News Releases

Explore contemporary Brazil under the stewardship of The UWI

For Release Upon Receipt - March 15, 2013

St. Augustine


ST. AUGUSTINE, Trinidad and Tobago – Last June, a group of senior faculty, administrators and alumni of The University of the West Indies (UWI) departed for a three-week academic immersion in India.  The experience was the first of a new series started at the St. Augustine Campus titled ‘UWI Discovers,’ where groups of University students, staff and alumni will be led to Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS countries), over the next four years. This year, ‘UWI Discovers’ kicks off with a tour of Brazil, from May 17 to June 9. 

Home to the fifth largest population in the world and one of the most stable economies in South America, the heritage of this ethnically and culturally diverse population is expressed in vibrant art and celebrations, historical cities and bustling urban centres. The 23- day academic immersion tour to four major Brazilian cities, including Rio De Janero, will provide participants with a unique experience of contemporary Brazil: its complexity, diversity, history, culture, architecture, food, businesses, language, people, geography and much more. Participants will spend an average of five days in each of the four cities touring the major attractions and interacting with representatives from key academic institutions. The cost of this trip includes return airfare to Brazil; domestic airfare from city to city; hotel accommodation; an expert UWI tour guide and an English-speaking guide; an orientation session inclusive of basic language introduction; entrance fees to sites and monuments; transportation within Brazil; all airport transfers and travel insurance.

Organized by The UWI St. Augustine Office of Institutional Advancement & Internationalization, ‘UWI Discovers’ is open to all students, staff and alumni of Caribbean Tertiary Level Institutions. The series aims to further the internationalisation agenda of the university, an issue central to its new strategic plan for the period 2012-2017.  Jim O’Neil of Goldman Sachs, who first coined the BRIC designation in a paper titled “The World Needs Better Economic BRICs” stated in 2001 that these nations would become the “world’s principal engine of new demand growth and spending power.” Participants will therefore be immersed in all contemporary aspects of these global powers, with the aim of ensuring that cadres of present and future Caribbean leaders are not only sensitive to these countries, but are also versed in their uniqueness, cultures and customs. Most importantly, these leaders will be exposed to the opportunities for the Caribbean to engage in constructive partnerships.

In January, The UWI introduced a Minor in Brazilian Studies to meet the growing demand of students seeking to increase their knowledge of Brazil and the Portuguese language to become more marketable. This tour therefore presents an opportunity for UWI students to gain additional course credit, while learning and practicing their linguistic and cultural knowledge of Brazilian people and society.

The deadline for registration for this tour is April 2 at 4.30pm. Full details of this tour, including costs, are available online at http://sta.uwi.edu/discover.

‘UWI Discovers’ series also returns to India this year, from July 12 to August 4.

For further information, please contact Ms. Candice Guppy at 662 2002 ext. 84184, or via e-mail at Candice.Guppy@sta.uwi.edu or discoverbrazil@sta.uwi.edu

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About UWI

Over the last six decades, The University of the West Indies (UWI) has evolved from a fledgling college in Jamaica with 33 students to a full-fledged University with over 40,000 students. Today, UWI is the largest and most longstanding higher education provider in the English-speaking Caribbean, with main campuses in Barbados, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago, and Centres in Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, The Bahamas, Belize, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Dominica, Grenada, Montserrat, St Christopher (St Kitts) & Nevis, St Lucia, and St Vincent & the Grenadines. UWI recently launched its Open Campus, a virtual campus with 45 physical site locations across the region, serving 16 countries in the English-speaking Caribbean. UWI is an international university with faculty and students from over 40 countries and collaborative links with over 60 universities around the world. Through its seven Faculties, UWI offers undergraduate and postgraduate degree options in Engineering, Humanities & Education, Law, Medical Sciences, Science & Technology, Food & Agriculture, and Social Sciences.

(Please note that the proper name of the university is The University of the West Indies, inclusive of the “The”, hence The UWI.)

 

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