CIEE Global Institute Rio de Janeiro Course name: Contemporary Politics in Brazil Course number: POLI 3102 RDJO Programs offering course: Rio de Janeiro Open Campus (International Relations and Political Science Track) Language of instruction: English U.S. semester credits: 3 Contact hours: 45 Term: Spring 2019 Course Description How is it that the Party of the Brazilian Woman consists only of men? What is a physiological party? How to explain the election of Grumpy, a professional clown, to Brazil s national legislature? In this course students will survey the fascinating and at times tragicomic landscape of political organizations and practices in Brazil, while also gaining insight into Brazilian perspectives on the role of government in civil society. Students learn about current initiatives toward greater transparency and rule of law including the largest corruption investigation in Brazil's history and changing expectations about what constitutes good governance. Learning Objectives By the end of this course, students will be able to: Compare and contrast Brazilian politics and power structure with the United States or other nation with which the student has knowledge. Synthesize and discuss nuances of the racial and ethnic dimension of contemporary Brazilian society. Differentiate prevalent forms of corruption and political violence in contemporary Brazil. Compare and contrast the institutional design of the Brazilian political system with the United States. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of Brazilian Federalism and correlate this with examples from Brazilian policies. Course Prerequisites Student should have completed an introductory level course in International Relations or Political Science before enrolling in this course. Methods of Instruction 1
The methodology will be characterized by lectures, presentations and class discussions based on the assigned readings. Lectures will be enhanced by PowerPoint presentations whenever these are helpful to explain international conflicts and controversies. The class debates will be prepared and conducted in such a way that they can serve as preparation for discussions and meetings with politicians, civil servants, NGO representatives as well as independent experts. Classroom activities will include individual, partner and group work and will be complemented by homework exercises. Assessment and Final Grade The final grade will be made up of the following components: Two response papers 20% Midterm Quiz 10% Midterm exam 20% FlipGrid Video Presentation 10% Group presentation in last session 20% Participation 20% Course Requirements Two Response Papers: Students write two short response papers (each 750 words min./max. 1000 words) based on readings and information from out of class activities. Please type papers using 12-point font and double-spaced (Total credit for 2 papers = 20% of final grade). Midterm Quiz: The midterm quiz will be a 20 minutes in-class test based on the material covered by then. The focus is on assessing to what degree students active knowledge is improving. The quiz will include no more than 15 brief identification questions on the readings and three or less prompts for short answer/essay format questions. Midterm Exam: The midterm will be a take-home, open-book exam consisting of prompts, or questions that require synthesizing information and topics developed in the course. Take home means students will complete the exam outside of class, but without the help of any other person except the readings and notes (= open book ). Most answers to prompts will vary between one and four paragraphs, depending on the complexity of the question and answer. There will be between three and six prompts. FlipGrid: 2
Students will choose a topic for which they will prepare a short oral presentation of about 10 minutes uploaded to Canvas using the FlipGrid integrated app. Students must sign up for a topic by the end of Week 2. Student presentations will be assessed by their ability to demonstrate in the video a concise synthesis of the topic in terms relevant to the course curriculum and clear for all classmates new to the topic. Final Group Presentation: In small groups (ideally three per group), students will develop an in-class presentation that expands upon one of the topics discussed in class and compares it to the political system of the US. Presentations should be no more than 15 minutes in length. Participation Participation is valued as meaningful contribution in the digital and tangible classroom, utilizing the