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Course Level
Credits
Semester
100
4
Fall 2025
PORT 001 Elementary Portuguese I
For beginners. Grammar, with reading and writing of simple Portuguese; oral and aural work stressed.
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All)
Instructor(s)
100
4
Fall 2025
PORT 002 Elementary Portuguese II
Grammar, reading, and conversation continued; special emphasis on the language, literature, and life of Brazil. Continuation of PORT 1, with introduction to Brazilian culture and further development of language skills.
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All)
Prerequisite
PORT 001
Instructor(s)
100
4
Fall 2025
PORT 003 Intermediate Portuguese
Grammar, reading, composition, and conversation. Further development of language skills with emphasis on reading and conversation in cultural contexts.
Prerequisite
PORT 002
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All), World Language (12th Unit)
Instructor(s)
100
3
PORT 051 Elementary Intensive Portuguese for Graduate Students I
Intensive introduction to Portuguese: first half of graduate intensive sequence in elementary reading, writing, speaking, listening, cultural contexts. This is the first in a series of three courses designed to give students an intensive introduction to Portuguese. This is the first half of elementary sequence in reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural contexts. Students will learn the Portuguese vocabulary and will learn to create simple sentences. Lessons are taught in an authentic cultural context.
Prerequisite
graduate standing
100
3
PORT 052 Elementary Intensive Portuguese for Graduate Students II
Intensive introduction to Portuguese: second half of graduate intensive sequence in elementary reading, writing, speaking, listening, cultural contexts. This is the second in a series of three courses designed to give students an intensive introduction to Portuguese. This is the second half of graduate intensive sequence in elementary reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural contexts. Students will learn the Portuguese vocabulary. Lessons are taught in an authentic cultural context.
Prerequisite
PORT 051 and graduate standing
200
3
PORT 053 Intermediate Intensive Portuguese for Graduate Students
Continued intensive study of Portuguese at the intermediate level: reading, writing, speaking, listening, cultural contexts. This is the third in a series of three courses designed to give students an intermediate intensive knowledge of Portuguese. Continued intensive study of Portuguese at the intermediate level: reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural contexts. Lessons are taught in an authentic cultural context.
Prerequisite
PORT 052 or equivalent, and graduate standing
200
2–3
Spring 2026
PORT 123 Portuguese for Romance-language Speakers
This course offers an overview of Brazilian Portuguese for students who have a good grasp (or are heritage or native speakers) of Spanish, French, Italian, or another Romance language. Students will practice listening, speaking, reading, and writing in Portuguese as they learn grammatical structures and vocabulary with an emphasis on differences between Portuguese and Spanish. While focusing on language acquisition, the class will also offer students insight into Brazilian culture via music, poetry, short stories, visual art, news articles, and film clips.
Recommended Preparation
Students should have a high level of proficiency in, or be native or heritage speakers of, a Romance language
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All), World Language (12th Unit)
Exceeds 12th Unit of World Language
Instructor(s)
200
1–9, maximum of 9
PORT 197 Special Topics
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject that may be topical or of special interest.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities
200
1–12, maximum of 12
PORT 199 Foreign Studies
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction at the intermediate level.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities, International Cultures (IL)
200
3
PORT 200 Advanced Portuguese via the Arts
This course provides a more detailed study of the Portuguese language that builds upon the grammar, vocabulary, and communicative abilities developed in the basic language sequence. 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, short stories, and poems. Students learn about the distinct contexts in which Portuguese is spoken as they examine artistic works and linguistic variations that develop within specific countries and region. This class serves as a transition course between basic and intermediate language classes and more advanced composition, literature, and culture courses taught at the 300 and 400-level. The class is conducted entirely in Portuguese. Students must have taken Portuguese 3 or 123, or received permission of the instructor, in order to enroll in this course.
Prerequisite
PORT 3; PORT 123;
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All), World Language (12th Unit)
Exceeds 12th Unit of World Language
300
3, maximum of 6
PORT 210N Multilingual and Intercultural Communication
SPAN 210N Multilingual and Intercultural Communication course will showcase the fundamental components of the intersection of language and culture through humanities and social science. The purpose of this course is to teach the underlying mechanisms of multilingualism through language science principles and develop an understanding of intercultural communication through humanistic approaches. The content of this course focuses on linguistic strategies for succeeding in multilingual environments (e.g. dialect variation, second language acquisition strategies) as well as intercultural communication practices for navigating new environments (e.g. understanding cultural norms, skills for global leadership). The course requires an introductory level understanding of language. Students will learn how language and culture inform each other through the examination of cultures within the United States and internationally, including non-Western cultures.
Prerequisite
SPAN 3 or SPAN 3H or SPAN 20 or IT 3 or IT 20 or PORT 3 or PORT 123
Cross-listed with
IT 210N, SPAN 210N
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities, World Cultures, Social and Behavioral Sciences International Cultures (IL), United States Cultures (US)
General Education
Humanities (GH), Social and Behavioral Science (GS)
General Education - Integrative
Interdomain
GenEd Learning Objective
Global Learning, Integrative Thinking, Key Literacies
300
1–9
PORT 297 Special Topics
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest.
