• 17th Annual Summer Program in Portuguese
• Some Photos of the Summer Program
• Summer Abroad in Portugal

17th Annual Summer Program in Portuguese
XVII Programa de Verão de Português

July 7 - August 6, 2010

Director : Prof. Christopher Larkosh
Sponsor : Luso-American Foundation and College of Arts and Sciences

Administered through Professional and Continuing Education

[Theme for 2010: Diasporas and Globalization] [Portuguese in the World]
[Summer in the SouthCoast] [Cultural Activities] [Courses Offerings]

[General Information]

[Admission and scholarship application (PDF format)]
[2010 Summer Program brochure]

Theme for 2010: Diasporas and Globalization

What is a diaspora? For tens of thousands of years, human populations have spread out across the globe, far from their regions of origin: at times voluntarily, but most often as a result of conflict, economic necessity or forced displacement. How, then, does the topic of global diasporas relate to the Portuguese-
speaking world, especially in the present age of rapid globalization, in which flows of people, information and cultural products circulate across national boundaries, continents and oceans at an ever-accelerating rate? As the present century unfolds, professionals will increasingly be expected to understand
and negotiate with these rapidly changing conditions of global exchange, especially in regions such as southeastern New England, where Portuguese and other migrant communities have been shaping the local cultural and linguistic landscape for generations. With this in mind, how can learning Portuguese help to better prepare students at all levels for these increasingly inevitable challenges for global communication?

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Portuguese in the World

Portuguese is a global language spoken by more than 230 million people, and is the official language of eight countries on four continents. After Chinese, Spanish, Hindi, English, and Bangla (Bengali), it is the sixth most widely spoken language in the world. Although the Portuguese language has its formal beginnings in the northwest corner of the Iberian Peninsula during the medieval period, the Age of Exploration in the 15th and 16th centuries carried it far beyond its European origins. Portugal’s membership in the European Union has made Portuguese one of its 23 official languages. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, the fifth most populous country in the world, the largest country in Latin America, and an emerging global economic power with a pivotal role in the emerging Mercosur/Unasur transnational bloc.

Five African countries are former Portuguese colonies, and as independent nations, all of them continue to use Portuguese as their official language: the Atlantic archipelago of Cape Verde, its continental neighbor Guinea-Bissau, the equatorial islands of São Tomé and Príncipe, and the larger southern African republics of Angola and Mozambique. As one of the five working languages of the African Union, Portuguese is well positioned to remain one of Africa’s main vehicles of intercultural communication well into the 21st century. Even in communities across Asia, the Portuguese language continues to be an important element of a complex cultural mosaic, sharing official status with Chinese in Macau, and with Tetum in newly independent East Timor.

Moreover, Portuguese is also widely spoken outside of its officially recognized borders, most notably by over two million people across the U.S., Canada, and in other corners of the global diaspora. The study of these unofficial Portuguese-speaking communities, especially from here in southeastern New England, encourages further research into areas such as bilingualism, migration and multiculturalism, and underscores the continuing importance of the Portuguese language for scholars in literary and cultural studies, social sciences, business, and other academic disciplines with an international focus.

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Summer in the SouthCoast

The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth has the largest Department of Portuguese in North America, with six full-time professors, eight faculty members in affiliated departments in the humanities and social sciences, and a full graduate program, offering both an MA in Portuguese Studies and a PhD in Luso-Afro-Brazilian Studies and Theory. The university is located on a spacious and modern 700-acre campus in the heart of southeastern Massachusetts, an area that, when combined with populations in metropolitan Boston and the neighboring state of Rhode Island, is North America’s largest Portuguese-speaking region. Immigrants from the Azores, Madeira, mainland Portugal and Cape Verde have lived in the region for over 150 years, and Brazilian communities have contributed increasingly to the cultural landscape over the last two decades to create a truly diverse cultural scene in Portuguese, reflected most visibly in the traditional festivals held throughout the summer, as well as in the local cuisine, art, and music. UMass Dartmouth thus provides an ideal cultural environment for learning Portuguese in a natural immersion setting, complete with Portuguese-language television, radio, local newspapers and day-to-day communication, with each reflecting the important role of the Portuguese language in the region’s cultural identity.

Among the resources available on campus are an extensive collection of books, videos and archival materials held in the university library; apart from the general collection, the Ferreira-Mendes Portuguese-American Archives is one of the main centers for advanced research on the Portuguese immigrant experience. New Bedford’s Casa da Saudade and Whaling Museum libraries also provide additional research opportunities in a bilingual southern New England historical and cultural context.

The campus is only a few minutes by bike from the center of Dartmouth, and just a few miles from the historic cities of Fall River and New Bedford. The summer climate is pleasantly warm, with days and nights that enjoy a sea breeze; the beaches of Dartmouth and neighboring Westport are only a short drive away. Larger cities such as Boston or Providence are about an hour from campus, as are the popular summer resort areas of Cape Cod and Newport. One-hour fast ferries from downtown New Bedford also provide connections to the island of Martha’s Vineyard. In all of these areas, you will find Portuguese spoken in local businesses, cultural associations and public spaces.