resources and materials presented to students as part of the course. Meaningful contribution requires students to be prepared in advance of each class session and to have regular attendance. Students must clearly demonstrate they have engaged with the materials as directed, for example, through classroom discussions, online discussion boards, peer-to-peer feedback (after presentations), interaction with guest speakers, and attentiveness on co-curricular and outside-of-classroom activities. Attendance Policy Regular class attendance is required throughout the program, and all unexcused absences will result in a lower participation grade for any affected CIEE course. Due to the intensive schedules for Open Campus and Short Term programs, unexcused absences that constitute more than 10% of the total course will result in a written warning. Students who transfer from one CIEE class to another during the add/drop period will not be considered absent from the first session(s) of their new class, provided they were marked present for the first session(s) of their original class. Otherwise, the absence(s) from the original class carry over to the new class and count against the grade in that class. For CIEE classes, excessively tardy (over 15 minutes late) students must be marked absent. Attendance policies also apply to any required co-curricular class excursion or event, as well as to Internship, Service Learning, or required field placement. Students 3
who miss class for personal travel, including unforeseen delays that arise as a result of personal travel, will be marked as absent and unexcused. No make-up or re-sit opportunity will be provided. Attendance policies also apply to any required class excursion, with the exception that some class excursions cannot accommodate any tardiness, and students risk being marked as absent if they fail to be present at the appointed time. Unexcused absences will lead to the following penalties: Percentage of Total Course Hours Missed Equivalent Number of Open Campus Semester classes Minimum Penalty Up to 10% 1 content classes, or up to 2 language classes Participation graded as per class requirements 10 20% 2 content classes, or 3-4 language classes Participation graded as per class requirements; written warning More than 20% 3 content classes, or 5 language classes Automatic course failure, and possible expulsion Weekly Schedule NOTE: this schedule is subject to change at the discretion of the instructor to take advantage of current experiential learning opportunities. 4
Week 1: Course Introduction 1.1 Introduction - Contemporary Brazil after the mass protests in 2013 Opening lecture about the current political and economic crisis in Brazil, starting with the mass protests in 2013, covering the 2014 elections and the 2016 impeachment process, as much as the basic conflict lines in Brazilian Politics. Week 2: The Evolution of the Modern Democratic Republic 2.1 Brazil s Long Trajectory from a Portuguese Colony to a 21st Century Republic This lecture exploits the perpetuation of political and economic elites, both on the social and the geographical level, in a short review of the evolution of the Brazilian Republic from 1824 on. Students will be acquainted with the Brazilian concept of Coronelismo and the still impressively strong oligarchic structure of Brazilian democracy. Visit to the Museum of the Indian OR to Palace of the Republic. 1) do Bem, Arim S.. (2016). Continuities and Discontinuities in Brazilian Political and Institutional Life: Past and Present Dilemmas for Democracy. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 27-47). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2) Hagopian, F. (1987). The Traditional Political Elite and the Transition to Democracy in Brazil (No. 91). Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame. https://kellogg.nd.edu/sites/default/files/old_files/documents/091_0.pdf 2.2 Re-democratization and the 1988 Constitution This lecture will cover the transition process starting in the late 1970s until the 1988 elections fully re-establish the democratic order. Special interest is laid on the diretas já movement and the public claim for direct elections, the 1987 5
