HIST 351: Histories of Brazil

What makes Brazil so distinctive? Why is it so unequal? How did it become so powerful, seemingly overnight? And, what is it about all that samba, soccer, and carnaval? This course introduces students to the history and contemporary society of Brazil, a large and increasingly important actor in Latin America, the wider hemisphere, and the world. Additionally, the particularities of Brazilian history can illuminate wider questions relating to social change, economic growth and inequality, exclusion and prejudice, creativity and leadership, and the relationship between humans and their environment, among many other questions.