Food and Culture of Brasil
FScN 3480
São Paulo – Rio de Janeiro – Bahia
Andrea Arikawa ([email protected])
Overview
Brazil is a melting pot of ethnic and cultural backgrounds, which places it among the world’s
most diverse cultures. The Brazilian territory occupies most of the eastern part of the South
American continent and is divided into five climatic regions, with 90% of the country being within
the tropical zone. As one travels from north to south, the diversity of ethnic groups and cultural
influences becomes evident not only through the physical characteristics of the populations but
also through the food practices. This course will examine the sociocultural and historical aspects
of food practices in two distinct regions of Brazil: Southeast region (São Paulo and Rio) and
Northeast region (Bahia), focusing on three main topics: aspects of food production (agriculture,
beef production, organic farming and most prominent crops), access to food (food security), and
the influences of colonization and immigration on food practices of the different regions.
Our course will start in the city of São Paulo, which is amongst the largest cities in the
world with a population of over 20 million. Here, you will learn about the influence of immigrants
on the food practices of the region by visiting a predominantly Japanese neighborhood
(Liberdade – “freedom”) and experiencing different ethnic restaurants (Italian, Middle Eastern,
Chinese). Then, we will talk about food availability and production while visiting farmers markets
that are spread throughout the city every day of the week. You will also spend one day learning
about the importance of coffee in the Brazilian diet and topics such as: how to recognize a good
coffee, different coffee species, methods of preparation, and tasting. Following these few days
in the city of São Paulo, we will travel 300 km west of the city into the countryside where you will
learn about agricultural practices in the region, as well as fish and cattle farming.
Our course will continue in the city of Rio de Janeiro, located about 500 km northeast of
São Paulo. You certainly have heard or seen pictures of some of the most famous touristic
attractions of Rio, like the “Cristo Redentor” (concrete Christ), the “Pão de Açúcar” (Sugar Loaf)
or Ipanema beach. This segment of the course will expose you to breathtaking landscapes that
depict not only the beauty of the mountains and the sea but also the poverty and food insecurity
that affects 25% of the population in Rio. You will learn about the influence of the Portuguese
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culture on food practices and about the impact of samba and Carnival on the daily lives of
“cariocas” (term used to describe people born in Rio).
The last segment of our course will take place in Salvador, located 1,200 km northeast
of Rio. You will immediately notice the regional differences between Salvador and Rio/São
Paulo on several aspects such as local weather, the food, skin color, and attitude towards life.
We will take a look at the food production in this region by visiting a cassava flour factory and a
sugar cane plantation. We will examine the impact of the colonization and slavery on the food
practices and cultural and religious beliefs of the population and reflect on the experiences and
personal journey you went through in the course while hiking in the middle of Chapada
Diamantina (photo above on the far right).
Course Schedule
Credits:
Prerequisites:
Dates:
Course website:
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Students must be at least in sophomore year
December 2014-January 2015
https://ay14.moodle.umn.edu/course/view.php?id=xxxx
Course objectives
Upon completion of this course students will be able to:
• Identify food staples in the Brazilian diet
• Describe the role of colonization and immigration on the dietary patterns of different
regions of Brazil
• Understand the relationship between socioeconomic status and food security in Brazil
• Understand the importance of sustainable food production to the population and its
impact on food practices
• Describe Brazilian cultural norms and compare them with their own
• Identify and reflect on aspects of intercultural sensitivity and development
How this course addresses student learning outcomes
Through class discussions, experiential learning, individual reflections, and group work,
students will learn to locate and critically evaluate information in order to identify, define,
and solve problems related to food practices in Brazil. Students will be able to interact with
Brazilian families to learn about culture and the factors influencing food practices, which will
enhance their understanding of diverse philosophies and cultures within and across
societies. By working collaboratively to create the final group project - a digital story about one
of the three course topics of their choice – students will understand the role of creativity,
innovation, discovery, and expression across disciplines and will learn to communicate
effectively through class presentations of their work and personal reflections. This course will
also expose students to aspects of intercultural sensitivity and development by applying the
Intercultural Development Inventory (IDI) as a tool to stimulate students’ reflection about their
stage of intercultural development. It is expected that students will be able to move through the
intercultural development continuum to reach an intercultural mindset, which will contribute to
acquiring skills for effective citizenship and life-long learning.
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Course Assignments
1. (Pre-departure) Goals and expectations assignment (10 points): Write a 1-page
essay describing your motivation for choosing this course and your goals and
expectations. Address questions such as “Why did you choose this course? What do
you want to get out of this experience? What are your goals? What do you expect from
this course?
