by Brandon LuckiToday started our second day of classes in Vitoria but luckily we did not have to be at the University of Vila Velha (University) until 11, which meant it was time to hit the beach for a little bit. The beach scene was so relaxing with the beautiful soft sand, no clouds in the sky, and a coconut water in my hand (the drink is one where they just cut open a coconut and you drink straight from it). A few of my classmates met up with me and we played a game known as fresca ball, but what we would consider paddle ball. I was pretty bad at it but as soon as I started to go from being pretty bad to just bad it was time for class.
Our first speaker was a economics professor at the University, Professor Machado. He discussed a comparative history of Brazilian and American cultures dating from 1900-now. Professor Machado had a great energy and enthusiasm about this topic so it was a fun lecture to follow (he even discussed Frank Sinatra for a bit, how can you not love that!). He made numerous comparisons of each countries´ history through the use of pop culture, politics, war, and other historical events.
Our next class was taught by one of our professors, Profressor John Taylor. One of Professor Taylor´s favorite topics to discuss is First Amendment rights, particularly the Freedom of Religion Clause so that is what our class centered around. And guess who got called on first . . . you got it, me. We discussed two cases from America that involved a person´s ability to freely practice their religious traditions without interference from the government. We then discussed how these American cases were similar to a case in Brazil but time ran short and we did not get a chance to finish our discussion.However, I have a feeling he´ll sneak it back into another lecture/seminar at some point.
Following Professor Taylor was another professor from the University who taught anthropology, Professor Opsommer. It was a fascinating discussion of racial issues in Brazil and about the heated debate of using quotas for Afro Brasilian people to be accepted into the prestigious federal public universities. The whole class was heavily involved with student comments and questions. These issues of quotas and racism are openly discussed in Brazil, unlike the U.S. where people are typically afraid to engage in frank discussions of race. It would be rare to hear an American saying something like “affirmative action is absolutely wrong” for fear of being considered racist. Brazil is striving for diversity in the classrooms just as American classes are, but they are just a few decades behind what America has accomplished and they will get there if they keep the fight going.
Finally, after an intense discussion of racism we finished with our final lecture of the day, law and poetry. One of our professors, Professor Blumenthal, led this classroom discussion. Professor Blumenthal has worked as a lawyer, psycho therapist, and a poet. He has a very chilled, relaxed manner of speaking which every law student could appreciate. We discussed some acts of the Odyssey and how they compared with the life of a lawyer, it was a very unique topic. Most of the students on this trip have had Professor cummings or Taylor, but not Blumenthal because he just started at the law school about a year ago. However, there is a growing consensus that a lot of us will definitely be enrolling in some of his classes in the future.
Classes ended, and what better way to celebrate the day then by having a pizza party on top of a ten story condo over looking the beach. Man this place is awesome!
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