Spring 2024
PORT 497 – Through the Looking-Glass: Race in the U.S. and Brazil
Time: TR 1:25 PM – 2:15 PM
Instructor: Sarah J. Townsend
Description: Coming Soon
Fall 2023
PORT 397 – Brazilian Jukebox
Time: TR 12:05 PM – 1:20 PM
Instructor: Sarah J. Townsend
Description: This course offers a musical exploration of Brazil. Throughout the semester we will listen to examples of choro, samba, sertanejo, bossa nova, batuque, funk carioca, tecnobrega, and other genres of contemporary pop. Our primary texts will be song lyrics (supplemented in some cases by music videos), though we will also watch films and read literature in which music plays a prominent part, and we will discuss writings by critics, historians, and ethnomusicologists that illuminate connections between the musical realm and topics such as the history of slavery, the military dictatorship of 1964-1985, Black political movements, and recent protests demanding free public transportation.
Spring 2021
PORT 473 – Luso-Brazilian Cinema
Time: TR, 1:35-2:50 p.m.
Instructor: Krista Brune
Course Description: This course studies social, political, economic, and cultural issues in the Portuguese-speaking world through the lens of film. This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree attributes in Humanities and the International Cultures requirement. Through examinations of feature films and documentaries, the class explores how cinema approaches social, cultural, political, and economic realities in Brazil, Portugal, and Lusophone Africa. Students will learn about national histories, political struggles, social movements, and cultural practices of the Luso-Afro-Brazilian world as they gain the skills and appropriate vocabulary to analyze and discuss film. The course materials will invite students to consider how films examine legacies of imperialism, colonialism, and dictatorial regimes, as well as ongoing divisions and injustices on the basis of race, class, gender, and sexuality. Questions to be considered in this course include: How do filmmakers grapple with traumas of the past, questions of memory, and debates around truth and reconciliation? How do forms of fiction and documentary intersect, serve as complements, or contradict each other in film? How does film represent the convergences and divergences between different parts of the Portuguese-speaking world? What are the possibilities and limitations of studying these works in a comparative Lusophone framework? Readings on film, history, and Luso-Afro-Brazilian culture, and interviews with filmmakers will complement our studies of the films. The course will be conducted in English. No prior knowledge of Portuguese is necessary, as the films will have subtitles and required readings will all be in English. Students pursuing the Portuguese minor may receive credit for the minor if they complete all of their written assignments in Portuguese.
Fall 2020
PORT 1 – Beginning Portuguese (M 11:15-12:05 PM, TuTh 12:05 – 1:20 PM)
Instructor: Dayse Bedê
Course Description: The first course in the basic Portuguese sequence. This class is intended for students with no background in Portuguese or another Romance language.
PORT 123 – Portuguese for Romance-language Speakers (MWF 12:20 – 1:10 PM)
Instructor: Krista Brune
Course Description: This course offers an introduction to Brazilian Portuguese for students who already have a good grasp of grammar and vocabulary in Spanish, French, Italian, or Latin. This course will cover the topics of the basic language sequence (PORT 1, 2, 3) in one semester to prepare you for advanced Portuguese courses, study abroad, or research. Our focus will be on acquiring linguistic fluency, but along the way we will also gain insight into aspects of Brazilian culture through our analysis of song lyrics, journalistic texts, and TV shows. This course counts for the 2nd foreign/world language and the 12th unit of foreign/world language. Register for this course if: you grew up speaking a Romance language or you have taken Spanish, French, Italian, or Latin 3 or higher.
Prerequisite: SPAN 3; FR 3; IT 3; LATIN 3; or prior approval from the instructor
PORT 200 – Advanced Portuguese via the Arts (TuTh 1:35-2:50 PM)
Instructor: Dayse Bedê
Course Description: This course provides a more detailed study of the Portuguese language. Students will review and extend their abilities in all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) as they learn more about the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Portuguese-speaking world. The course uses a textbook paired with written, audio, and video workbook activities and supplemented by authentic language materials and artistic works that generate communicative exercises that allow students to practice and refine their spoken and written Portuguese. As students improve their understanding of the Portuguese language, they also gain insight into Luso-Afro-Brazilian cultures by analyzing music, films, videos, paintings, photos, essays, chronicles, news articles, shorts stories, and poems. This course will be conducted in Portuguese.
Prerequisite: PORT 3, PORT 123, or permission of the instructor
PORT 3 – Intermediate Portuguese (M 10:10-11, TuTh 10:35 – 11:50 AM)
Instructor: Dayse Bedê
Course Description: The third course in the basic Portuguese sequence is a continuation of Portuguese 1 and 2. This class is intended for students with no background in Portuguese or another Romance language.
Prerequisite: PORT 002
Spring 2020
PORT 123 – Portuguese for Romance-language Speakers (MWF 12:20 – 1:10 PM)
Instructor: Krista Brune
Course Description: This course offers an introduction to Brazilian Portuguese for students who already have a good grasp of grammar and vocabulary in Spanish, French, Italian, or Latin. This course will cover the topics of the basic language sequence (PORT 1, 2, 3) in one semester to prepare you for advanced Portuguese courses, study abroad, or research. Our focus will be on acquiring linguistic fluency, but along the way we will also gain insight into aspects of Brazilian culture through our analysis of song lyrics, journalistic texts, and TV shows. This course counts for the 2nd foreign/world language and the 12th unit of foreign/world language. Register for this course if: you grew up speaking a Romance language or you have taken Spanish, French, Italian, or Latin 3 or higher.
Prerequisite: SPAN 3; FR 3; IT 3; LATIN 3; or prior approval from the instructor
PORT 2 – Elementary Portuguese II (M 10:10-11:00 AM, TuTh 10:35 – 11:50 AM)
Instructor: Dayse Bedê
Course Description: The second course in the basic Portuguese sequence is a continuation of Portuguese 1. This class is intended for students with no background in Portuguese or another Romance language.
Prerequisite: PORT 001
PORT 405 – Advanced Composition and Conversation (TuTh 12:05 – 1:20 PM)
Instructor: Dayse Bedê
Course Description: This course is a requirement for the Portuguese minor. It is intended to strengthen the advanced student’s ability to speak, read, and write in modern Brazilian Portuguese. The class uses crônicas, short stories, and other forms of cultural expression to strengthen students’ use of grammar, vocabulary, idiomatic expressions, and pronunciation in Brazilian Portuguese. Pre-requisites for this course are Portuguese 3, Portuguese 123, or permission of the instructor.
Prerequisite: PORT 003, PORT 123, or prior approval from the instructor