Introduction to The Portuguese-Speaking World

Module overview

This module is designed to provide you with a broad introduction to the diverse cultures and histories of the Portuguese-speaking or ‘Lusophone’ world. By studying various texts, films, images and digital materials, from the fifteenth century to the twenty-first, you will become familiar with a wide range of themes, events and ideas from across the three main regions of the Portuguese-speaking world: Portugal, Brazil and Portuguese-speaking Africa. All written texts are available in English translation, and all films are available with English subtitles, allowing students with little or no prior knowledge of Portuguese language or the Portuguese-speaking world to engage with the module.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

the similarities and dissimilarities between the cultures and societies of the Portuguese-speaking world and your own culture
key forms of cultural expression in the modern Portuguese-speaking world
major events and trends in the modern history of the Portuguese-speaking world
various aspects of the histories, cultures and politics of the Portuguese-speaking world

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

plan and organise your learning, exercising independence and initiative
adhere to guidelines and deadlines
critically evaluate and analyse cultural texts and secondary sources
make use of libraries, archives and online resources to access relevant information
communicate your ideas in clear, concise writing

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

engage with different types of material related to the Portuguese-speaking world in both breadth and depth
apply knowledge, understanding and analysis critically to different topics related to the Portuguese-speaking world
define, present and exemplify concepts related to the Portuguese-speaking world
select, synthesise and focus information about the Portuguese-speaking world from a variety of primary and secondary sources

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching and learning methods include: – lectures introducing basic concepts and context – seminars, where we will discuss cultural texts and concepts both as a whole and in small groups – independent reading, thinking and writing – one-to-one tutorials.

Study time
Type	Hours
Guided independent study	126
Lecture	12
Seminar	12
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Journal Articles

Ana Paula Ferreira (1996). Home bound: the construct of femininity in the Estado Novo. Portuguese Studies, 12, pp. 133-44.

Textbooks

Boris Fausto (2014). A Concise History of Brazil. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Fernando Arenas (2011). Lusophone Africa: Beyond Independence. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.

Warwick Anderson, Ricardo Roque and Ricardo Ventura Santos (eds) (2019). Luso-Tropicalism and its Discontents: The Making and Unmaking of Racial Exceptionalism. New York: Berghahn.

David Birmingham (2003). A Concise History of Portugal. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Malyn Newitt (2017). A Short History of Mozambique. London: Hurst.

Hilary Owen (2007). Mother Africa, Father Marx: Women’s Writing of Mozambique, 1948-2002. Lewisburg: Bucknell University Press.

Herbert S. Klein (2020). Modern Brazil: A Social History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

James N. Green, Victoria Langland and Lilia Moritz Schwarcz (2019). The Brazil Reader: History, Culture, Politics. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Lamonte Aidoo (2018). Slavery Unseen: Sex, Power, and Violence in Brazilian History. Durham, NC: Duke University Press.

Stewart Lloyd-Jones and António Costa Pinto (eds) (2003). The Last Empire: Thirty Years of Portuguese Decolonization. Bristol: Intellect.

David Birmingham (2015). A Short History of Modern Angola. London: Hurst.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Essay	50%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Essay	50%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	50%
Essay	50%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External