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Cultural Activities

The 2009 Summer Program will provide a full schedule of cultural events showcasing the diversity of the Portuguese-speaking world as reflected in the South Coast region, including: excursions to museums, beaches and community festivals; dinners at local Portuguese restaurants and culinary evenings featuring food from the Portuguese-speaking world; a Portuguese-language film series; a concert series with local professional artists performing the music of Brazil, Cape Verde and/or Portugal; and lectures from noted scholars in the field of Luso-Afro-Brazilian studies and theory.

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Course Offerings

POR 103
Intensive Elementary Portuguese (6 credits)
This course is designed for beginners who desire to master the basic structures and vocabulary of the language. Students earn two semesters of academic credit in five weeks, by practicing four main language skills: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Each day includes three one-hour sessions in the classroom and an additional hour in the language laboratory.
Schedule: Daily (M-F) 9 am - 12:30 pm

POR 203
Intensive Intermediate Portuguese (6 credits)
This course is designed to review the grammar and syntax of first-year Portuguese. Stress is on development of competency in the four main language skills, expanding vocabulary, and using Portuguese in practical situations, as well as reading and analyzing short texts. Each day includes three one-hour sessions in the classroom and an additional hour in the language laboratory.
Prerequisite: One year of elementary Portuguese or equivalent
Schedule: Daily (M-F) 9 am - 12:30 pm

Conversation Sessions
Informal twice-weekly sessions are designed for both Elementary and Intermediate Portuguese (POR 103 & 203) and focus on the oral practice of the grammatical structures and vocabulary learned in class.
Schedule: TTh 1-1:50 pm

POR 308
Advanced Grammar and Syntax (3 credits)
This course is designed for students who wish to pursue advanced study of Portuguese grammar. Teaching methodology will employ source texts from linguistics and language pedagogy, and will include contrastive analysis of Portuguese and English grammar. Coursework will emphasize development of skills in speaking and academic writing, and focus on the diversity of Portuguese across the Lusophone world (European, Brazilian, African, North American, Asian), as well as comparisons to closely-related Romance languages on the Iberian Peninsula.
Prerequisite: Two years of Portuguese language or equivalent
Schedule: Daily (M-F) 9-10:30 am

POR 217/ENL 200
Portuguese-American Literature / 3 credits
This course explores the literature and culture of the Portuguese-American immigrant community in the context of diasporas and globalization. How do the social, political and economic dimensions of transnational migration change the way people understand their own cultural identity and that of others? Through readings, class discussion, community-based activities, archival work, academic writing, and practice in critical thinking and argumentation, students will examine how people of Portuguese descent are represented both in their own and in mainstream culture, and how literary and other creative works by and about the Portuguese in North America address the complex issues of community life, inter-ethnic relations, bilingualism, gender and racial politics that have shaped their lives here. This course is taught in English.
Schedule: MTWTh 2:30-4:30 pm

POR 481/581/681/781
Diasporas and Globalization in Lusophone Literatures and Cultures / 3 credits )
This advanced undergraduate/graduate seminar will study the contemporary literature and cultures of the Portuguese-speaking world from a comparative perspective, focusing on the topic of global diasporas. Beginning with texts that interrogate Portugal’s historical relationship with the Atlantic Ocean and, by extension, the world beyond Europe, we will then explore theories on diasporas, postcoloniality, transnationalism and globalization in the context of contemporary literary production from Brazil, Africa and Asia. The course will conclude with an overview of cultural production (literature, music, film, media) from diaspora communities outside the official boundaries of the Lusophone world, above all from here in southeastern New England.
Prerequisite: Advanced proficiency in Portuguese
Schedule: MTWTh 6:30-8:30 pm

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General Information

Admissions and Enrollment
As the Summer Program offers courses for students at all levels of linguistic and academic proficiency, anyone interested is encouraged to apply for admission. Participants include graduate students from the US and abroad who wish to complement the offerings at their home institution with a seminar from our master’s and doctoral programs, Portuguese language teachers committed to professional enrichment through an advanced seminar, international students who wish to study US multiculturalism
in a bilingual Portuguese/English environment, and visiting undergraduates and high school students interested in beginning, intermediate and advanced language courses for enhanced linguistic proficiency and cultural literacy. For all students, placement levels in language courses may be determined by a short interview and/or written exam before classes begin. Students can register either by mail or by phone by contacting the University Enrollment Center at 508.999.9129.

To download the admission and scholarship application (PDF format), click here. Applications can be submitted by post or by email to verao@umassd.edu.

Housing
The university provides on-campus housing for the Summer Program in its Woodland Commons residence halls. All students who opt for summer housing receive single rooms clustered in suites. Students are strongly encouraged to speak Portuguese in the shared areas as part of a thorough immersion experience. For rates or to make a reservation, please visit our website.

Tuition, Fees and Scholarships
The cost for the Summer Program is set by the Office of Professional
and Continuing Education; updated information on tuition and fees can be obtained on our website. The Summer Program offers a limited number of scholarships based on academic merit and financial need. Some of the scholarships are reserved for teachers of Portuguese. Application forms are available online. The deadline for U.S. students is April 30th, 2010; for international students, the deadline is March 31st to allow time for visa processing. Some applicants may be considered after these dates depending upon the availability of funds.

Contact Information

Center for Portuguese Studies and Culture
University of Massachusetts Dartmouth
285 Old Westport Road
North Dartmouth, MA 02747-2300 USA

Tel.: +1 508.999.8255
Fax: +1 508.999.9272
Email: verao@umassd.edu

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