300
1–12, maximum of 12
PORT 299 Foreign Studies
Courses offered in foreign countries by individual or group instruction.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities, International Cultures (IL)
300
3
PORT 365 Imagining Brazilian Cities
This course traces the transformation of Brazilian cities, as represented in literature and the arts, from the modernization projects of the late nineteenth century through the exponential growth of urban areas in recent decades. Studying these urban transformations will provide students with insight into how contemporary Brazil developed into an urban nation with seventeen of its cities featuring populations of one million or more. This class focuses primarily on artistic representations of the global metropolises of Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo, the modernist capital of Brasília, and the northeastern city of Recife. Readings will highlight the diverse experiences and expressions of urban life in essays, poems, short stories, and avant-garde novels. Music, film, and photography will complement students¿ literary tour of an urban Brazil. Critical readings from urban studies, architecture, anthropology, history, and other interdisciplinary fields will allow us to further explore the question of the city in Brazil. This course will be conducted in Portuguese. Students must be able to complete the readings, informal and formal written assignments, and in-class discussion and activities in Portuguese.
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All), World Language (12th Unit), Humanities
Exceeds 12th Unit of World Language
300
1–9
PORT 397 Special Topics
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest. Formal courses given infrequently to explore advanced topics of special interest in Portuguese studies.
300
1–12, maximum of 12
PORT 399 Foreign Studies
Advanced courses offered in Portuguese-speaking countries by individual or group instruction.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities, International Cultures (IL)
300
3
PORT 405 Advanced Composition and Conversation
The course uses essays, news articles, short stories, music, films, and other cultural materials to review key grammatical concepts, to expand vocabulary, and to deepen understanding of the language. Through these activities, students will improve their ability to speak and to write about a variety of topics in Portuguese at an advanced level. Time is divided between the four language skills (writing, speaking, reading, listening) with a particular emphasis on conversation and composition. These skills are addressed every week throughout the semester with more complexity and nuance. Advanced practice in writing and speaking Portuguese with focus on Brazilian cultural contexts.
Bachelor of Arts
World Language (All), World Language (12th Unit), Humanities
Exceeds 12th Unit of World Language
300
3
PORT 473 Luso-Brazilian Cinema
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.
Students counting this course toward their Portuguese minor must have taken or be concurrently enrolled in PORT 200 or PORT 405
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities, World Cultures, International Cultures (IL)
300
1–12, maximum of 12
PORT 494 Research Project
Supervised student activities on research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities
300
1–12, maximum of 12
PORT 494H Research Project
Supervised student activities on honors research projects identified on an individual or small-group basis.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities
Honors
300
1–18, maximum of 18
PORT 496 Independent Studies
Creative projects, including research and design, which are supervised on an individual basis and which fall outside the scope of formal courses.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities
300
3-4
PORT 496A Special Topics
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities
300
1-9/maximum of 9
Spring 2026
PORT 497 Global Portuguese
This course offers students a deeper understanding of the global manifestations of the Portuguese language and its associated Luso-Afro-Brazilian cultures. The class traces transoceanic connections within the Portuguese-speaking world by discussing histories and aftermaths of colonialism and dictatorships, race and migration, linguistic diversity, cultural exchanges, and the concept of Lusofonia. We will examine poetry, short stories, music, film, and visual art in dialogue with news articles, historical sources, policy statements, and academic essays. This class will be conducted in Portuguese. Students must be able to complete readings, informal and formal written assignments, and in-class discussion and activities in Portuguese.
Bachelor of Arts
Humanities
Class Times
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 1:25 p.m.-2:15 p.m.
Instructor(s)
300
1-9/maximum of 9
PORT 497N Special Topics – Inter Domain
Formal courses given infrequently to explore, in depth, a comparatively narrow subject which may be topical or of special interest. This Special Topics is an Inter-Domain GenEd course.
200
3-6
Spring 2026
English
SPAN 210N / IT 210N / PORT 210N: Multilingual and Intercultural Communication
This Multilingual and Intercultural Communication course will showcase the fundamental components of the intersection of language and culture through humanities and social science. The content of this course focuses on linguistic strategies for succeeding in multilingual environments as well as intercultural communication practices for navigating new environments. Students will learn how language and culture inform each other through the examination of cultures within the United States and internationally. Students interested in traveling to Spain and Italy for two weeks in May 2026 should email Lauren Halberstadt, Ph.D. at lyp5028@psu.edu for more information.
Class Times
Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 9:05 a.m.-9:55 a.m.
Optional embedded travel to Spain and Italy in May 2026
This interdomain course counts for BA, GH, GS, IL, US, and Other Cultures.
