Portuguese 3
A.Y. 2025/2026
Learning objectives
This course aims to provide students with the basic notions for the analysis of linguistic and socio-cultural aspects characteristic of the Portuguese language (in a diachronic, diatopic and sociolinguistic perspective). A theoretical part is proposed (studying the main theories and problems and analysing the main tools existing for the program in object) and a practical part (in which students are invited to put into practice the elements learned through individual and group on literary texts, newspaper articles, interviews, films and videos).
Expected learning outcomes
Knowledge and understanding: to acquire the essential concepts of theory and to learn about the main tools, strategies and methods for the fields in object. Applying knowledge and understanding: to grasp the historical and cultural implications of the evolution of this sector of the program; to know how to reflect critically on the theories and tools learned; knowing how to deal with and analyse different text types included in the considered fields. Achievement of B2 level of CEFR.
Lesson period: year
Assessment methods: Esame
Assessment result: voto verbalizzato in trentesimi
Single course
This course can be attended as a single course.
Course syllabus and organization
Single session
Responsible
Lesson period
year
Course syllabus
Memory in Language: Portuguese between Colonialism and Postcolonial Reworking. A Textual Analysis Pathway
Brief Course Description
This course explores the Portuguese language through sociolinguistic, historical-cultural, and postcolonial lenses. It offers a reflection on the dual instrumental and symbolic nature of Portuguese. On the one hand, the language is considered a tool of domination through which colonial violence (re)produces epistemological and linguistic subalternity over time. On the other hand, it represents a means of resistance to erasure, a denunciation of violence, and a generator of counter-memory. As a medium for preserving and reworking narratives related to Portugal's colonial past, the language is understood as an "archive" of images and imaginaries, and as a fundamental tool for the linguistic construction of the subject. The course develops a comparative textual analysis focused on ideological lexicon and stylistics of resistance, drawing from a selection of texts from different Portuguese-speaking contexts (Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, etc.).
The following transversal aspects will be prioritised:
· the transformation of Portuguese from a colonial language to a language of traumatic memory;
· the use of language as a device for denunciation and counter-narration;
· the identification of linguistic and stylistic strategies for the affirmation of marginal or diasporic identities within the postcolonial Lusophone context.
The course combines theoretical lectures by the instructor with practical exercises. Students will participate in translation activities, critical text analysis, and guided discussions. Selected excerpts from both critical and literary texts, as well as classroom materials (articles, slides, etc.), will be provided by the instructor during the course.
Please note that the course is complemented by 'esercitazioni' classes, for which reference is made to the specific form.
The course program is valid until September 2027.
Brief Course Description
This course explores the Portuguese language through sociolinguistic, historical-cultural, and postcolonial lenses. It offers a reflection on the dual instrumental and symbolic nature of Portuguese. On the one hand, the language is considered a tool of domination through which colonial violence (re)produces epistemological and linguistic subalternity over time. On the other hand, it represents a means of resistance to erasure, a denunciation of violence, and a generator of counter-memory. As a medium for preserving and reworking narratives related to Portugal's colonial past, the language is understood as an "archive" of images and imaginaries, and as a fundamental tool for the linguistic construction of the subject. The course develops a comparative textual analysis focused on ideological lexicon and stylistics of resistance, drawing from a selection of texts from different Portuguese-speaking contexts (Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, etc.).
The following transversal aspects will be prioritised:
· the transformation of Portuguese from a colonial language to a language of traumatic memory;
· the use of language as a device for denunciation and counter-narration;
· the identification of linguistic and stylistic strategies for the affirmation of marginal or diasporic identities within the postcolonial Lusophone context.
The course combines theoretical lectures by the instructor with practical exercises. Students will participate in translation activities, critical text analysis, and guided discussions. Selected excerpts from both critical and literary texts, as well as classroom materials (articles, slides, etc.), will be provided by the instructor during the course.
Please note that the course is complemented by 'esercitazioni' classes, for which reference is made to the specific form.
The course program is valid until September 2027.
