Module Information
Module Identifier
EL30720
Module Title
Brazilian / Portuguese Language III
Academic Year
2025/2026
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 2 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Pre-Requisite
Reading List
Other Staff
Course Delivery
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|---|---|
| Semester Assessment | Written Assignments (8 short written assignments, 4 of them under exam conditions (those taken under exam conditions counting twice as much as the others); Translations, grammar exams, language essays) | 50% |
| Semester Assessment | Comprehension (listening / reading comprehension (4 tests taken under exam conditions); presentations; in-class unseen grammar tests; in-class unseen listening tests) | 20% |
| Semester Exam | 2 Hours | 30% |
| Supplementary Assessment | 2 Hours (written exam) | 30% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Comprehension (listening (4 tests taken under exam conditions); unseen listening tests) | 20% |
| Supplementary Assessment | Assignments (8 short written assignments (of equal weighting); Translations, grammar exams, language essays) | 50% |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
1. identify their own improvement in Brazilian /Portuguese vocabulary and grammatical knowledge in written and spoken language
2. differentiate between the principal stylistic levels of Brazilian /Portuguese
3. recognise and understand different linguistic registers in Brazilian /Portuguese
4. translate selected passages showing awareness of idiomatic, authentic styles and grammatical usage into and from Brazilian /Portuguese
5. present independently prepared material in written Brazilian /Portuguese
6. discuss and debate topical issues regarding Brazilian /Portuguese
7. summarise in their own words selected pieces of written or spoken Brazilian /Portuguese
8. give their own insights into contemporary Brazilian /Portuguese life and culture
Brief description
This module is core for all Single Honours’ students in Spanish and Latin American Studies. It aims to deepen students’ knowledge of contemporary Brazilian/Portuguese language and cultures, imparting all four necessary skills (reading, writing, speaking and listening) and developing language awareness. It will bring students to a standard which will enable them to attain an advanced level. Students who successfully complete the module should feel that they have a very good command of Brazilian/Portuguese.
It will make available to a wider constituency the cultural, personal, academic and vocational benefits of an awareness of a major European and international language.
It will make available to a wider constituency the cultural, personal, academic and vocational benefits of an awareness of a major European and international language.
Aims
This module offers an opportunity to study Brazilian / Portuguese at Level 3, as an adjunct to the main Single Honours degree in Spanish and Latin American Studies. It will provide students with the vocational benefits which derive from knowledge of a second major European and international language and will offer an added incentive to study the portfolio of modules and skills in the above-mentioned degree scheme. It significantly improves UG employability. Brazilian / Portugese is highly valued in world business. Also, market expectations demand fluency in more than one language. More than this, the acquisition of fluency in two languages enhances a candidate’s ability to handle complex issues with a range of academic/technical skills. This module is therefore core to those students enrolled in R410.
On completion of this module students will have acquired an advanced level in the language, a high knowledge of its linguistic structures, and an advanced and sophisticated vocabulary and knowledge of high-frequency structures. They should be able to communicate in spoken and written Portuguese using advanced structures and handle the more in-depth and specific situations of everyday life and working related use of language.
On completion of this module students will have acquired an advanced level in the language, a high knowledge of its linguistic structures, and an advanced and sophisticated vocabulary and knowledge of high-frequency structures. They should be able to communicate in spoken and written Portuguese using advanced structures and handle the more in-depth and specific situations of everyday life and working related use of language.
Content
This module is delivered in the form of 2 x 1 hour class per week.
During the first hour (theoretical part) students will cover advanced grammatical and structural elements of the language and learn advanced vocabulary which will enable them to start constructing complex sentences.
During the second hour (practical part), students will practice, through listening in the Language Laboratory and through conversation topics, the main linguistic aspects which have been covered.
As a thin module, it is expected that students will move from the proficient vocabulary and use of advanced linguistic structures acquired at Level 2 to a more sophisticated vocabulary and use of complex linguistic structures by the end of the academic year.
In order to achieve these objectives, students will engage with:
- the translation of selected passages from English into Brazilian/Portuguese
- the reading of advanced passages from a range of different styles, such as journalistic, political, literary texts
- the analysis of distinct grammatical and advanced syntactical structures within different genres
- conversation topics on Portuguese and Brazilian cultural issues and current affairs
- distinct oral structures and a range of colloquial expressions which allow students to understand everyday conversation
- accents and different pronunciations which will make students aware of the standardization of the Brazilian/Portuguese language.
- the production of summaries of complex oral and written material in Brazilian/Portuguese
- both supervised and independent use of the facilities available in the department: video, language laboratory, satellite television
During the first hour (theoretical part) students will cover advanced grammatical and structural elements of the language and learn advanced vocabulary which will enable them to start constructing complex sentences.
During the second hour (practical part), students will practice, through listening in the Language Laboratory and through conversation topics, the main linguistic aspects which have been covered.
As a thin module, it is expected that students will move from the proficient vocabulary and use of advanced linguistic structures acquired at Level 2 to a more sophisticated vocabulary and use of complex linguistic structures by the end of the academic year.
In order to achieve these objectives, students will engage with:
- the translation of selected passages from English into Brazilian/Portuguese
- the reading of advanced passages from a range of different styles, such as journalistic, political, literary texts
- the analysis of distinct grammatical and advanced syntactical structures within different genres
- conversation topics on Portuguese and Brazilian cultural issues and current affairs
- distinct oral structures and a range of colloquial expressions which allow students to understand everyday conversation
- accents and different pronunciations which will make students aware of the standardization of the Brazilian/Portuguese language.
- the production of summaries of complex oral and written material in Brazilian/Portuguese
- both supervised and independent use of the facilities available in the department: video, language laboratory, satellite television
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | |
| Communication | By the end to the year, students will communicate fluently on a wide variety of Brazilian /Portuguese topics |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will develop their independent skills by reading and completing the automatized exercises required for the course; as well as preparing for their oral debate |
| Information Technology | Students will have to use accurately all forms of software available for final Year in the LRC |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will be able to work independently, developing their written skills in the target language; to translate into the target language; and recognize and use sophisticated structures; to read a wide variety of texts of a cultural nature. |
| Problem solving | Students will have to deal with a variety of challenging accents and to learn to take decisions when approaching advanced written texts and when translating into the target language; they will also develop confidence in public debate and in constructing advanced arguments about Brazilian / Portuguese society and culture |
| Research skills | In preparation for their weekly classes students will read and research various topics in order to perform during the advanced conversation classes. They will also prepare all advanced listening exercises prior to the weekly classes, enriching their literacy and comprehension. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Inter-personal and communication skills; language skills; knowledge of culture and diversity; debating and public speaking; translation skills |
| Team work | Students will engage in debates on given topics, learning the internal dynamics of a debate carried out in a group. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 6