Join us in the Brazilian Amazon and visit one of the world's largest intact rainforests and coastal regions! Learn from Indigenous and local leaders as you immerse yourself in community life, visit local universities, and explore botanical gardens and museums. No prerequisites or language or previous travel experience are required! Major units covered include: Indigenous rights, community collaborations, culture, archaeology, oral history, media, sustainability, and food. Places include: Rio de Janeiro and the Brazilian Amazon (Marabá, Tucumã, Pinkaiti).
Purdue University works with Middle Tennessee State University, the Goeldi Museum and the Federal University of Pará (UFPA), and non-governmental organizations to offer this program. We travel together to reach the heart of the Brazilian Amazon and coast -- spaces where forest environments, coastal landscapes, and freshwater spaces co-exist to support local to global livelihoods. In a unique partnership for a portion of the trip, one Kayapó community hosts our group and co-teaches the course alongside non-Indigenous faculty.
On our journey, we watch the ranching and agricultural economies that fuel the region unfold before our eyes.
And from our chartered plane flight, we see gold mining in real-time, further illustrating the extractivist legacies that have long been and still are part of Amazonia.
Upon our arrival in the community, we connect with community partners, who welcome us as guests in their lands. We set up our living and working spaces, where we enjoy the delicious food of the local cook (coffee and manioc crepes for breakfast shown here) and local foods freshly picked from the gardens and fished from the rivers.
You work with local filmmakers at the Kôkôjagõti media center on different service learning projects focused on sustainable energy or collaborative filmmaking. In the process you learn the ethics of responsible partnering with Indigenous Peoples as you travel on the water, in the forest, and within the community.
You have the opportunity to spend time playing soccer and volleyball in between seminars and experiential modules.
You visit local pharmacies where you learn about health in the area.
You learn the methods of applied, visual, and ethnographic anthropology, having ample time for questions, writing, and reflection.
In the hot midday sun you have luxurious afternoon breaks in the cool river or on the coast to wash clothes, bathe or swim.
You visit the forest and coast, where you talk about cycles of economic development, current sustainable development initiatives, tourism, and community-conservation relationships.
You speak with elders, master craftsmen, and leaders in different communities listening to their complex life histories and their recommendations for your generation.
You continue your ongoing work with a local filmmaking collective and watch films with community members at night.
You experience first-hand local body painting traditions and learn from women master artisans who talk about painting as part of social relationships, living well, and connections to place.
You travel to gardens to harvest sweet potatoes, manioc, and bananas learning from elder women the care and work it takes to feed their families and organize meals for large festivals and feasts.
We end our journey by learning about coastal communities, development, and tourism in conversation with local partners.
Interested? Here is more information and next steps:
Estimated course dates: July 16-August 4, 2024
Estimated course cost: $4,200
For Purdue Students https://www.studyabroad.purdue.edu/
All majors are welcome! Honors contract option available. No Portuguese Language is required! We curate the course to meet your professional goals
If you are interested in receiving more information, please email: Dr. Richard Pace at eguagurupa@gmail.com (MTSU) or Dr. Laura Zanotti at lzanotti@purdue.edu (Purdue)