SOLUS is Queen’s Student On-Line University System. You’ll have access to a SOLUS account once you become a Queen’s student. You’ll use SOLUS to register for courses, add and drop courses, update your contact information, view financial and academic information, and pay your tuition.
Rio de Janeiro: the Marvelous City
This course goes beyond the typical representations of Rio de Janeiro to provide an understanding of the complex social, political, economic, and cultural history that have shaped the city's development and character. Focus is on the twentieth century, but provides the necessary historical background to understand the dynamics of life in Rio.
After completing LLCU 209, students should come away with the following knowledge and skills:
- Demonstrate knowledge of significant aspects of society and culture in Rio de Janeiro and Brazil, from samba and carnival to questions of social inequality and community organizing efforts
- Be able to identify and describe significant historical and cultural figures from Rio de Janeiro and Brazil
- Be able to analyze and interpret key historical periods and social and cultural processes that have shaped the development of Rio de Janeiro
- Improve critical thinking and writing through course assignments and online discussion board postings that reflect upon course materials such as readings and documentary films
The course primarily focuses on the twentieth century, but provides the necessary historical background to understand the dynamics of life in Rio. Topics covered include:
- Introduction to aspects of Brazilian society and culture
- Rio de Janeiro’s early development
- Aspects of Rio’s colonial and imperial history, including its central position as port and as former capital of the nation and onetime capital of the Portuguese empire.
- The ways enslaved African labor, plantations, and colonial planning shaped urban development.
- The influence of late 19th and early 20th century notions of order and progress, modernization and cosmopolitanism
- The histories of samba, carnival, and bossa nova as windows into Rio and Brazilian culture and identity as well as race, class, and gender relations.
- Racial and class inequality and urban segregation
- The development of favelas and questions of social inclusion/exclusion, state surveillance, and violence on the part of police and drug gangs.
- The perspectives and processes shaping the 2014 FIFA World Cup (soccer) and the 2016 Olympics, especially the ways histories of inequality shape the unequal distribution of the costs and benefits of sporting mega-events
Known internationally for its carnival, soccer, tropical beach life, musical rhythms, and tourism, the city of Rio de Janeiro has been the quintessential postcard image of Brazil for much of the twentieth century. At the same time, the city is also infamously known for its social inequalities exemplified by pockets of extreme affluence alongside massive shantytown communities (favelas), homeless street youth (meninos e meninas de rua), and ongoing violent confrontations between police and drug gangs. In many ways, the city embodies the idea that Brazil is a land of contrasts. This course goes beyond the typical representations of Rio de Janeiro to provide students with an understanding of the complex social, political, economic, and cultural history that have shaped the city’s development and character.
**Evaluation Subject to Change**
Textbooks and Materials
There is no required Textbook for this course.
Students can expect to spend approximately 10-12 hours a week (132 hours per term) in study, writing, and online activities.
OnQ is Queen's online learning platform. You'll log into Moodle to access your course. All materials related to your course—notes, readings, videos, recordings, discussion forums, assignments, quizzes, groupwork, tutorials, and help—will be on the OnQ site.
About Credit Units
Queen’s courses are weighted in credit units. A typical one-term course is worth 3.0 units, and a typical two-term course is worth 6.0 units. You combine these units to create your degree. A general (three-year) BA or BSc requires a total of 90 credit units.
To take an online course, you’ll need a high speed internet connection as well as a microphone and speakers to be able to watch videos, hear sounds, and participate in interactive online activities. A webcam is recommended but not necessary.
- Laptop or Desktop computer purchased within the last 5 years. (mobile devices are not supported)
- Windows Vista SP2/Mac OSX 10.9 or higher
- Up to date versions of Firefox, Internet Explorer or Safari. Please note that Google Chrome is not recommended for use in our courses.
- Most recent version of Adobe Reader and Adobe Flash
See also Getting Started.
The deadlines for new applications to Queen’s Arts and Science Online courses are in our Upcoming Application Dates section.
Tuition fees vary depending when you start, your year, faculty, and program. Fees for 2016-17 first-year Distance Career Arts & Science Canadian students are as follows: for a 3.0-unit course, $648.40; for a 6.0-unit course, $1296.80. See also Tuition and Fees.
The information below is intended for undergraduate students in the Faculty of Arts and Science. Academic Regulations in other Faculties may differ.
|Letter Grade||Grade Point|
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How does this affect my academics?
See the GPA and Academic Standing page.
Follow the link above for an explanation of how the GPA system affects such things as the Dean’s Honour List, requirements to graduate, and academic progression.
Frequently Asked Questions on the Grading Scheme
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All textbooks can be purchased at Queen’s Campus Bookstore.
All Queen’s Arts and Science Online courses are open to students at other universities. Before applying as a visiting student, request a Letter of Permission from your home university that states that you have permission to take the course and apply it to your degree. See also Apply.
Please see Queen’s policy statement on academic integrity for information on how to complete an online course honestly.