Spring 2026Immerse yourself in the diverse traditions, jaw-dropping landscapes, storied history and complex socioeconomic fabric of Brazil. Despite Brazil’s enormous territory, abundant population, and immense global influence, most Americans know little of the country beyond surface level stereotypes or basic cultural reference points. This course will help students dig beneath the surface and develop a more nuanced understanding of the country by combining several weeks of coursework with approximately ten days of travel in Brazil. The travel will be organized around visits to sites that showcase Brazil’s cultural and socioeconomic significance, rich history, and natural beauty. These visits will include encounters with Brazilian experts, artists and everyday citizens.
Learning outcomes
This is a 3-credit course, and, prior to the trip, Dr. David Cupery will lead twice
weekly classes to discuss issues related to Brazilian culture, history and society.
Students will have required reading and complete written assignments and presentations.
During the trip, students will keep a journal, addressing their experiences and daily
reflection questions. After returning to MCLA, students will complete a project based
on their knowledge of Brazil and their experiences in the country and share their
findings with their classmates.
The trip cost covers all transportation, lodging, insurance, guides, entrance fees, group activities, and tips, as well as two meals per day. The fees for the trip are paid in 4 installments between mid-October and late January. Students are responsible for paying for one meal. They may also want to spend money on optional activities or purchase snacks and drinks, gifts, or souvenirs.
** All payments are non-refundable, except in the case of MCLA's cancellation of the entire trip. Participation is by permission of instructor only.
A decent amount of physical mobility and motivation is necessary to participate in the trip. We will cover a lot of ground on foot, some of it on uneven terrain and all of it in warm and humid weather.
Day 1
Travel from MCLA to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil via Boston Logan Airport with a short layover in São Paulo, Brazil.
Day 2
Familiarize yourself with one of the most iconic cities in the world – Rio de Janeiro – with a guided walking tour. Stops will include monuments, plazas, cathedrals, and a museum, and the route will also expose you to plenty of street art, people watching, varied architecture, city parks, and fantastic views. We’ll top it off with a drive up to Mirante Dona Marta to the see sunset over Rio’s bays, hills, and beaches from above. A group dinner with some excellent Brazilian food will follow.
Day 3
Get ready for a full day! We will start the day above Rio, at the Christ the Redeemer statue. It is one of the wonders of the world, both for its size and detail and for its setting. The views in every direction are excellent, particularly in the morning, when the crowds are also smaller. From there, our driver will take us down the mountain to Rio’s Botanical Garden. It was founded in 1808 by the King of Portugal and includes an incredible diversity in flora and fauna. After a group lunch, we will change gears and take a guided tour of Rio’s largest Favela, Rocinha. This enormous hillside neighborhood has its challenges but also is home to a wealth of innovation and creative expression. This tour will give us valuable insight into Brazil’s socioeconomic diversity with the benefit of local expertise and guidance. We will finish the day with one of the most Brazilian activities of all: a professional soccer game!
Day 4
Free day in Rio! After two full days, you deserve a slower pace and maybe need some time on your own. Plus, there is still so much to see in Rio, and each of you will prioritize different sites and activities. Beaches. Museums. Music and art. Even hiking. Rio has it all. Prof. Cupery will have lots of information and suggestions. But it’ll be up to you. We will come back together in the early evening for a group dinner and some live music near our hotel.
Day 5
Say goodbye to Rio and board a morning flight north to Salvador, in Bahia state, the center of Afro-Brazilian culture! We’ll take a shuttle from the airport to our hotel in Salvador’s historic Pelourinho neighborhood. A guided tour of the area will offer us a local perspective on its iconic architecture, varied rhythms, and storied place in Brazil’s colonial history. We’ll explore 16th and 17th century palaces and cathedrals and take in tons of street art and music. We’ll finish the afternoon walking tour with a visit to the Afro-Brazilian Cultural Museum. The evening will bring two highlights. A group dinner with a chance to sample the local Bahian cuisine, perhaps Brazil’s best known. And a performance by the Balé Folclórico da Bahia, a world-renowned mixture of percussion, vocals, storytelling, dance, and martial arts.
