
- UCAS course code
- QR15
- UCAS institution code
- M20
Course unit details:
Portuguese Language 5
Unit code | SPLA52050 |
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Credit rating | 20 |
Unit level | Level 3 |
Teaching period(s) | Full year |
Available as a free choice unit? | No |
Overview
The course unit consists of advanced study of translation from and into Portuguese, conversation in Portuguese, and the writing of essays in Portuguese. Building on the students’ experiences in their year abroad, the course will improve their ability to communicate with a high level of fluency, accuracy and confidence in Portuguese, and to recognise and reproduce different registers of language accurately when speaking, listening, reading, writing, and translating to and from Portuguese. Methodologically, the course is organised around contemporary topics, and combines oral and listening exercises, conversation, reading, translation (from Portuguese to English and from English to Portuguese), and essay writing. On successful completion of this course, students should be able to perform at Level C1/C2 of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR).
Pre/co-requisites
SPLA52040 or equivalent (for visiting students only).
Available on which programme(s)? | Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies single honours; Portuguese joint honours; Minor in Portuguese |
Available as Free Choice (UG) or to other programmes (PG)? | No |
Available to students on an Erasmus programme | Yes, but only to those studying for a degree in Portuguese at their home institutions and who will be at Manchester for an entire academic year. |
Medium of language | Portuguese (and English)
|
Aims
To enable students to communicate with a high level of fluency, accuracy, and confidence in Portuguese through oral, aural, and written exercises (including prose and translation), as well as to further develop their four skills (listening, reading, speaking and writing) to a C1/C2 level.
To enable students to produce texts in Portuguese of different genres with a detailed knowledge of advanced areas of grammar and syntax
To improve translation skills by increasing students’ sensitivity to issues of register, style and perspective when translating to and from Portuguese across a range of genres
Knowledge and understanding
A broad, active knowledge, both practical and theoretical, of advanced Portuguese grammar and syntax, including different registers of language and their contexts of use
An understanding of the language in its broader cultural context
A broad knowledge and a critical understanding of the cultures and societies of the Lusophone world
An ability to translate to and from Portuguese in a variety of different literary, journalistic, and semi-specialist genres
The ability to understand and produce advanced/sophisticated texts of different genres
Further intercultural awareness, understanding and competence
Intellectual skills
This course develops abilities to:
Use language creatively and precisely for a range of purposes and audiences
Engage with and interpret layers of meaning within texts, whether they are verbal only or multimodal
Organise and present ideas within the framework of a structured and reasoned argument
Engage in further critical and analytical thinking
Develop critical, research and problem-solving skills
Practical skills
These include:
Advanced skills to enhance their language learning through independent study
Use and present material in the target language in written and oral forms accurately and in a clear and effective manner
Ability to manage own learning
Use target language source materials (written and oral) appropriately and confidently
Write and think under pressure and meet deadlines
Access electronic resources and use information and communication technologies (ICT) appropriately
Transferable skills and personal qualities
These include:
Communication and presentation skills: oral, written and IT
The ability to work creatively and flexibly with others as part of a team
Mediating skills and qualities of empathy
Self-reliance and adaptability
Further intercultural skills and cultural awareness
Employability skills
- Other
- In order to promote intercultural skills and cultural awareness the course syllabus includes a variety of contemporary topics, which build on the experience of the Year Abroad, touching on issues such as social inequality, gender roles, child labour, and linguistic prejudice. Generally, communication skills are developed through frequent presentations and teamwork; self-management skills are promoted through independent work; critical, research and problem-solving skills mainly through reading and translation, and IT skills through web and computer assisted language learning.
Assessment methods
Assessment Task | Formative or Summative | Weighting within unit (if Summative) |
Written exam: translation into English | Summative | 25% |
Written exam: translation into Portuguese + essay | Summative | 50% |
Oral Exam | Summative | 25% |
Weekly written assignment | Formative |
Resit Assessment
Assessment Task |
Written exam: translation into Portuguese + essay |
Feedback methods
Feedback method | Formative or Summative |
Regular individual written feedback on completed and marked assignments and oral presentations plus face-to-face discussion if desired. | Formative |
Global feedback on frequent errors or omissions to indicate problem areas and allow questions and discussion (delivered orally in class/ as a handout) | Formative |
In-class comments on homework, presentations and other exercises. | Formative |
Recommended reading
- Amélia Hutchinson and Janet Lloyd, Portuguese. An Essential Grammar (Routledge).
- Mário A. Perini, Modern Portuguese: A Reference Grammar (Yale)
- Evanildo Bechara, Moderna Gramática Portuguesa.
- Celso Cunha and Lindley Cintra, Nova Gramática do Português Contemporâneo.
- It is advisable to acquire a monolingual Portuguese Dictionary such as Dicionário Aurélio or Dicionário Houaiss.
Study hours
Scheduled activity hours | |
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Lectures | 11 |
Seminars | 11 |
Tutorials | 11 |
Independent study hours | |
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Independent study | 167 |
Teaching staff
Staff member | Role |
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David Bailey | Unit coordinator |
Jose Peixoto Coelho De Souza | Unit coordinator |