2. (Pre-departure) Food culture assignment (10 points): Write a 1-2 page paper
describing your personal dietary habits and the factors that influence your choices.
Address questions such as “What does your typical meal look like today? Is it different
from when you were growing up? What are the cultural influences on your food choices?
Where did your family purchase food when you were growing up? Where do you buy
food now? What is the meaning of food to you?
3. (Pre-departure) Intercultural development inventory (IDI): You will receive
instructions to take the IDI online and schedule a follow-up debrief session, which we will
talk about at our second meeting.
4. (Pre-departure) Cultural quiz (10 points): Take the quiz about Brazilian culture in
moodle before departure.
5. Journal (30 points): You will begin making journal entries in October (one for each of
our Pre-Departure meetings and Orientation meeting and each of the assignments) and
then keep a daily journal of your experiences, thoughts, feelings and findings during the
course beginning with our departure. You should purchase a dedicated hardcover
notebook for this purpose. The journal may be kept using a ‘free-writing’ style and will be
presented to the instructor during the course and used to produce the final Individual
Learner Reflection at the end of the course.
6. Reflection assignments (5 reflections at 10 points each for a total of 50 points):
One-page reflections will be written on the three experiences marked with an asterisk
plus two more of your choice:
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Dinner with a family from Sao Paulo* (there will also be a short 5-10 minute
presentation on this experience on Dec 30th)
Coffee tasting
Central market tour
Biodynamic farm tour
Cattle farm tour
Cultural norms of Brazil*
Shopping mall tour
Favela tour*
Gastronomic tour of Rio
Dinner with family from Bahia
Tour of a cassava flour factory
Any day of importance to you
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Each reflection must be typed and can be turned in during the course or within 2 weeks of
the end of the course and it must clearly describe the following:
1. What you experienced (what did you do, provide some details)
2. What you learned from the experience
3. What you thought about the experience
4. How you felt about the experience (What did you like, dislike…why?)
5. What meaning you made from the experience
7.
(Post-arrival) Group project (65 points): Students will identify “one” topic among
those covered in this course to create a “digital story” that will be uploaded into moodle
two weeks after the end of the course. Groups of 2 to 3 students will be formed based on
common interest. The project will be divided into three parts:
a. Part 1 (15 points): Outline of digital story (here you will include a title of your
story and a description of your topic and ideas for the types of resources that will
be included, e.g.: short interviews, pictures, songs, short videos).
b. Part 2 (25 points): Ten-minute presentation of first draft (here you can show the
class what types of resources you collected for your digital story and how they
will be organized to produce the final draft).
c. Part 3 (25 points): Final draft of digital story to be submitted in moodle, 2 weeks
post-arrival.
8. (Post-arrival) Final course reflection (25 points): Think about what you learned with
the IDI and look back at your daily journal and reflect on your total experience and
personal journey in the course. Think of each journal entry as an individual stepping
stone along the way. Develop this “Final Reflection” into a 2-3 page paper about how
this learning experience worked for you. What were your fears, excitements, challenges,
expectations and were they realized or unrealized? Now that you have had some time to
reflect on this experience, when you close your eyes and think about this experience,
what mental images comes to mind and what are their meanings to you? Has anything
changed in you as a consequence of this course?
Grading
There is a total of 200 points divided into the following:
Assignment
Points
Due date
Goals and Expectations Assignment 10
End of October
10
Food and Culture Assignment
End of November
10
Cultural Quiz
Dec 28th
30
Journal
End of each day
50
Reflections (5 at 10 points each)
Feb 1st*
65
Group Project
Part 1
15
Jan 2nd
Part 2
25
Jan 16th
Part 3
25
Feb 1st
25
Final Course Reflection
Feb 1st
200
Total
*These reflections can be turned in any time during the course. I suggest you turn them in as
you finish them.
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University of Minnesota policy statement
A – Achievement that is outstanding relative to the level necessary to meet course
requirements.
B – Achievement that is significantly above the level necessary to meet course requirements.
C – Achievement that meets the course requirements in every aspect.
D – Achievement that is worthy of credit even though it fails to meet fully the course
requirements.
S – Achievement that is satisfactory, which is equivalent to a C- or better (achievement required
for an S is at the discretion of the Instructor, but may be no lower than equivalent to a C-).
F (or N) – Represents failure (or no credit) and signifies that the work was either: (1) completed
but at a level of achievement that is not worthy of credit; or (2) was not completed, and there
was no agreement between the instructor and the student that the student would be
awarded an “I” (see also I).
“I” – (Incomplete) Assigned at the discretion of the Instructor when, due to extraordinary
circumstances (e.g., hospitalization), a student is prevented from completing the work of the
course on time. Requires a written agreement between the instructor and student.
