As part of a three-credit upper level course, Associate Professor of Anthropology Mary Kenny has taken her students on field studies in the state of Paraiba in a northeastern Brazil. Students stay with local families and also study Portuguese while in Brazil. A pre-departure seminar covers culture and social problems, including migration; poverty, crime, and human rights; and social movements (Women, Indigenous, landless, Afro-Brazilian). Once in Brazil, students attend lectures, visit historical and UNESCO World Heritage sites, and observe grassroots projects in low-income communities. Student field research in the past has included a study of domestic violence laws, policies, and resources; Afro-Brazilian religions; street youth; community schools in favelas; housing; literacy; orphanages; prisons; and migration.