Prerequisites for admission
The course is held in Italian and Portuguese. Textbooks and activities in class or for self study assume that students already have a linguistic competence of level A2/B1. To take the Portuguese language 3 exam you must have passed the Portuguese language 2 exam and the Portuguese and Brazilian literature 2 exam.
Teaching methods
The course adopts the following teaching methods: lectures; presentations; readings and analysis of texts and articles. Furthermore, the course is complemented by 'esercitazioni' classes, for which reference is made to the specific form.
Teaching Resources
Programme for Attending Students
Reference Textbook
· BRANDÃO, Helena. Introdução à análise do discurso. Campinas: Editora Unicamp, 2004.
Course Reader - Articles, Essays, and Selected Excerpts Provided by the Instructor:
a) ASSMANN, Aleida. Ricordare. Forme e mutamenti della memoria culturale (S. Paparelli, Trad.). Bologna: Il Mulino. 2002, pp. 9-24.
b) BOURDIEU, Pierre. "Sobre o poder simbólico", Capítulo 1, O poder simbólico, Lisboa, Difel, pp. 9-15.
c) CABRAL, Amílcar. A Questão da Língua. Transcrito de Nô Pintcha de 21, 24 e 26 de fev. 1976, pp. 59-61.
d) CARDINA, Miguel. "Memórias amnésicas? Nação, discurso político e representações do passado colonial". Configurações, vol.17, 2016, pp. 31- 42.
e) DIJK, T. A. Van. Discurso de elite e a reprodução do racismo. DELTA: Documentação e Estudos em Linguística Teórica e Aplicada, v. 8, n. 3, pp. 1-13; pp. 22-28; 30-32.
Texts for Analysis - Selection of Excerpts Provided by the Instructor:
1. Antunes, António Lobo. Os Cus de Judas. Lisboa: Publicações Dom Quixote, 1979.
2. Almeida, Djaimilia Pereira de. Maremoto. Lisboa: Tinta da China, 2019.
3. Couto, Mia. Vinte e Zinco. Lisboa: Editorial Caminho, 2016.
4. Figueiredo, Isabela. Cadernos de Memórias Coloniais. Lisboa: Caminho, 2009.
5. Vieira Junior, Itamar. Torto Arado. São Paulo: Todavia, 2019.
6. Patraquim, Luís Carlos. "A cabelaria da língua", from Manual para incendiários e outras crónicas. Lisboa: Antígona, 2002.
7. Tvon, Telma. Um preto muito português. Lisboa: Quetzal Editores, 2024.
Additional classroom materials (slides, multimedia content, etc.) provided by the instructor.
The materials will be provided by the instructor and made available through the Ariel platform.
Programme for Non-Attending Students
Reference Textbook
· BRANDÃO, Helena. Introdução à análise do discurso. Campinas: Editora Unicamp, 2004.
Course Reader - Articles, Essays, and Selected Excerpts Provided by the Instructor:
a) ASSMANN, Aleida. Ricordare. Forme e mutamenti della memoria culturale (S. Paparelli, Trad.). Bologna: Il Mulino. 2002, pp. 9-24.
b) BOURDIEU, Pierre. "Sobre o poder simbólico", Capítulo 1, Lisboa, Difel, pp. 9-15.
c) CABRAL, Amílcar. A Questão da Língua. Transcrito de Nô Pintcha de 21, 24 e 26 de fev. 1976.
d) CARDINA, Miguel. "Memórias amnésicas? Nação, discurso político e representações do passado colonial". Configurações, vol.17, 2016, pp. 31- 42.
e) DIJK, T. A. Van. Discurso de elite e a reprodução do racismo. DELTA: Documentação e Estudos em Linguística Teórica e Aplicada, v. 8, n. 3, pp. 1-13; pp. 22-28; 30-32.
f) BAGNO, Marcos. Preconceito Linguístico: o que é, como se faz. São Paulo: Loyola. 1999, pp. 9-14.
g) FOUCAULT, Michel. A ordem do discurso: aula inaugural no Collège de France, pronunciada em 2 de dezembro de 1970. Trad. Laura Fraga de Almeida Sampaio. São Paulo: Edições Loyola, 2012, pp. 5-45.