Day 6
Get ready for another full and fascinating day, guided along the way by local experts. We’ll head first to Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bom Fim. This Catholic church is one of the most influential in Brazil, and a site of extensive pilgrimages and devotion and intense belief. Its Catholic traditions and festival are also influenced by Candomblé a religious tradition of the African diaspora. We’ll continue on a tour Afro-Brazilian sites, visiting a favela, and talking with entrepreneurs and religious, cultural, and community leaders, learning about the local Afro-Brazilian community, past and present. We’ll wrap up our day as a group strolling through the beachside Barra neighborhood. We’ll have time to relax and catch the sunset and live music at Farol (lighthouse) da Barra, before a beachside group dinner. Post-dinner live music is a good possibility.
Day 7
You’ve earned another free day, this time in Salvador. Kick up your legs on the beach or at the hotel pool. Visit one of the city’s innumerable museums. Find some live music or excellent food. Wander and people watch. Or book a boat tour to the nearby Frades or Itaparica islands. Just as in Rio, you’ll have a lot of choices.
Day 8
We’ll spend the next three days exploring other parts of Bahia state with our own local driver and transportation. We’ll start the first day early, driving two hours to Cachoeira. This beautiful and well-preserved town played a vital role in the sugarcane and tobacco production of the colonial period. The town sits on the banks of the Paraguaçu River, which was used to transport crops for export via Salvador. With the institution of slavery so influential in Brazil, Cachoeira also became – and remains – an important center for Afro-Brazilian culture. We will start our visit to the area with a walking and riverboat tour of the historical city, teaching us about the history, architecture, and cultural practices of the area. We will also walk across the river on a 19th Century bridge to tour a long-running cigar factory.
Day 9
We will continue our time in Cachoeira with lectures, visits and activities that give us a closer understanding of the local culture, with a particular eye towards the Candomblé religion, Capoeira (and other forms of music and artistic express), and the local plantation economy in the Paraguaçu Valley. During the mid-to-late afternoon we will visit Cachoeira (waterfall) da Vitoria. After a short walk to the beautiful falls, you’ll have the possibility of a refreshing swim. From there, we will drive two hours to the beautiful, beachside town of Praia do Forte, our final stop.
Day 10
We’ll spend the morning with Projeto Tamar (the Tamar Project), a local NGO with over four decades working to preserve the population of sea turtles that frequent the Brazilian coastline. We will learn about their mission and work and come face to face with the five species (along with other sea life!) that live in the area. Take the afternoon to explore the various beaches, snorkel, or explore a nearby ecological reserve. Whatever you do, enjoy the beautiful outdoors before we head back to the cold and gray of New England in March. We’ll meet up as a group in the evening for dinner and, potentially, live music.
Day 11
Spend a relaxing morning doing whatever you couldn’t (or more of whatever you liked best) the previous afternoon. In the afternoon, we’ll drive an hour to the Salvador airport. From there, we will fly to São Paulo for a direct, red-eye flight back to Boston.
Day 12
We should arrive to Boston Logan with enough time to complete the drive back to MCLA by noon.
More info will be added to this itinerary as we get closer to the trip. The inclusion and timing of some activities will depend on the flights we book, and that can only be done once the group has been determined and all students have paid their deposits.
Dr. David Cupery
Professor of Political Science
413-662-5493
d.cupery@mcla.edu
Dr. Cupery—shown here at Mirante Dona Marta in Rio—has previously led MCLA travel courses to Peru, Cuba, Mexico, and Ecuador. He has spent nearly 4 years in Latin America and has been to over 45 countries in all corners of the globe. He speaks Spanish fluently and Brazilian Portuguese at an advanced level. He regularly teaches and researches on Latin American politics.
