Portuguese

Did you know? Portuguese is:

A pluricentric and multicultural language focused on the fields of science, business, diplomacy, technology, and research.
The official language of Angola, Mozambique, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Sao Tome and Principe, Portugal, Brazil and East Timor.
A co-official language in Equatorial Guinea and Macau.
The most spoken language in the Southern Hemisphere.
One of the world’s fastest-growing languages (according to UN statistics), and by the end of this century, there will be 500 million Portuguese speakers.

Why study Portuguese?

A Portuguese Major offers opportunities in almost every sphere of activity such as Diplomatic Services, International Relations, Political Science, Law, Education (Teaching), Journalism, Professional Translation, Engineering and Arts.

Besides, if you have advanced Portuguese communication skills you will succeed in the professional and business world.

Moreover, you can work in numerous international organisations worldwide, where Portuguese is the official or working language such as the South African Development Community (SADC), the African Union (AU), the United Nations (UN), the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO), the MERCOSUL, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), European Union (EU), the Economic Community of Central African State (ECCAS) and the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA).

Courses that Portuguese is compatible with:

International Relations
Political Science
Law
Engineering
Sociology
Other European Languages
Translation and Interpretation
Demography and Development
Media Studies
Music
Drama
Fine Arts

Research

The Portuguese Department offers Honours, Masters and PhD degrees. There are many research areas on Portuguese as a pluricentric language, a language around the world which allows the study of interdisciplinary connections of Language, Literatures and Cultures of the Lusophone countries.

Research topics:

Portuguese Linguistics.
Teaching Portuguese as a Foreign Language.
Post-colonial Studies in Lusophone Literatures and Contemporary Writers.
Comparative Studies of African Female Writers.

Undergraduate courses

First Year

During the three years, you will acquire oral and written skills through the studies of vocabulary, grammar, syntax function and structures and be exposed to the vast collection of Portuguese poetry and literature worldwide!

Portuguese Studies can also be studied along with other majors that you may have in your degree!

At the end of the three years, you will reach a more advanced level of oral and written proficiency and attain an internationally recognised level B2 in Portuguese.

MDLL1006 - BASIC PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

This unit is an introductory language course for beginners with no previous knowledge of Portuguese. Students will acquire oral and written skills through vocabulary, grammar, and syntax functions and structures. The unit also introduces to students the cultural and social dimensions of Portugal.

MDLL1012 - INTERMEDIATE PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

This unit is an intermediate language course intended for beginners with an A1 level of Portuguese. Students will improve oral and written skills by studying vocabulary, grammar and syntax functions and structures. The unit also introduces to students the cultural and social dimensions of the Portuguese Speaking community (Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, São Tomé and Principe and East Timor)

Second Year

In your second year of studies, you will cover the following modules:

MDLL2013 - PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE AND TEXT PRODUCTION IIA

This module allows students to understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school and leisure. It also deals with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.

Additionally, it is a course intended for students to study Contemporary short stories of Portuguese speaking countries.

MDLL2014 - PORTUGUESE LANGUAGE AND TEXT PRODUCTION IIB

This module allows students to reinforce their language skills. In addition, students can produce more complex texts on the topics familiar or of personal interest and describe experiences, events, dreams, hopes and ambitions and explain opinions and plans.

The course is intended for students to study Contemporary literary texts of Portuguese speaking countries.

Third Year

In your third year of studies, you will cover the following modules:

MDLL3024 - ADVANCED PORTUGUESE COMPOSITION AND STYLISTICS (S1)

This module is an advanced language course intended for students to understand the main ideas of complex text on concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in their field of specialisation. At the end of this course, students will be able to produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

MDLL3023 - NEGOTIATING LANGUAGE III (S2)

This module deepens students’ knowledge of a range of complex topics and their language. Furthermore, students are exposed to intercultural content and should speak about those topics fluently by using the correct vocabulary. It will be a suitable course that simultaneously aims to increase students' knowledge about specific terminology.

MDLL3022 - MODERN AND CONTEMPORARY LUSOPHONE LITERATURE III (S1)

This unit is an African Portuguese Literature course intended for students to study literary texts of some Portuguese speaking countries, mainly the representatives writers such as Mia Couto (Mozambique), José Eduardo Agualusa and Pepetela (Angola), Jorge Barbosa (Cape Verde) and Hélder Proença (Guinea Bissau).

MDLL3025 - SELECTED TOPIC ON PORTUGUESE STUDIES III (S2)

This module is a course intended for students to study literary texts of the Contemporary Portuguese Literature: Lídia Jorge, José Saramago and Sophia de Mello Breyner Andresen. The module develops reading and interpretation skills, applied to given Portuguese texts and aims to improve the critical comprehension of students.