Culture, Space and the Environment in Brazil (Level 5)
Classes
Tuesday 13 January - Tuesday 24 March 2026, 6pm-9pm
10 sessions - Check class timetable
Overview
In this Culture, Space and the Environment in Brazil short course we critically examine space, culture and society in the country from the nineteenth century to the present, through interdisciplinary debates in cultural studies, history, anthropology, literature and visual culture.
You will learn about relationships between:
- global and local processes
- national and regional identities
- place, class and race
- representation, landscape and memory.
Drawing upon a variety of case studies, the lectures address the social production and the meanings of place, space, nature, culture and identity in an age of globalisation, and include:
- Urban contexts: garbage cultures, mangroves, mining landscapes
- Plantation stories: sugar, coffee, soya
- On ‘wilderness’: nature, nationalism and development; contesting development; indigeneity and the nation
You will be expected to attend every session of this course and to participate actively in class discussion.
Assessment is via a 2500-word essay (50%) and three-hour in-class test (50%).
As a student on this course, you will study alongside Birkbeck students enrolled on one of our undergraduate or postgraduate courses, giving you the opportunity to network with a range of Birkbeck current students whilst you learn.
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Entry requirements
Entry requirements
Most of our short courses have no formal entry requirements and are open to all students.
This short course has no prerequisites.
As part of the enrolment process, you may be required to submit a copy of a suitable form of ID.
International students who wish to come to the UK to study a short course can apply for a Visitor visa. Please note that it is not possible to obtain a Student visa to study a short course.
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How to apply
How to apply
You register directly onto the classes you would like to take. Classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis - so apply early. If you wish to take more than one short course, you can select each one separately and then register onto them together via our online application portal. There is usually no formal selection process, although some modules may have prerequisites and/or other requirements, which will be specified where relevant.