for The Daily Princetonian.

The department is treating this first year’s session as a test run, Monteiro said.

“[This summer is a] laboratory for us, to see how it works and the potential for improvement. We need as many eyes as possible, so having two faculty directors is important,” he explained.

The department plans on offering the Princeton in Brazil program annually and, depending on the success of this session, may alter it in the future. Leadership will rotate among the department faculty and the program may introduce different courses in Rio.

Loveless said she hoped that “cool theses and JPs will come out of this exploration, based on students’ experiences. That’s what makes the Princeton experience special: Each of the students have a topic they are specialists on.”

Applications for Princeton in Brazil are due Feb. 24 and will be followed by an interview stage in early March. The first participants in the Princeton in Brazil program will be notified in mid-April.