constituent assembly and its product, the 1988 citizen constitution. In addition, participatory elements of Brazilian democracy will be addressed. 1) Mainwaring, Scott (1986). The Transition to Democracy in Brazil, in: Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs. Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 149-179. 2) Skidmore, T. E. (2009). Brazil: Five centuries of change. OUP Catalogue. Chapter 8 Due in class: first (of two) response paper. Week 3: The Brazilian Society 3.1 Democratic Brazil This session examines the dramatic neoliberal reforms in the 1990s, the international dimension of internal affairs in an aspiring new global player and the political background (and consequences) of the two-party dichotomy PSDB vs. PT. 1) Weyland, Kurt (2005): The Growing Sustainability of Brazil s Low-Quality Democracy, in: Frances Hagopian and Scott Mainwaring, eds.,the Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America: Advances and Setbacks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 90-120. 2) Hunter, Wendy (2008): The Partido dos Trabalhadores. Still a party of the Left?, in: Kingstone, Peter R. & Timothy J. Power: Democratic Brazil revisited. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 15-32. 3.2 Brazilian Society: Inequality, Race, Gender In this lecture students will obtain knowledge about the racial and ethnic dimension of contemporary Brazilian society as much as the difficulties for women in a highly patriarchal society. They will gain both quantitative insights with regard to ethnic and gender representation in politics and the economy, as much as the qualitative conflicts in a torn society. 1) Daniel, A., & Graf, P. (2016). Gender and politics in Brazil between continuity and change. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 367-392). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 6
2) Johnson III, O. A. (2015). Blacks in National Politics. In Race, Politics, and Education in Brazil (pp. 17-58). Palgrave Macmillan US. 3) Holston, J. (2008). Insurgent citizenship: Disjunctions of democracy and modernity in Brazil. Princeton University Press. Chapter 1. 3.3 Civil Society, Social Movements, Religion This class discusses the organized civil society, institutions, movements and particularly the role of religion in Brazilian politics. Out of class event for this week: Visit to the Town Council and a talk with a female black representative. 1) Avritzer, L. (2009). Participatory institutions in democratic Brazil. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. Chapter 2 2) Smith, A. E. (2016). When Clergy Are Threatened: Catholic and Protestant Leaders and Political Activism in Brazil. Politics and Religion, 9(3), 431-455. 3) Strongly recommended but not must read: Mainwaring, S. W. (1989). Grass-Roots catholic groups and politics in Brazil, in: Mainwaring, Scott & Alexander Wilde The progressive church in Latin America (No. 27 (8)). University of Notre Dame Press, 151-192. Assignment Due: FlipGrid Video Week 4: The Brazilian Political System 4.1 The Brazilian Government and Party System: Coalitional Presidentialism This lecture explores the institutional design of the Brazilian Political System as much as the particularities of the party system. Students will learn about the outer and inner structure of checks and balances and the political protocols that constrain the strength of each power. 1) Limongi, Fernando (2007): Democracy in Brazil Presidentialism, party coalitions and the decision making process, in: Novos estud. - CEBRAP vol.3 no.se São Paulo. 2) Power, Timothy J.(2010): Optimism, Pessimism, and Coalitional Presidentialism: Debating the Institutional Design of Brazilian Democracy, in: Bulletin of Latin American Research, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 18 33. 7
Midterm quiz due 4.2 The Brazilian Electoral System This lecture explores the institutional setting that shapes political representation in Brazil. It picks up where the previous lecture stopped and points out how Brazil votes and how this leads to many interesting side-effects. In addition, students will learn about the weight that the issue political reform has had in Brazilian politics and political science. 1) Nicolau, J., & Stadler, J. (2016). The Brazilian Electoral System. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 103-120). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2) Speck, Bruno W. (2016): Brazil, in: Norris, Pippa & A. van Es (eds.) Checkbook Elections?: Political Finance in Comparative Perspective. Oxford University Press, 27-44. 4.3 Political Reform This class examines the constant discussion about political reform in Brazil. Students will learn about the most prominent, as much as the most significant reform attempts in the last two decades and discuss their political dimension. Readings due: 1) Cheibub J.A. (2009). Political Reform in Brazil: Recent Proposals, Diagnosis, and a Suggestion. In: Love J.L., Baer W. (eds) Brazil under Lula. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 9-25. Week 5: Policies 5.1 The Policy Cycle in Brazilian Federalism This class introduces how Brazilian Federalism functions and how its dynamics influence policies. Readings due: 1) Mainwaring, Scott, & David Samuels (2004). Strong Federalism, Constraints on the Central Government. In: Federalism and Democracy 8
