(1985 – 2017) Initiatives in the University of the Azores

Back in São Miguel after a trip to Washington, D.C., where I visited the Folger Shakespeare Playhouse, I coordinated the “Life in Elizabethan England” Renaissance Fair, a recreation of life in the time of William Shakespeare and Queen Elizabeth I, held on campus at the University of the Azores, from 14-15 June, 1985.

During three decades of teaching at the University of the Azores, along with my classes for the Undergraduate and Master’s Degrees offered by the Department of Modern Languages and Literature, I organized and taught Training Courses for English Teachers, as well as English Language Courses, American Culture Courses and Portuguese and English: 2 World Languages Workshops for varied target groups, from teachers and students from abroad and the immigrant communities, to professionals and other members of the local community. I also participated in the Gender Studies Course organized by my colleague Fátima Sequeira Dias during the 2000-2001 academic year.

To compliment classes on North-American Culture, the Celebration of Thanksgiving was held in the University of the Azores cafeteria, with a Traditional Meal and a Special Show on the following: “A Historical Re-enactment of the First Thanksgiving”, on November 23, 1995; “Writers & the Land: An Enactment of Writers’ Perspectives on the US Continent“ on November 28, 1996; and “Contemporary Music & the Luso-American Experience in the USA” on Novembro 27, 1997.

In the context of the UA-USA Exchange/Intercâmbio Scholarship Program, I made a special effort to develop the University of the Azores Summer Course to include the three campuses of Ponta Delgada, Ribeira Chã and Horta. Combining studies in Language and the Arts, Society and Culture, and Nature and the Environment, the UA Summer Course included classes, varied activities, and field trips in the three islands of São Miguel, Terceira, and Faial, including a special visit to Pico.