This purpoose of this webblog is to document collaboration activities between Universidade de São Paulo (USP) and the World Studies Media Center at VCU, and to report on my dissertation research..

2006
VCU enters into a partnership agreement with Universidade de São Paulo (USP), in São Paulo, Brazil. The areas of interest include medicine, chemistry, engineering, language studies and religious studies.

February 2007
The rector of USP, Dr. Suely Vilela, visits VCU and is honored with a VIP reception.

March 2007
The first site visit to USP includes meetings with the director and staff of Centro de Linguas and the director of Comissão de Cooperação Internacional. Discussions are held on the future prospects of cooperation between USP and VCU in the area of language learning and student and teacher exchanges. USP provides student-led tour of USP campus and of São Paulo. Tour of the new Museo da Língua Portuguesa is the highlight of the city tour.

August 2007
Brazilian Portuguese 101 courses are filled to capacity. Tony Brinckwirth provides teaching assistance throughout the semester delivering instruction and promoting the program.

April 2008
Tony Brinckwirth submits proposal to VCU International University Partnerships Initiative to invite a visiting instructor from USP to teach Portuguese and assist in developing and promoting a Brazilian Portuguese language program at VCU. Proposal is approved and search for instructor begins.

June 2008
Eliete Sampaio Farneda, instructor of Portuguese as a Second Language from USP, is selected for visiting instructorship at VCU.

August 2008
Eliete Sampaio arrives in Richmond and begins teaching Portuguese language sequence at VCU. First four levels are taught in the fall and spring semesters.

September 2009
WSMC hires USP exchange student Renata Bastos to work as a lab assistant for the 2008-2009 year.

October 2009
Brinckwirth and Sampaio visit Teletandem workshop at Georgetown University, meet Dr. Teles of Universidade Estadual Paulista - Assis. Contact info is exchanged for possible future collaboration.

November 2009
Teletandem initiated between Portuguese language students at VCU and English language students at Universidade Estadual Paulista - Assis (UNESP).

January 2009
Sampaio and Brinckwirth develop a summer study abroad program at USP in cooperation with Centro de Linguas Director, Dr. Rosane Sá Amado.

May-June 2009
First VCU-USP Summer Portuguese language program takes place at USP with 5 students from VCU. Intensive 2-week Portuguese course at USP in São Paulo, 2 week cultural tour traveling from Minas Gerais to Rio de Janeiro.

October 2009
First teacher-to-group videconference held to test connectivity between systems.

December 2009
Second teacher-to-group videconference held with USP Professor Zilda Aquino-Gaspar, who presents lecture on Brazilian Portuguese linguistics for Portuguese language students at VCU.

Pictured with Dr. Suely Vilela, Rector of USP (left), February 2007.

Pictured with Dr. Rosane Sá Amado, Director of USP Centro de Línguas (left) and Dr. Ligia Ferreira, former Director of Centro de Línguas (right), March 2007.

Pictured with Eliete Sampaio Farneda, Visiting Instructor of Portuguese at VCU, during a visit to USP, May 2009.

Pictured with Dr. Nicholas Farrell, Director of VCU-USP Partnership and Eliete Sampaio Farneda in Richmond, Virginia, October 2008.

Portuguese 101 students at VCU, December 2008.

First VCU-USP Summer Program poster, Spring 2009.

Pictured with Dr. Rosane Sá Amado, Director of USP Centro de Línguas (left), June 2009.

First group of VCU students to study at USP through the partnership, June 2009.

VCU Portuguese language student Mackenzie Weaver engages in Teletendem language exchange with UNESP English language student, in the World Studies Media Center, October 2009.

Videoconference with USP faculty and students of Brazilian Portuguese sociolingustics, December 2009.