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Major in Portuguese
Students may declare a Portuguese major as incoming freshmen, upon transferring into the University, or at any time during their academic career. Majors are required to complete a minimum of 33 credits of Portuguese course work at the 300- and 400- level (see below for specific course requirements). A grade point average of 2.0 in Portuguese courses is required for graduation. Upon completing the major, students are expected to speak fluently, write effectively and read critically in Portuguese. Exciting career opportunities are available to Portuguese majors in elementary and secondary education, social services, translation, business, print and visual media, non-profit/non-governmental organizations, and politics, among other fields. The program also provides an excellent foundation for graduate work in Luso-Brazilian Studies.
Learning Outcomes
Students will acquire listening, speaking, reading, and writing skills in Portuguese at the advanced level and consistent with national standards for foreign language education.
Students will develop an in-depth awareness of historical and contemporary cultural realities of the Portuguese-speaking world.
Students will become familiar with a representative selection of major texts, authors and literary periods of Portugal, Brazil and Lusophone Africa.
Students will acquire critical reading and analytical skills applicable to a wide variety of literary and non-literary discourses.
Students will learn to convey, develop and document ideas in writing in a clear and effective manner.
Degree requirements
POR 301, 302: Portuguese Composition and Conversation I and II (6 credits)
POR 310: Introduction to Literary and Cultural Analysis (3 credits)
Any three courses from among POR 331, 332, 333, 334, or 335 (Introduction to Portuguese Literature I and II, Introduction to Brazilian Literature I and II, and Introduction to Luso-African Literature) (9 credits)
Five additional courses at the 300, 400, or 500 level, two of which must be at the 400 or 500 level (15 credits)
Total: 33 Credits
Minor in Portuguese
To declare a minor in Portuguese, students must have 54 credits and a cumulative GPA of 2.0 with a 2.5 average in their major. Minors in Portuguese must complete 18 credits (see below for specific requirements). Minors in Portuguese develop a strong foundation in the language and receive a thorough introduction to the cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world that will complement any major.
Degree requirements
POR 301, 302: Portuguese Composition and Conversation I and II (6 credits)
Two additional courses at the 300 or 400 level (6 credits)
Any two courses in Portuguese ( 6 credits)
Total: 18 Credits.
Post-Baccalaureate Initial License for Teaching Portuguese
The Department of Portuguese participates in the post-baccalaureate initial licensure program for teaching in Massachusetts public schools, which is administered by the Department of Education. In addition to required EDU and PSY courses, students seeking initial license in Portuguese take POR 521, Teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language. For further information, contact the Education Department.
Master of Arts in Portuguese Studies
Learning Outcomes
Students will develop an in-depth understanding of literary and cultural history of the Portuguese-speaking world within a broad, interdisciplinary context of humanities and social sciences. Students will acquire a solid foundation in literary and cultural theory and in research methods in the humanities. Through regular seminar presentations and substantive research papers in the target language, students will develop sophisticated oral and writing skills in Portuguese. Through taking advantage of elective course offerings in the departments of Art History, History, Political Science, and Sociology/Anthropology, students will gain competence in interdisciplinary and intercultural acquisition and interpretation of knowledge.Outcome Assessment Plan
I. Alignment of the MA in Portuguese Studies Curriculum with Learning Outcomes
The MA program offers an in-depth understanding of literary and cultural history of Portugal and the Portuguese-speaking world within a broad, interdisciplinary context of humanities and social sciences. Regular rotation of four of the five core courses (POR 620, 630, 640 and 650) dedicated, respectively, to the literatures and cultures of Portugal, Brazil and Lusophone Africa, as well as to comparative studies encompassing two or more of these areas, assures comprehensive and articulated coverage. The required seminar, POR 610: Topics in Literary and Cultural Analysis, offers a necessary foundation in literary and cultural theory and in research methods in the humanities. All core courses require students to make regular oral seminar presentations and to produce substantive research papers in the target language, thus contributing to the development of advanced oral proficiency and superior writing skills in Portuguese. The approved list of additional graduate-level courses related to the Portuguese-speaking world, taught (in English) in the departments of Art History, History, Political Science, and Sociology/Anthropology, endows the curriculum with an interdisciplinary dimension, promoting innovative research, widening the scope of learning engaged in by the program graduates and increasing their competence in intercultural (as well as interdisciplinary) acquisition and interpretation of knowledge.
