The Laura C. Harris "Gendered Borders" series will focus on South America at its next presentation. Maria Jose Somerlate Barbosa, associate professor at the University of Iowa, will speak on "Expressive Cultures of Brazil in the Context of the African Diaspora" at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday (Feb. 8) in the Burton Morgan lecture hall. Her talk is free and open to the public and is co-sponsored by the Black Studies Program and the Women's Studies Program.

The Gendered Borders series this year is presenting a number of speakers who are discussing how African cultures are linked to other cultures around the world by similar cultural patterns, particularly those that rely on community. These underlying patterns, or intersections, of culture are frequently found in music and dance.

Barbosa specializes in Brazilian literature and culture and in the Portuguese language. A graduate of the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais in Brazil, she earned both a master's degree and doctorate at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Barbosa joined the faculty at the University of Iowa in 1997 where she teaches Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture and Portuguese language classes. She also serves on the University's Latin American Studies Steering Committee and on its International Studies Program committee. Barbosa also has served on the faculty of the University of Arizona and was a teaching assistant at the University of North Carolina.

Calendar Listing:

CALENDAR LISTING: Denison University, Granville -- The Laura C. Harris "Gendered Borders" Series presents Maria Jose Somerlate Barbosa to speak on "Expressive Cultures of Brazil in the Context of the African Diaspora"; 4:30 p.m., Thursday (Feb. 8), Burton Morgan Lecture Hall (150 Ridge Road). Free and open to the public. Contact 740-587-6297 to confirm information.

About Denison:

Denison University, founded in 1831, is an independent, residential liberal arts institution located in Granville, Ohio. A highly selective college enrolling 2,100 full-time undergraduate students from all 50 states and dozens of foreign countries, Denison is a place where innovative faculty and motivated students collaborate in rigorous scholarship, civic engagement and the cultivation of independent thinking.

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