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Portuguese and Brazilian Studies/Portuguese (B.A.) (2 subjects)

Features

« Minha pátria é minha lingua. »Caetano Veloso

With about 240 million native speakers and about 30 million people who speak it as their second language, Portuguese is one of the most widespread global languages. If you are interested in the Portuguese language, literature and culture, from the poetry of the courtly troubadours to the digital media, study with us! Become a specialist in the cultures of Portugal, Brazil and the lusophone regions of Africa and explore their distinctive linguistic characteristics. Find out why Portugal is sometimes described as a country of poets, or learn more about what the Portuguese fado and the Brazilian samba have in common.

Programme:
Portuguese and Brazilian Studies/Portuguese
Degree:
Bachelor of Arts (B.A.) (2 subjects)
Standard period of study:
6 semesters
Start:
Only the winter semester
Language of the programme:
German
Admission:
open (enrolment without previous application)
Orientation events:
Orientation events are offered

Details

In the course of your Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, you will acquire competencies in numerous different areas:

  • linguistic competence (level B2 GER)
  • intercultural competence
  • ability to conduct scientific work
  • historical perspectives on linguistic, literary and cultural developments
  • regional and country-specific knowledge
  • analytical skills
  • key competencies in communication, investigation methods and information processing

The sections of the Bachelor’s degree programme Portuguese and Brazilian Studies are language practice, literary studies, linguistics, regional and cultural studies and communication skills.

In the area of language practice, you will practice and expand the four skills of listening, reading, speaking and writing on the basis of the European Framework of Reference (from level A1 to B2), to develop your receptive and productive competence in oral and written communication. You will analyse and compare various aspects of German and Portuguese grammar. All courses in language practice include some aspects of regional and cultural studies (such as history, culture, politics, etc.) of Portugal and the other parts of the lusophone world.

The purpose of linguistics is to examine the structure and usage of contemporary Portuguese and its historical development (e.g. the description of phonetic structure, vocabulary and grammar). The basic principles, core areas and methods of Portuguese linguistics are taught in the relevant courses. We make a point of offering a wide range of courses from traditional Romance language areas, such as historical linguistics, generative syntax and dialectology, as well as covering modern questions of discourse linguistics and cognitive semantics. The goal here is to enable students to carry out independent work using modern linguistic methods (e.g. computational linguistics).

Literary studies deal with the lusophone literatures and cultures, and their history from the medieval beginnings to the 21st century. You will be familiarized with various methods of text interpretation and literary theories, whose diversity opens up a great variety of approaches to text analysis and other forms of media processing (e.g. film). In the literary studies courses, some specific eras and works are dealt with in more detail. Some research areas in Portuguese-language literary studies are the Portuguese literature of the Middle Ages and early modern era, as well as the 19th and 20th centuries, cultural transfer, imagology and literary gender studies.

In regional and cultural studies, you will acquire basic knowledge about the history, economics, politics, society and culture of Portugal, Brazil and lusophone Africa, using theories from the social and cultural sciences. The acquisition of regional and cultural knowledge includes the development of intercultural competence to enable you to reflect on both your own and the foreign culture, and to comprehend the two cultures as dynamic, living and multifaceted systems. In the advanced courses, this basic knowledge is expanded using specific examples.

The degree programme includes one module to impart knowledge about using and designing media to process and present subject-specific content. Here you will also learn how to critically analyse content presented via various media.

There are so many advantages to studying Portuguese in Göttingen:

  • You learn about Portuguese, Brazilian and lusophone Africa’s language and culture in the heart of Germany.
  • You will get personal support in learning groups with small numbers of participants.
  • We have an international teaching staff.
  • A major part of the curriculum is taught in the target language.
  • Your studies are research-oriented thanks to our interdisciplinary cooperation projects.
  • We have a special subject library with more than 100,000 volumes.
  • You can also get into contact with other Romance languages and cultures, if you like.

Depending on the targeted occupational field, a combination of the subject Portuguese and Brazilian Studies with subjects of cultural and social sciences is recommended, or, alternatively, with studies of economics and/or law. Studying in Göttingen provides opportunities for innovative, personal combinations from a choice of about 40 subjects. An Certificate in Professional and Literary Translation may be earned in the elective area.

For graduates, all types of careers are open which are connected with the Portuguese language and lusophone cultures. Some typical occupational fields are media professions, tourism, publishing, non-governmental and cultural organisations and public relations, for example in internationally active commercial enterprises. The Bachelor’s degree in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies offers an optimal starting point for subsequent specialisation as an interpreter or translator. The University offers many programmes of career guidance and preparation for the job market.

Consecutive/graduate programmes


Structure

Regulations and module directory


Language requirements

Previous knowledge of the Portuguese language is not required. Students with previous knowledge will be placed in a higher-level language course following an orientation test.

Admission

Start:
Winter semester only
1st subject semester:
open admission (enrolment without previous application)
2nd to 6th subject semester:
open admission (enrolment without previous application)

EU
Non-German citizens without a German educational qualification

Non-EU
Citizen from a non-EU country (or stateless person)


Impressions

Göttingen City


Our Campus


Your Studies


Contact

Study and examination advice Faculty of Humanities

Tina Seufer and Eva Wolff

Humboldtallee 17
DE-37073 Göttingen

Phone: +49 (0)551 39 21888 (Seufer)
Phone: +49 (0)551 39 26713 (Wolff)

Email: studienberatung@phil.uni-goettingen.de

Homepage

Academic Advising

Department of Romance Philology
apl. Prof. Dr Annette Paatz

Humboldtallee 19
37073 Göttingen

Phone: +49-551 39 22100

romanistik@uni-goettingen.de