Texts for Analysis - Selected Excerpts Provided by the Instructor + Complete Reading of One Text Chosen from the List Below:
1. Antunes, António Lobo. Os Cus de Judas. Lisboa: Publicações Dom Quixote, 1979.
2. Almeida, Djaimilia Pereira de. Maremoto. Lisboa: Tinta da China, 2019.
3. Couto, Mia. Vinte e Zinco. Lisboa: Editorial Caminho, 2016.
4. Figueiredo, Isabela. Cadernos de Memórias Coloniais. Lisboa: Caminho, 2009.
5. Vieira Junior, Itamar. Torto Arado. São Paulo: Todavia, 2019.
6. Tvon, Telma. Um preto muito português. Lisboa: Quetzal Editores, 2024.
The materials will be provided by the instructor and made available through the Ariel platform.
The course has a site on the online platform Ariel and a channel in Microsoft Teams platform to which reference is made for lecture notes and other materials provided by the teacher.
Please note that the course is complemented by 'esercitazioni' classes, for which reference is made to the specific form.
Reference Textbook
· BRANDÃO, Helena. Introdução à análise do discurso. Campinas: Editora Unicamp, 2004.
Course Reader - Articles, Essays, and Selected Excerpts Provided by the Instructor:
a) ASSMANN, Aleida. Ricordare. Forme e mutamenti della memoria culturale (S. Paparelli, Trad.). Bologna: Il Mulino. 2002, pp. 9-24.
b) BOURDIEU, Pierre. "Sobre o poder simbólico", Capítulo 1, O poder simbólico, Lisboa, Difel, pp. 9-15.
c) CABRAL, Amílcar. A Questão da Língua. Transcrito de Nô Pintcha de 21, 24 e 26 de fev. 1976, pp. 59-61.
d) CARDINA, Miguel. "Memórias amnésicas? Nação, discurso político e representações do passado colonial". Configurações, vol.17, 2016, pp. 31- 42.
e) DIJK, T. A. Van. Discurso de elite e a reprodução do racismo. DELTA: Documentação e Estudos em Linguística Teórica e Aplicada, v. 8, n. 3, pp. 1-13; pp. 22-28; 30-32.
Texts for Analysis - Selection of Excerpts Provided by the Instructor:
1. Antunes, António Lobo. Os Cus de Judas. Lisboa: Publicações Dom Quixote, 1979.
2. Almeida, Djaimilia Pereira de. Maremoto. Lisboa: Tinta da China, 2019.
3. Couto, Mia. Vinte e Zinco. Lisboa: Editorial Caminho, 2016.
4. Figueiredo, Isabela. Cadernos de Memórias Coloniais. Lisboa: Caminho, 2009.
5. Vieira Junior, Itamar. Torto Arado. São Paulo: Todavia, 2019.
6. Patraquim, Luís Carlos. "A cabelaria da língua", from Manual para incendiários e outras crónicas. Lisboa: Antígona, 2002.
7. Tvon, Telma. Um preto muito português. Lisboa: Quetzal Editores, 2024.
Additional classroom materials (slides, multimedia content, etc.) provided by the instructor.
The materials will be provided by the instructor and made available through the Ariel platform.
Programme for Non-Attending Students
Reference Textbook
· BRANDÃO, Helena. Introdução à análise do discurso. Campinas: Editora Unicamp, 2004.
Course Reader - Articles, Essays, and Selected Excerpts Provided by the Instructor:
a) ASSMANN, Aleida. Ricordare. Forme e mutamenti della memoria culturale (S. Paparelli, Trad.). Bologna: Il Mulino. 2002, pp. 9-24.
b) BOURDIEU, Pierre. "Sobre o poder simbólico", Capítulo 1, Lisboa, Difel, pp. 9-15.
c) CABRAL, Amílcar. A Questão da Língua. Transcrito de Nô Pintcha de 21, 24 e 26 de fev. 1976.
d) CARDINA, Miguel. "Memórias amnésicas? Nação, discurso político e representações do passado colonial". Configurações, vol.17, 2016, pp. 31- 42.
e) DIJK, T. A. Van. Discurso de elite e a reprodução do racismo. DELTA: Documentação e Estudos em Linguística Teórica e Aplicada, v. 8, n. 3, pp. 1-13; pp. 22-28; 30-32.
f) BAGNO, Marcos. Preconceito Linguístico: o que é, como se faz. São Paulo: Loyola. 1999, pp. 9-14.
g) FOUCAULT, Michel. A ordem do discurso: aula inaugural no Collège de France, pronunciada em 2 de dezembro de 1970. Trad. Laura Fraga de Almeida Sampaio. São Paulo: Edições Loyola, 2012, pp. 5-45.
