summer intensive language + culture

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By Term

• Summer 2013
• Summer 2014

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Program Overview

Looking to develop a higher level of Portuguese language fluency, and a critical appreciation of Brazilian life and society in one of the most beautiful and dynamic cities on earth? Rio awaits.

Coupling a rigorous language program with exciting cultural immersion activities, study abroad in Brazil is an amazing opportunity for students looking for a short-term study abroad option.

Study abroad in Brazil and you will:

• Enjoy the beautiful cultural epicenter of Latin America's largest and most dynamic country
• Take intensive language courses specifically designed for international students at Brazil's top university
• Immerse yourself in Brazilian academic and social life through homestays with local families, and studies on a vibrant urban university campus

The CIEE Difference

Coursework

The student-centered methodology of the Portuguese as a Second Language program is active, participatory, and prioritizes work in pairs and groups as well as activities requiring you to solve tasks and navigate situations. Using a combination of practical activities, lectures, auditory exercises, and analysis of texts, you’ll significantly develop your Portuguese fluency.

Homestay

There are few better ways to immerse yourself in Brazilian culture than by living with a local family. In Rio you’ll have the choice of either an individual homestay or, if you’d prefer to live with another student, a group option where you share a room with another student in a Brazilian family home.

Excursions

The academic program is supplemented by field trips and excursions to various points of interest around Rio and Brazil and may include visits to sites of historic and cultural importance to Rio and its environs. These activities, which vary each semester to take advantage of seasonal and current attractions, may include a tour of the city of Rio, guided visits to the city’s numerous national museums, tours of historical neighborhoods, attending soccer matches, participating in Carnaval activities, and taking advantage of Rio’s rich and diverse arts culture. Events and activities are chosen to provide you with an overview of the geographic, cultural, and economic diversity of Rio and coastal Brazil, and complement the academic themes of each program.

Dates, Deadlines & Fees

We want to make sure you get the most out of your experience when you study abroad with CIEE, which is why we offer the most inclusions in our fees.

• Tuition and housing
• Pre-departure advising and optional on-site airport meet and greet
• Full-time program leadership and support
• Field trips and cultural activities
• CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits

Please note, program dates are subject to change. Please contact your CIEE Study Abroad Advisor before purchasing airfare. Click the button to view more detailed information about dates and fees as well as estimated additional costs. Please talk with your University Study Abroad Advisor about additional fees that may be charged by your home institution when participating in a program abroad.

Program

Application Due

Start Date

End Date

Costs

Summer 2013 (4 wks)

04/01/2013

07/08/2013

08/03/2013

$5,950

Program Date Notes

Program Fees

In addition to the items outlined below, the CIEE program fee includes an optional on-site airport meet and greet, full-time leadership and support, orientation, cultural activities, local excursions, field trips, pre-departure advising, and a CIEE iNext travel card which provides insurance and other travel benefits.

Participation Confirmation *

$300

Educational Costs **

$4,798

Housing ***

$750

Insurance

$102

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

* non-refundable

** direct cost of education charged uniformly to all students

*** includes one meal per day

Estimated Additional Costs

Meals not included in program fee

$400

International Airfare *

$1,250

Local Transportation

$200

Books & Supplies

$50

Visa Fees

$160

Potential travel to consulate for visa

$500

Personal expenses

$500

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

* round-trip based on U.S. East Coast departure

Summer 2014 (4 wks)

04/01/2014

07/01/2014

07/31/2014

Program Date Notes

Dates for this program are provided as tentative dates. Please consult with your study abroad advisor to confirm dates before purchasing your flights.

Program Fees

This breakdown has been prepared from the program budget for the purpose of calculating eligibility for financial aid. During the course of program operations, actual figures may vary. It should not, therefore, be used as a basis for calculation of refunds. CIEE reserves the right to adjust fees at any time.

Students required to study on CIEE programs through a School of Record will be charged a $340 administrative fee in addition to the Program Fees listed.

Estimated Additional Costs

The estimated additional costs indicated are intended to assist students and parents in budgeting for those additional living and discretionary expenses not included in the program fee. Actual expenses will vary according to student interests and spending habits.

Eligibility

• Overall GPA 2.75
• 1 semester of Portuguese or 2 semesters of Spanish

Recommended Credit

Total recommended credit for the ILCP program is 6 semester/9 quarter hours and 90 contact hours.

Program Requirements

Students are required to enroll in Intensive Portuguese as a Second Language.

About The City

Rio de Janeiro ("January River") is the second largest city in Brazil and the third largest metropolitan area in South America. The city was the capital of Brazil for nearly two centuries, including six years as the capital of Portugal (1815-1821). Rio is the most visited city in the southern hemisphere and is known for its natural setting, Carnival celebrations, samba, Bossa Nova, and its energetic population. Rio's iconic landmarks include the giant statue of Christ the Redeemer atop Corcovado Mountain, Copacabana and Ipanema Beaches, Sugarloaf Mountain and the Maracanã soccer stadium.

Meet The Staff

Matt Ryan

Matt began his work with CIEE in 2003, working with incoming high school and university programs. In April of 2008 he joined the CIEE Brazil team in Salvador-Bahia where he has worked on everything from community service programs, cultural activities, local enrollment and advising for CIEE students. He has been instrumental in the conception and creation of the Rio study center and programs. Before joining CIEE in 2003, Matt lived in Rio de Janeiro teaching English both as a volunteer and for a local school. He is originally from Rochester, New York and graduated from St. Bonaventure University with a B.A. in Sociology.

