Portuguese Program Courses

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Spring 2024 OfferingsFall 2023 Offerings  Course Info on SIS Archives

Course Descriptions

The list below includes descriptions of all undergraduate and graduate courses offered by the Portuguese Program.

Review specific course requirements for a Minor in Portuguese. For up-to-date information on course offerings, schedules, room locations and registration, please visit the Student Information System (SIS).

POR 03/4 Intensive Intermediate Portuguese. POR 003/4 combines third and fourth semester Portuguese into one semester.   Continues the study of grammar and syntax. Novels and crônicas (short stories) as the basis for class discussions and activities on cultural, social, and literary topics. Offered in various terms, this course allows students to continue with third-year Portuguese in the following semester. Conducted in Portuguese. Prerequisite: PORT 0002 and permission of instructor.

POR 0001 Elementary Portuguese I. (Cross-listed with LAS 1) Communicative approach to teach listening comprehension, speaking, reading, writing and culture. The development of oral-aural skills and the practical use of language in a variety of social situations.  Language laboratory attendance is required. Conducted in Portuguese.

POR 0002 Elementary Portuguese II. A continuation of POR 1. The course advances and completes the study of basic grammar and vocabulary. It provides the linguistic skills and cultural information needed in a broad range of situations met when studying, working or traveling in a Portuguese-speaking country. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in Portuguese. Recommendations: POR 1 or equivalent.

POR 0003 Intermediate Portuguese I. (Cross-listed with LAS 3) A beginning intermediate course for students interested in expanding and strengthening their basic Portuguese linguistic skills. Reading, writing, and conversational competency is emphasized through the study of the Luso-African-Brazilian cultures. Promotes cross-cultural understanding through the use of authentic materials such as literary texts, multimedia, film, music, and videotapes. Students may register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40 minute conversation group. Quizzes, oral presentations, mid-term exam, final exam. Conducted in Portuguese. Recommendations: Portuguese 0002- or consent.

POR 0004 Intermediate Portuguese II. This course continues the grammar review begun in POR 0003 and promotes the acquisition of a large active vocabulary. Aims to develop language proficiency sufficient for conversations on practical and current events while expanding students' knowledge of the Lusophone cultures. The course is structured to have class discussions, debates and oral presentations. Recitation is mandatory. Conducted in Portuguese. Prerequisite: Portuguese 0003 or consent

POR 0011 Portuguese for Romance Language Learners I. (Cross-listed as LAS 11) Development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills for Romance language learners without formal training in Portuguese. Study of grammar and stylistics, vocabulary, and effective communication based on short readings, clips, and music. Emphasizes the differences and similarities between Portuguese and other Romance languages such as Spanish with special focus on pronunciation and oral production. Designed as an intensive introduction to Portuguese for Romance language learners. Conducted in Portuguese. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Equivalent to POR 1.

POR 0011 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers I. Development of listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills for romance language learners without formal training in Portuguese. Study of grammar and stylistics, vocabulary, and effective communication based on short readings, clips, and music. Emphases on the differences and similarities between Portuguese and other romance languages such as Spanish, Italian, and French with special focus on pronunciation and oral production. Designed as an intensive introduction to Portuguese for romance language learners. Conducted in Portuguese. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Equivalent to POR 01.

POR 0012 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers II. Reading, writing, and conversational competency continue to be emphasized through the study of the Lusophone cultures. Aims to promote cross-cultural understanding through the use of authentic materials such as literary texts, multimedia, film, and music. Designed for Spanish speakers who have taken an introductory Portuguese course. Conducted in Portuguese. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Equivalent to POR 0002 and 0003. Prerequisites: Portuguese 0011 or permission of instructor.

POR 0021 Composition And Conversation I. (Cross-listed as LAS 21) Development of the student's ability to speak and write Portuguese, with special focus on contemporary Brazilian culture. Written and oral/aural practice of Portuguese through oral reports, compositions, class discussions and debates on assigned topics, articles, short literary works, and films. A review of more advanced grammatical structures with the aim of achieving greater accuracy. Given the focus on oral expression, active participation in class is essential. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. In Portuguese. Recommendations: POR 4, or consent.

POR 0022 Composition And Conversation II. A continuation of Portuguese 021. Provides an advanced grammar review and further develops oral/aural skills, but its focus shifts to written expression. Readings are drawn from contemporary Portuguese and Lusophone texts. Increasing emphasis is placed on analytical skills and on the presentation of ideas and points of view. Course work includes oral tasks, readings and film discussions, compositions, final project, and exams. Students are required to register for a recitation section that consists of a weekly 40-minute conversation group. Conducted in Portuguese. Recommendations: Portuguese 021 or consent.