Texts for Analysis - Selected Excerpts Provided by the Instructor + Complete Reading of One Text Chosen from the List Below:
1. Antunes, António Lobo. Os Cus de Judas. Lisboa: Publicações Dom Quixote, 1979.
2. Almeida, Djaimilia Pereira de. Maremoto. Lisboa: Tinta da China, 2019.
3. Couto, Mia. Vinte e Zinco. Lisboa: Editorial Caminho, 2016.
4. Figueiredo, Isabela. Cadernos de Memórias Coloniais. Lisboa: Caminho, 2009.
5. Vieira Junior, Itamar. Torto Arado. São Paulo: Todavia, 2019.
6. Tvon, Telma. Um preto muito português. Lisboa: Quetzal Editores, 2024.
The materials will be provided by the instructor and made available through the Ariel platform.
The course has a site on the online platform Ariel and a channel in Microsoft Teams platform to which reference is made for lecture notes and other materials provided by the teacher.
Please note that the course is complemented by 'esercitazioni' classes, for which reference is made to the specific form.
Assessment methods and Criteria
The exam is divided into two partes: monographic course test and 'esercitazioni' evaluation.
The Esercitazioni exam consists of a written and an oral test, both compulsories, with the mother tongue teacher. The written exam lasts 4 hours and includes a part of written comprehension, one of written production, one of structural and lexical competence; the oral test with the mother-tongue teacher will consist of a language interview.
For attending students only (those who attend 75% of hours), the final test can be replaced by partial tests. All the results of the written tests (final and partial) will be announced on the Ariel page of the course.
The monographic course evaluation consists of an oral exam with the teacher of the course that includes questions asked by the teacher and interactions between teacher and student. This last part takes place in Italian and Portuguese. The interview aims to verify the knowledge of the texts studied, the capacity for contextualization, the ability to expose, the precision in the use of specific terminology, the capacity for critical and personal reflection on the proposed themes. For attending students, the oral exam with the monographic course instructor includes questions from the instructor based on a final written paper (short dissertation) and a discussion between the instructor and the student on the course content.
The final grade is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be established with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
The Esercitazioni exam consists of a written and an oral test, both compulsories, with the mother tongue teacher. The written exam lasts 4 hours and includes a part of written comprehension, one of written production, one of structural and lexical competence; the oral test with the mother-tongue teacher will consist of a language interview.
For attending students only (those who attend 75% of hours), the final test can be replaced by partial tests. All the results of the written tests (final and partial) will be announced on the Ariel page of the course.
The monographic course evaluation consists of an oral exam with the teacher of the course that includes questions asked by the teacher and interactions between teacher and student. This last part takes place in Italian and Portuguese. The interview aims to verify the knowledge of the texts studied, the capacity for contextualization, the ability to expose, the precision in the use of specific terminology, the capacity for critical and personal reflection on the proposed themes. For attending students, the oral exam with the monographic course instructor includes questions from the instructor based on a final written paper (short dissertation) and a discussion between the instructor and the student on the course content.
The final grade is expressed in thirtieths, and the student has the right to refuse it.
International or Erasmus incoming students are invited to contact the teacher promptly. The examination procedures for students with disabilities and/or with DSA must be established with the teacher, in agreement with the competent Office.
L-LIN/09 - LANGUAGE AND TRANSLATION - PORTUGUESE AND BRAZILIAN - University credits: 9
Lessons: 60 hours
Professors:
Alberani Elisa, Bentes Saldanha Pereira Rebecca
Educational website(s)
Professor(s)
Reception:
Online in Microsoft Teams / Studio Iberistica