The Portuguese Studies Program at Rhode Island College

The Portuguese Studies Program at Rhode Island College is located in Craig-Lee Hall in the Department of Modern Languages under the auspices of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The program offers a minor in Portuguese which requires successful completion of Portuguese 201 (Conversation and Composition) and 202 (Composition and Conversation) in addition to four additional courses in Portuguese at the 300-level or above for a total of 20 credit hours.

Since the fall of 2002, the option of an individualized, Student-designed Major has been made available to students wishing to Major in Portuguese Studies. Students who apply for the individualized, Student-designed Major develop a proposal in conjunction with the Assistant Professor of Portuguese, Dr. Joseph A. Levi, for review and approval by the Curriculum Committee of the College of Arts and Sciences. The usual proposal includes the requirements of ten classes (though, there might be cases in which students are required an additional class, see Dr. Levi for details) starting from Portuguese 201 (Conversation and Composition), thus reaching a total of 30-credit hours. Internships provided by PALCUS (The Portuguese American Leadership Council of the United States, www.palcus.org), under the heading Port 390: Independent Study (3 credit hours), are also part of the integrated experience at Rhode Island College.

During the summer, students can also study at the Universidade de Évora, taking courses in either Portuguese language and/or Portuguese, Brazilian, and Lusophone Literature, Culture, Civilization, and History.

It is the main objective of the Portuguese Studies Program to develop in its students communication and literacy skills of a high level in speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing in addition to an interdisciplinary understanding of the entire Lusophone Diaspora in terms of its history, culture, civilization, literature, art, and linguistics/philology. The philosophy of the program addresses the necessity to study all aspects of the Lusophone Diaspora in as inclusive a manner as possible, recognizing and respecting its rich diversity both collectively and in its parts. Because of the ancient and global influence of the Portuguese throughout the world, all of the Portuguese-speaking countries—including but not limited to Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, São Tomé e Príncipe, Guiné-Bissau, East Timor, Macau, Brazil, Portuguese India, and Portugal (including the Azores and Madeira)—are studied in terms of their interrelationship with each other and their relationships with the world at large.

The Courses

PORT 101: Elementary Portuguese I (4 credit hours)

PORT 102: Elementary Portuguese II (4 credit hours)

PORT 113: Intermediate Portuguese (3 credit hours)

PORT 114: Readings in Intermediate Portuguese (3 credit hours)

PORT 150:01 Portuguese for the Medical Profession (4 credit hours) [as of Fall 2006]

PORT 150: 02 Portuguese for the Medical Profession II (4 credit hours) [as of Spring 2007]

PORT 201: Conversation and Composition (4 credit hours)

PORT 202: Composition and Conversation (4 credit hours)

PORT 250-01 Topics: Review of Basic Portuguese I (4 credit hours)

PORT 250-02 Topics: Review of Basic Portuguese II (4 credit hours)

PORT 301: Survey of Portuguese Literature I (3 credit hours)

PORT 302: Survey of Portuguese Literature II (3 credit hours)

PORT 303: The Portuguese World: Portugal and the Islands (3 credit hours)

PORT 311: Survey of Brazilian Literature I (3 credit hours)

PORT 312: Survey of Brazilian Literature II (3 credit hours)

PORT 313: The Portuguese World: Brazil (3 credit hours)

PORT 316 Survey of Lusophone African Literature (3 credit hours)

PORT 320: Applied Grammar (3 credit hours)

PORT 150: Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 credit hours)

PORT 250: Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 credit hours)

PORT 190 Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 credit hours)

PORT 290: Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 credit hours)

PORT 390: Independent Study (1, 2, or 3 credit hours)

PORT 480: Portuguese-Language Theatre Workshop (2 or 3 credit hours)

Topics Courses

PORT 350 Portuguese Linguistics (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 History of the Portuguese Language (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 History of the Lusophone World (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Culture & Civilization of the Portuguese Jews (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Culture & Civilization of the Portuguese-Speaking World (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 History of Portuguese Art (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Portuguese/Brazilian/Lusophone Cinema (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Portuguese Political System & the European Union (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Geography of the Portuguese-Speaking World (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Portugal’s Islamic Heritage (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 History of the Portuguese Empire (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Culture and Civilization of Macau (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Culture and Civilization of the Azores (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Luso-Americans and Cape-Verdean Americans in the US (3 credit hours)

PORT 350 Methods & Techniques of Teaching Portuguese as a Second Language (3 credit hours)

Please follow the link for class schedule: Summer/Fall 2007 Course Bulletin