Brazil: UFMG Summer School on Brazilian Studies
The UFMG Summer School on Brazilian Studies (SSBS) is a comprehensive course that offers students from all over the world an understanding of key aspects of Brazil from distinct perspectives. Over two weeks, from 13 to 24 July 2026, the sessions will cover the underpinnings of Brazilian politics, history, foreign relations, geology, law, economy, arts, culture and race. The Summer School takes place at UFMG’s main campus in Belo Horizonte – the capital city of Brazil’s federal state of Minas Gerais.
The UFMG Summer School on Brazilian Studies aims at providing students from around the globe with a solid background in Brazil and Brazilian studies, shedding light on crucial aspects of South America’s giant country and the region in itself. As the world looks ever more interconnected and multipolar, Brazil strikes as a rising power whose understanding might become an asset for future generations of scholars and practitioners, decision makers and takers. Within the ambit of this program, lectures will be delivered on topics as diverse as politics, history, foreign affairs, economy, geology, law, arts, culture and race, creating a mosaic of highly qualified information and analysis.
Classes
Instructors are professors from UFMG (Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais), a leading Brazilian university, ranked 3rd as best federal university and 6th as best institutions of higher education in Brazil, by THE World University Rankings 2026.
Introductory classes of Portuguese language – the sixth most spoken idiom in the world today – will help the course taker dig deeper into Brazil’s complexities and make better sense of the country’s subtleties.
During the two-week course, lectures on selected topics will go from 9:30 AM to 11:30 AM and Portuguese for Foreigners will be held from 1:00 PM to 3:30 PM, Brasilia time, four days a week. (to be confirmed)
Field trips and activities
Extracurricular activities will take participants to dive into Brazilian culture and history through frield trips, movie club and luau.
Field trips include:
- Ouro Preto, former mining town, essential to the Portuguese colony economy, located in the Serra do Espinhaço mountains and designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO because of its outstanding Baroque Portuguese colonial architecture. Before Belo Horizonte, it was the capital city of Minas Gerais.
- Inhotim Institute, one of the biggest open-air museums in the world.
Language
All lectures will be taught in English, therefore applicants are expected to be proficient in the language. For students whose main medium of instruction during their education was not English, some proof of English proficiency will be necessary. Results of standard English proficiency tests (e.g., TOEFL or IELTS) will be preferable, but other forms of certification for language proficiency in English may be considered, at the Organizing Committee’s discretion.