Description
By choosing to study Portuguese, students discover the language, literatures, and civilisations of Portuguese-speaking countries (Portugal, Brazil, and Lusophone Africa and Asia), and develop their thorough knowledge of these areas. As the third most-spoken European language, which is used by some 260 million people worldwide, there is no denying the importance of Portuguese in today’s globalised environment. Indeed, it is among the five most widely used languages online. Portuguese-speaking countries have a common history dating back to the Age of Discoveries in the 15th century, but they also represent great cultural diversity.
Objectives
The objectives of this programme are:
- to understand how the Portuguese language, and the linguistic variations between Brazil and Portugal, took shape;
- to understand the pre-eminence of Portugal at the time of the Age of Discovery, and the particularities of the decolonisation of Lusophone Africa;
- to understand the reasons behind the territorial unity of Brazil, or why Lisbon is such a cosmopolitan city;
- to know more about the Nobel Prize winner José Saramago (1922-2010), or the great Brazilian writer Machado de Assis (1839-1908);
- to understand the songs of Chico Buarque or Cesária Évora;
- to grasp the sociological and historical meanings of capoeira, exploring beyond the clichés;
- to discover the contrasts between the Luso-Brazilian Baroque and modern and contemporary artistic expression, from artists such as Joana Vasconcelos, Sebastião Salgado, and Heitor Villa-Lobos (1887-1959);
- to better understand the ecological stakes in the Amazonian rainforest, or Portugal’s leadership in renewable energies;
- To assess the value of the natural resources in these countries (oil, gas, precious metals, biofuels), and the technologies these countries have at their disposal in order to best make use of the resources;
Additional information
The Portuguese pathway offers contact with Portuguese-speaking countries, both as a united whole and in their diversity. This programme of study, which rests on a longstanding tradition of the study of Portuguese in France, is now being delivered by a dynamic team composed of university lecturers and teachers, and speakers from Brazil and Portugal.
Training content
Three years of study
In the first two years of this undergraduate Licence, contact with Portuguese language and culture is via the choice of a minor course unit on Portuguese. In the third year of this undergraduate Licence, the Portuguese pathway is then studied as a specialism in its own right.
First year of undergraduate study (Licence 1)
Each semester includes a course unit made up of language and culture classes. Moreover, students who are beginners in Portuguese language benefit from an intensive course to bring them up to the required level. In the first semester, students receive an overview of Portuguese literature and culture. As for language, this is approached via grammar, and written and oral comprehension and expression.
In the second semester, a critical reflection on the Portuguese language is offered via the study of its history, its particularities, its linguistic variations, and its distribution throughout the world. The cultural units offer a panorama of Brazilian literature and civilization.
Second year of undergraduate study (Licence 2)
The first semester of this second year of undergraduate study focuses to a greater extent on Lusophone Africa (Angola, Mozambique, Guinea-Bissau, Cape Verde, São Tomé and Principe) and Lusophone Asia (East Timor). In terms of the study of language, students are introduced to the practice of translation, which they continue to study in the following semester.
In the second semester, the culture and literature of Portugal and Brazil are seen together, in order to reveal their convergences and their points of departure.
Third year of undergraduate study (Licence 3)
In the third year of this undergraduate Licence, the Portuguese pathway is truly present, and corresponds to five course units.
In terms of language, students develop their translation skills over the course of two semesters, via the use of a varied range of media and within different translation contexts.
The course unit on linguistics encourages students to engage in more in-depth reflection on the Portuguese language.
In literature, teaching is devoted to the analysis of major Portuguese-language literary works, which are studied in their entirety and in their original language.
As far as the course unit on culture is concerned, questions related to the contemporary context of Portuguese-speaking countries are addressed throughout the semester.
The second semester of this final year of the undergraduate Licence also comprises five course units, where those subjects seen in the course of the previous semester are studied in even greater detail.
Access condition
Find information regarding enrolment procedures and the supporting documents to be provided, according to your profile and your level of studies :
Knowledge and skills
By choosing to study Portuguese as part of the undergraduate Licence in Spanish and Regional Language, Literatures, and Civilisations (LLCER), students become proficient in two areas: the study of Hispanics and the study of Portuguese-language countries. This variety represents a real asset for those who plan to take the competitive recruitment examinations to enter the French education system, as it enables these candidates to teach both Spanish and Portuguese. There are also other recruitment competitions open, for employment opportunities in administration and within French regional authorities. Furthermore, there are also potential employment prospects in professions related to the book trade, cultural heritage, and international business.
Career pathways
Students who, at the end of their studies, plan to take the competitive university examination for teachers of Spanish, known as ‘Agrégation’, are strongly encouraged to follow the Portuguese pathway. Indeed, this language is chosen as an option for the oral examination by a large majority of those taking the exam, and applies knowledge that could prove decisive in successfully passing the examination.
Further studies
This Portuguese pathway particularly targets those students who wish to pursue further, research-based study. These students may undertake further study at Master’s level, within the Master’s in Cultural Studies, Master’s in Latin-American Studies, or Master’s in Andalusian Studies. This pathway may also be a route into the professional Master’s in Languages, Business, and Intercultural Studies, or the professional Master’s in International Business.