POR 0024 Portuguese for Spanish Speakers II. Continuation of POR 23 (Portuguese for Spanish Speakers I). POR 24 is an intermediate course for advanced speakers of Spanish who have taken an introductory Portuguese course. Reading, writing, and conversational competency is emphasized through the study of the Luso-African-Brazilian cultures. Special attention is given to pronunciation/ communication. Aims to promote cross-cultural understanding through the use of authentic materials such as literary texts, multimedia, film, music, and videotapes. Optional recitation section that consists of a weekly 40 minute conversation group. Conducted in Portuguese. Prerequisites: Portuguese 023 or consent.

POR 0031 Introduction to Afro-Luso-Brazilian Literatures I. An introduction to Portuguese-language Literatures from the medieval lyric to the chronicles of Fernando Lopes, the theatre of Gil Vicente, the poetry of Luís de Camões, and the sermons of Padre Antônio Vieira. Survey of the development of Brazilian and African Portuguese-speaking literatures and cultures from the colonial period to the nineteenth century. Conducted in Portuguese. Recommendations: Portuguese 21 or 22, or consent of instructor.

POR 0032 Introduction to Afro-Luso-Brazilian Literatures II. An introduction to the Portuguese-language Literatures from the twentieth century to the present, with emphasis on representative literary texts (poems, novels, and short stories) by Portuguese, Brazilian, and Lusophone African writers. Readings range from Eça de Queiroz, Fernando Pessoa, José Saramago, Machado de Assis, Carlos Drummond de Andrade, João Cabral de Melo Neto, Clarice Lispector, to the early landmarks of emergent national literatures of Angola, Cape Verde, and Mozambique to recent works whose authors "came of age" in the post-independence period (after 1975). Conducted in Portuguese. Recommendations: Portuguese 21 or 22, or consent.

POR 0091 Special Topics In Portuguese-speaking Cultures. This course examines the basic trends and cultural contributions of any country or area where Portuguese is the main language. Conducted in English.

POR 0092 Special Topics In Portuguese-speaking Cultures. This course examines the basic trends and cultural contributions of any country or area where Portuguese is the main language. Conducted in English.

POR 0126 Portuguese in the Community. This course combines academic activities such as readings, videos, and analysis with a service-learning component. The curricular content of the course focuses on the Portuguese, Brazilian and Cape-Verdean immigration experience as it relates to the journey, reception, integration, and use of the Portuguese language in Massachusetts and the United States. For the service-learning component, students volunteer in Portuguese-language agencies and institutions, discussing and evaluating the experience in class. The course requires a commitment to provide volunteer services in the community in a timely and responsible fashion and to respect the needs of the community agencies and their clients as well as our own academic objectives. Conducted in Portuguese. Prerequisite: POR 21 or consent.

POR 0151 Images of Brazil: Contemporary Brazilian Cinema. Major Brazilian films in their historical, political, and social context, offering both a theoretical and a practical approach to contemporary Brazilian cinema. Explores different modalities of Brazilian film in relation to the already established tradition of the 1960s "Cinema Novo". In Portuguese.

POR 0152 Sounds of Brazil: Portuguese Language and Brazilian Culture. (Cross-listed with LAS 152) Introduction to the popular music of Brazil. Language, culture, and history will be explored through an array of rhythms developed in Brazil as samba, baião, choro, bossa nova, MPB, and funk. Designed to highlight the role of music as a powerful expression of the Brazilian experience. Special attention to the analysis of lyrics in connection with particular styles. No previous musical knowledge is required. Pre-requisite: POR 0004.

POR 0191 Special Topics In Portuguese-speaking Cultures. This course is an advanced examination of a cultural topic (be it a literary genre, an author, a film tradition, a specific manifestation of popular culture, etc.) from any country or area where Portuguese is the main language. Conducted in Portuguese.

POR 0192 Special Topics In Portuguese-speaking Cultures. This course is an advanced examination of a cultural topic (be it a literary genre, an author, a film tradition, a specific manifestation of popular culture, etc.) from any country or area where Portuguese is the main language. Conducted in Portuguese.

POR 0193 Independent Study. Guided individual study of an approved topic in Portuguese studies or Lusophone literature or culture. Recommendations: One Portuguese language course above POR 0021 and instructor’s permission. Offered in various terms. Conducted in Portuguese.

POR 0310 Non Major Credit. No description at this time.

POR 0320 Lower Level Elective Credit. Transferred courses listed with the special number of 320, may identify courses taken in a non-Tufts abroad program, taught in English or Portuguese, with emphasis on a more generalized literary or cultural content, and often with an interdisciplinary approach

POR 0330 Upper Level Elective Credit. Courses transferred with special number 330 refer to and identify with literature and culture courses, taught exclusively in Portuguese, with the equivalence in content to the 100-level courses offered in the department.