http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio My experiences around the world Fri, 20 Nov 2009 16:44:23 +0000 http://backend.userland.com/rss092 en My recent excursion to Trinidad and Tobago not only brought about a fruitful discussion of my Harvard research (see separate blog) but also a surprise opportunity to engage and learn about a new religion. Heading down to the island republic allowed for me to present SA research findings at UWI (University ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/11/20/cultural-immersion/ The travel plans have been finalized and I'm very excited to be heading down to the Republic of Trinidad. The weather reports from my faculty hosts report a sunny and hot 90 degree week ahead and, honestly, I am eagerly awaiting some much needed sunshine after the 4:30 darkness we ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/11/12/castells-revisited/ The Institute of Gender and Development Studies Presentation Abstract: Presentation Date(s): (Monday, November 16 and Tuesday, November 17, 2009) Title: "Women and Media: Gender, Consumerism, & Marketing in the Developing World" Abstract: The main trajectory of the presentation will analyze how female image(s) are represented through media in developing nations. Moreover, I will question whether or not ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/10/13/university-of-the-west-indies-presentation-abstract/ I was fortunate enough to be able to spend some time in Memphis, Tennessee while chaperoning students attending a conference. During the days spent in Memphis I was able to coordinate some time in Clarksdale Mississippi to visit Clarksdale High School located in the impoverished northernmost delta region of the ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/10/13/mississippi-refocusing-the-nation/ I wanted to share with you a link to a New York Times article that chronicles the frustrations that many students face within the education system in South Africa. Joao Silva for The New York Times In the absence of a teacher, students discussed their work at a high school in Khayelitsha, ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/09/24/sa-eager-students-fall-prey-to-apartheid%e2%80%99s-legacy/ My trip to Memphis, Clarksdale and New Orleans stems from a relatives involvement with Teach for America. My sister Tara Porfirio was recently accepted into the ranks of Teach for America and began her summer institute training in Texas and then was placed in Clarksdale, Mississippi, in the Delta region. ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/09/22/teach-for-america-tri-state-connections/ I have been frantically pulling together materials for my presentation(s) and getting equally excited about the prospect of visiting Trinidad this November. Never having been to the islands of the west indies I'm truly looking forward to interacting and engaging with a culture and peoples I know very little about. For ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/09/22/west-indies/ I finally got back in from my adventures on Saturday morning and I need time to digest and properly reflect on everything that I experienced abroad. I will be sure to place additional comments/posts and photographs once I've had a few days to get back on track with work and ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/08/24/home-sweet-home/ As a potential Ph.D. candidate who was informally invited into the UCT Film and Media Studies program I was invited to an intimate luncheon with Manuel Castells, a world renowned theorist and professor from the University of Southern California. Gathered were a number of faculty and independent researchers working on ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/08/20/castells-luncheon/ For the third and final phase of my time in South Africa I moved in with Stephanie and Paul Cohen who are both doctors and run a NGO in which they are looking at sustainable energy and micro-farming. While staying with the Cohen’s I was able to go on a ... http://blogs.sage.edu/porfirio/2009/08/18/micro-farming-agriculture-and-education/