ANPEPP Conference: A View from an International Visitor

Abstract

AbstractThis paper provides an overview from the perspective of an invited international guest to the 15th Symposium of ANPEPP, held in Bento Gonçalves, Brazil, in May, 2014. ANPEPP, the acronym for "Associação Nacional de Pesquisa e Pós-Graduação em Psicologia," or the "Brazilian National Association for Research and Postgraduate Studies in Psychology" in English, is comprised of psychology faculty at postgraduate programs throughout Brazil. The theme of internationalization is especially relevant for Brazil, where there has been rapid development in science and technology output, affording it a new, emerging international role. The paper discusses the multiple connotations of internationalization, the goals for internationalization from different perspectives, and the impact of internationalization on psychological research and publishing in Brazil. It also addresses the opportunities and challenges of internationalization in Brazil and elsewhere. In addition, the author shares her experiences in the ANPEPP forum-plenary sessions and business meetings. Of particular note as a first-time attendee is the evaluation process for postgraduate education, conducted by CAPES, the Brazilian Federal Agency for Improvement of Higher Education. In closing, the author asks what psychology, as a discipline, can learn from ANPEPP's and Brazil's approach to developing and evaluating academic disciplines, and expresses appreciation for the opportunity to participate in what she characterizes as a unique convocation