in Latin America, edited by Edward L. Gibson, 85 130. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press (an earlier version online: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e110/86747f748a705938e65701afbb558 3e65938.pdf ) 2) Souza, Celina (1997). Conclusion: Intergovernmental Relations, Decentralization, and Federalism in a Fragmented Polity. In Constitutional Engineering in Brazil (pp. 170-180). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Due in class: midterm exam 5.2 Social Policies: From Fome Zero to Bolsa Familia and Affirmative Action in Education In this class students will learn about the major social (transfer) programs that have received international acclaim and led to Brazil vanishing from the world hunger map. In addition, they will discuss the attempts to democratize the access to public higher education for students who come from public schools, lowincome families and who are of African or indigenous descent by means of quotas. Out-of-class event: visit to a public high-school OR visit to the UERJ for a group discussion about the quota system. Readings due: 1) Leubolt, B. (2016). Social Policies in Brazil: From Inclusive Liberalism to Developmental Welfare. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 351-365). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. 2) Fenwick, T. B. (2009). Avoiding governors: the success of Bolsa Família. Latin American Research Review, 44(1), 102-13 3) Júnior, J. F., Toste, V., & Campos, L. A. (2015). Affirmative Action in Brazil: Achievements and Challenges. In Race, Politics, and Education in Brazil (pp. 179-198). Palgrave Macmillan US. Week 6: 6.1 The Struggle with Accountability: Corruption, Lava-Jato and Political Violence In this class students will learn about the different prevalent forms of corruption and political violence in contemporary Brazil. A specific focus is laid on the current investigation Lava Jato. Reading due: 9
1) Pavão, Nara (2016): Conditional Cash Transfer Programs and Electoral Accountability: Evidence from Latin America. Latin American Politics and Society, v. 58, p. 74-99. 2) Ferraz, C. and F. Finan (2008). Exposing corrupt politicians: The effects of brazil s publicly released audits on electoral outcomes. The Quarterly Journal of Economics 123 (2), 703 745. Due in class: Second response paper 6.2 Final group presentations Students will present their group projects and finish the course comparing the Brazilian political system to the United States (e.g. party system, constitution, electoral participation, society etc.) Final Presentations Due Readings Avritzer, L. (2009). Participatory institutions in democratic Brazil. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. Chapter 2 do Bem, A. S. (2016). Continuities and Discontinuities in Brazilian Political and Institutional Life: Past and Present Dilemmas for Democracy. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 27-47). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Cheibub J. A. (2009). Political Reform in Brazil: Recent Proposals, Diagnosis, and a Suggestion. In: Love J.L., Baer W. (eds) Brazil under Lula. Palgrave Macmillan, New York, 9-25. Daniel, A., & Graf, P. (2016). Gender and politics in Brazil between continuity and change. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 367-392). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Fenwick, T. B. (2009). Avoiding governors: the success of Bolsa Família, In: Latin American Research Review, 44(1), 102-13 Ferraz, C. and F. Finan (2008). Exposing corrupt politicians: The effects of brazil s publicly released audits on electoral outcomes, In: The Quarterly Journal of Economics 123 (2), 703 745. 10