A
-- 93-100 %
C
-- 73-76.9 %
A-
-- 90-92.9 %
C-
-- 70-72.9 %
B+
-- 87-89.9 %
D+
-- 67-69.9 %
B
-- 83-86.9 %
D
-- 60-66.9 %
B-
-- 80-82.9 %
F
-- 0-59.9%
C+
-- 77-79.9 %
SCHOLASTIC DISHONESTY
Academic integrity is essential to a positive teaching and learning environment. All students
enrolled in University courses are expected to complete coursework responsibilities with
fairness and honesty. Failure to do so by seeking unfair advantage over others or
misrepresenting someone else’s work as your own, can result in disciplinary action. The
University Student Conduct Code defines scholastic dishonesty as follows: “Scholastic
dishonesty means plagiarizing; cheating on assignments or examinations; engaging in
unauthorized collaboration on academic work; taking, acquiring, or using test materials
without faculty permission; submitting false or incomplete records of academic
achievement; acting alone or in cooperation with another to falsify records or to obtain
dishonestly grades, honors, awards, or professional endorsement; altering forging , or
misusing a University academic record; or fabricating or falsifying data, research
procedures, or data analysis.”
Within this course, a student responsible for scholastic dishonesty can be assigned a
penalty up to and including an "F" or "N" for the course. If you have any questions regarding
the expectations for a specific assignment or exam, please ask – we are here to help.
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Tentative Schedule
Pre-departure
End of October
End of November
Sao Paulo
Dec 28
Sunday
Dec 29
Monday
Dec 30
Tuesday
Dec 31
Wednesday
Jan 1
Thursday
Jan 2
Friday
Jan 3
Saturday
Activities
• First pre-departure meeting: Health
and Safety Orientation
• Second pre-departure meeting:
Overview of Brazilian culture and IDI
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Rio de Janeiro
Jan 4
Sunday
Jan 5
Monday
Jan 6
Tuesday
Jan 7
Wednesday
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Arrive at Guarulhos airport
Get settled at hotel
Visit Liberdade (Asian neighborhood)
Visit Farmers market/Central Market
Walk along Avenida Paulista
Movie: “Tropa de Elite”
Coffee tasting
Dinner with a Paulista family (in
groups of 2)
Take bus to Botucatu (2.5 hours)
Visit biodynamic farm
Take bus to Arandu (1 hour)
Dinner at Sitio do Moa
Free day
Visit cattle and coffee farm
Class discussion about food
production
Take bus back to São Paulo
Shopping mall observation for cultural
norms reflection
Group dinner at Middle Eastern
restaurant
Take bus to Rio (6 hours)
Get settled at hotel
Walk around the neighborhood
Pizza dinner
Watch a rehearsal of Samba Schools
in preparation for Carnival
Free day
Evening: Movie “Cidade de Deus”
Favela tour
Class discussion about favelas and
their impact on food practices
Group dinner at Miranda
Visit University Federal of Rio de
Janeiro (UFRJ)
Guest lectures on food availability and
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Assignments due
Goals and Expectations
Food culture
Intercultural development
inventory (IDI)
Short presentation on dinner
experience
Part 1 of digital story
Jan 8
Thursday
Jan 9
Friday
Bahia
Jan 10
Saturday
Jan 11
Sunday
Jan 12
Monday
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Fly to Salvador (2.5 hours)
Historic tour of Salvador
Group dinner at traditional restaurant
Visit sugar cane plantation
Class about African influence on
regional food practices
Dinner with local families
Take bus to Praia do Forte (1 hour)
Class discussion (Forte beach)
Visit Tamar Project (sea turtle rescue
project)
Guest lecture about local food access
Visit cassava flour factory
Take bus to Lençóis (6 hours
overnight)
Arrive in Lençóis (Pousada do
Serrano)
Chapada Diamantina tour
Class discussion about local history
and food practices
Chapada Diamantina tour
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Group presentations
Free afternoon
Take bus back to Salvador
Fly back home
Arrive in Minneapolis
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Jan 13
Tuesday
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Jan 14
Wednesday
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Jan 15
Thursday
Jan 16
Friday
Jan 17/18
nutritional status of the population
Portuguese dinner
Class discussion about impact of
Portuguese colonization on dietary
habits (Ipanema beach)
Gastronomic tour of Rio
Movie: “Estação Central”
Visit Feira de São Cristovão (food,
arts and crafts from the Northeast
region)
Feb 1
Sunday
Part 2 of digital story
Part 3 of digital story
Final course reflection
All other reflections
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