II. Outcome Assessment Procedures
Students working toward the MA in Portuguese Studies have the choice of two end assessment options, a Master Research Project and Master Exams. Successful completion of either option requires degree candidates to demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of literary and cultural history of the Portuguese-speaking world and a mastery of the fundamentals of contemporary literary and cultural theory. Students pursuing the Research Project option further demonstrate an instrumental mastery of literary and cultural theory and an ability to deploy research methods in the humanities in producing a scholarly manuscript suitable for submission to a peer-reviewed journal. Students pursuing the Exam option further demonstrate knowledge and ability to undertake critical analysis of a comprehensive selection of representative works of Portuguese, Brazilian and Lusophone African Literatures included on the departmental MA Reading List. Each MA candidate’s faculty committee assesses his or her compliance with the academic success criteria established for each of the two options.
PhD in Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies and Theory
I. Learning Outcomes
The purpose of the PhD program in Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies and Theory at UMass Dartmouth is to prepare highly qualified candidates for college-level teaching jobs at institutions offering or seeking to offer courses at any level in the Portuguese language and Lusophone (Portuguese, Brazilian, and Lusophone African) literatures and cultures. PhD recipients will also be able to seek employment outside of academia, in any field where advanced knowledge of Portuguese (designated a “strategic language” by the federal government) and an in-depth understanding of cultural realities of Portuguese-speaking countries, coupled with highly developed analytic and writing skills, may be a desirable asset. Such fields include foreign service, federal, state and local government, international and non-profit organizations, museums and other cultural institutions, international trade, publishing, professional translating and interpreting, and administration of off-campus studies, among others.
The PhD candidate will acquire a theory-based, in-depth understanding of literary and cultural history and present reality of Portugal, Brazil, and Lusophone Africa within a broad, interdisciplinary context of humanities and social sciences. PhD candidates will be trained to become independent academic teachers, researchers and writers who are able to produce and communicate effectively—to their peers as well as to prospective students—original and sophisticated intellectual analyses.
In keeping with the philosophy underlying the existing graduate program in the Department of Portuguese, the PhD candidadte will also place strong emphasis on the production of publishable research. While we share the widespread concern with instrumentalizing traditional publication as the sole measure of academic success, we also believe that scholarly publishing (articles in peer-reviewed journals and academic monographs) remains the most relevant platform for the production and dissemination of knowledge. PhD dissertations produced by degree candidates will thus be guided and evaluated with a view to enabling them to be submitted and accepted for publication by a recognized academic press.
Given the close association between the Department of Portuguese and the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture, PhD candidates will also be able to participate actively in the publishing and event-organizing activities of the Center, which offer a wide range of crucial career-building opportunities for future academic professionals (manuscript preparation, archival research, organization of conferences, building contact networks in the field, etc.).
II. Outcome Assessment Procedures
The end-assessment activities inherent in a PhD program—comprehensive examinations, student research successes, and the dissertation proposal, approval, and defense stages—are key tools by which the program will make acquisition of identified knowledge and critical skills clearly demonstrable. We adopt a mentorship model for the doctoral program. From the moment of their entry into the program, students will be continuously monitored and advised, initially by the Graduate Studies Director and eventually also by their chosen faculty advisor and then dissertation advisor, in order to ensure that their progress toward the PhD is both timely and successful. Students will be guided in developing understanding of and skills for producing published work in academic journals. All students will interface their formal course work with multiple scholarly and academic projects engaged in by the faculty under the auspices of the Department and the Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture (hosting of visiting speakers, organization of conferences, editorial activities, etc). They will thus be able to view their course of study as related to concrete objectives and achievements in their chosen academic field and will gain additional valuable experience and insight into its workings.
Please visit the site for Graduate Studies in Portuguese at U-Mass Dartmouth
For information on Portuguese courses in our program, see the Academic Catalog.
Student Placement Exams:
Students who have formally studied Portuguese at the high school or college level, or are heritage speakers, are encouraged to take the Portuguese placement test to determine the appropriate level to begin studying Portuguese at UMD. Please contact the department for further information about scheduling an examination.