Hagopian, F. (1987). The Traditional Political Elite and the Transition to Democracy in Brazil (No. 91). Helen Kellogg Institute for International Studies, University of Notre Dame. Available at: https://kellogg.nd.edu/sites/default/files/old_files/documents/091_0.pdf Holston, J. (2008). Insurgent citizenship: Disjunctions of democracy and modernity in Brazil. Princeton University Press. Chapter 1. Hunter, W. (2008): The Partido dos Trabalhadores. Still a party of the Left?, in: Kingstone, Peter R. & Timothy J. Power: Democratic Brazil revisited. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh, 15-32. Johnson III, O. A. (2015). Blacks in National Politics. In Race, Politics, and Education in Brazil (pp. 17-58). Palgrave Macmillan US. Júnior, J. F., Toste, V., & Campos, L. A. (2015). Affirmative Action in Brazil: Achievements and Challenges. In: Race, Politics, and Education in Brazil (pp. 179-198). Palgrave Macmillan US. Leubolt, B. (2016). Social Policies in Brazil: From Inclusive Liberalism to Developmental Welfare. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 351-365). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Limongi, F. (2007): Democracy in Brazil: Presidentialism, party coalitions and the decision making process, in: Novos estudos. - CEBRAP vol.3 no.se São Paulo. Mainwaring, S.(1986). The Transition to Democracy in Brazil, in: Journal of Interamerican Studies and World Affairs. Vol. 28, No. 1, pp. 149-179. Nicolau, J., & Stadler, J. (2016). The Brazilian Electoral System. In The Political System of Brazil (pp. 103-120). Springer Berlin Heidelberg. Pavão, N. (2016): Conditional Cash Transfer Programs and Electoral Accountability: Evidence from Latin America, In: Latin American Politics and Society, v. 58, p. 74-99. Power, T. J. (2010): Optimism, Pessimism, and Coalitional Presidentialism: Debating the Institutional Design of Brazilian Democracy, in: Bulletin of Latin American Research, Vol. 29, No. 1, pp. 18 33. Skidmore, T. E. (2009). Brazil: Five centuries of change, in: OUP Catalogue. Chapter 8 Smith, A. E. (2016). When Clergy are Threatened: Catholic and Protestant Leaders and Political Activism in Brazil. Politics and Religion, 9(3), 431-455. 11
Souza, C. (1997). Conclusion: Intergovernmental Relations, Decentralization, and Federalism in a Fragmented Polity. In Constitutional Engineering in Brazil (pp. 170-180). Palgrave Macmillan UK. Speck, B. W. (2016): Brazil, in: Norris, Pippa & A. van Es (eds.) Checkbook Elections?: Political Finance in Comparative Perspective. Oxford University Press, 27-44. Weyland, K. (2005): The Growing Sustainability of Brazil s Low-Quality Democracy, in: Frances Hagopian and Scott Mainwaring, eds.,the Third Wave of Democratization in Latin America: Advances and Setbacks (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press), pp. 90-120. Recommended Additional Readings Ahnen, R. E. (2007). The politics of police violence in democratic Brazil. Latin American Politics and Society, 49(1), 141-164. Ames, B. (2001). The Deadlock of Democracy in Brazil: Interests, Identities, and Institutions in Comparative Politics. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press. Avritzer, L. (2009). Participatory institutions in democratic Brazil. Washington, DC: Woodrow Wilson Center Press. Borges, Andre (2011) "The Political Consequences of Center-Led Redistribution in Brazilian Federalism: The Fall of Subnational Party Machines," Latin American Research Review 46 (3): 21-45 Bringel, Breno (2016) 2013-2016: polarization and protests in Brazil. In: Open Democracy. Available at: https://www.opendemocracy.net/democraciaabierta/breno-bringel/2013-2016- polarization-and-protests-in-brazil Desposato, S. W. (2006). The impact of electoral rules on legislative parties: Lessons from the Brazilian Senate and Chamber of Deputies. In: The Journal of Politics, 68(4), 1018-1030. Figueiredo, A. C., & Limongi, F. (2000). Presidential power, legislative organization, and party behavior in Brazil. In: Comparative Politics, 151-170. Kingstone, P. R. & Power, T. J. (2005): Democratic Brazil revisited. University of Pittsburgh Press, Pittsburgh. Mainwaring, S., & Samuels, D. (2004). Strong Federalism, Constraints on the Central Government. In: Federalism and Democracy in Latin America, edited by Edward L. Gibson, 85 130. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Available at: https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/e110/86747f748a705938e65701afbb5583e65938.pdf Samuels, D. (2003). Ambition, federalism, and legislative politics in Brazil. Cambridge University Press. 12
Taylor, M. M. (2008). Judging policy: courts and policy reform in democratic Brazil. Stanford University Press. Telles, E. E. (2014). Race in another America: The significance of skin color in Brazil. Princeton University Press. Vaitsman, J.; Mendes Ribeiro, J. and Lobato, L. (Ed.) (2013). Policy Analysis in Brazil. Bristol, Policy Press, International Library of Policy Analysis Series. 13