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Landing by airplane, visitors to Rio de Janeiro are immediately captivated by the city’s stunning landscape. Few places in the world can offer the dramatic natural beauty of Rio de Janeiro: golden beaches, stunning granite mountains, and green tropical forest all set together within a modern metropolis of almost eight million people. Its natural beauty is what has always attracted so many people to Rio de Janeiro, but it is the people, their inexhaustible joie de vivre, and their rich cultural history that inevitably stays with those who have had the pleasure of knowing the city. Rio de Janeiro is in the midst of adding another exciting chapter to its rich 500 year history by making monumental strides in confronting the complex social issues that developed in the city during the 20th century. The city is being a looked to by much of the developing world as a model for social and economical development.

CIEE`s Language and Culture program offers students an opportunity not only to study in a spectacular cultural and historic environment but also to study and learn Portuguese at one of Brazil’s most prestigious private universities, PUC Rio. With the 2014 World Cup Finals and the 2016 Olympics steadily approaching, the Cariocas (people from Rio de Janeiro) are anxiously awaiting and preparing to show the rest of the world why their city has long earned its nickname as the ‘Cidade Maravilhosa.’

Matt Ryan - Resident Administrative Director

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Where You'll Study

The Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio) is a private, non-profit Catholic university created in 1941. It is one of the largest and most prestigious Brazilian universities, ranked by the Brazilian Ministry of Education as the best private university in the country in 2009. PUC-Rio has approximately 12,000 undergraduate students and 2,500 graduate students. The forested campus is centrally located in the south zone of the city in the Gavea neighborhood, and has a student community area with restaurants, coffee shops, library, free wireless, access to sports facilities, and a major public bus stop.

Housing & Meals

Students have the choice of two housing options, and breakfast is included with both.

• Family Homestays—CIEE works with homestay families in Rio. Homestay families live in a radius of three to four miles from campus which can be accessed using public transportation. Sharing in the life of a family through a homestay provides an excellent opportunity for interested students to deconstruct stereotypes and observe real life in action. It also creates opportunities for dialogue about issues raised in their courses and to practice their Portuguese language skills.
• Group Homestays—the group homestay option is best for students who prefer to live with another student or a small group of students in a secure and friendly environment. Participants share rooms in homes along with a Brazilian family or overseen by a local Brazilian resident assistant. Students enjoy independence and student camaraderie in a convenient urban location.

Although every attempt is made to grant each student’s preference, roommate and housing assignments are based upon availability and other factors. Therefore, housing preferences cannot be guaranteed.

Orientations

You'll begin your study abroad experience in Rio de Janeiro even before leaving home by participating in a CIEE online pre-departure orientation. Meeting with students online, the resident director shares information about the program and site, highlighting issues that alumni have said are important, and giving you time to ask questions. The online orientation allows you to connect with others in the group, reflect on what you want to get out of the program, and learn what others in the group would like to accomplish. CIEE’s aim for the pre-departure orientation is simple—to help you understand more about the program, and identify your objectives so that you arrive well-informed and return home having made significant progress towards your goals.

Internet

You are encouraged to bring a wireless-enabled laptop. Many host families have Internet access in their homes in some form but you need to be aware that this is not a guaranteed feature of homestays. You will have access to the Internet (wireless and broadband) in computer labs at PUC-Rio and at Internet cafés, often called LAN houses, throughout the city. Internet reliability and access is not always available at the same level as in the U.S.; however, Brazil enjoys an advanced telecommunications infrastructure and major cities typically provide for ubiquitous access.

Academics

Established in 2012, the Intensive Language and Culture study abroad program is based at the Pontifícia Universidade Católica de Rio de Janeiro. The program lasts approximately one month and includes 90 hours of intensive Portuguese language instruction offered at five different levels. The core academic content of the ILCP program is designed and delivered by PUC-Rio. Intensive Portuguese courses are available for students at all language levels, and students are placed in an intensive language class according to their ability as determined by a placement exam at the outset of the program.

Academic Culture

Brazilian universities tend to convey knowledge through different strategies and methods; innovation, design, participation, memorization, and expositive lectures are all part of the in-class academic culture. In most classes, a great deal of emphasis is placed on note taking. It can take a while to learn how to study effectively in the Brazilian system, especially in terms of acquiring reading material and understanding professors expectations.

Nature of Classes

Courses are taught by local PUC faculty with postgraduate degrees (M.Sc., M.A., and Ph.D.).

CIEE Community Language Commitment

Study abroad students take part in the CIEE community Language Committment by speaking Portuguese at all times (except in emergencies). This fosters a learning community that contributes to both Portuguese language proficiency and understanding of Brazilian society.

Grading System

Assessment for courses is typically based on a combination of written and oral assignments and a final paper or examination. The Brazilian grading scale goes from one to 10, with five being a passing grade and seven considered satisfactory in general. The CIEE Study Center in Brazil converts grades and credits to the U.S. system according to a predetermined scale.

Language of Instruction

English
Portuguese

Faculty

All courses are taught by faculty from PUC-Rio.

Course Description

Program Blog

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