Portuguese

major

Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures and Linguistics

Focusing on globalization, diversity, and public engagement, the Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures and Linguistics major provides an interdisciplinary, multilingual approach to the study of Spanish- and Portuguese-speaking cultures drawing from a variety of contemporary perspectives on linguistics, literature, film, theatre, social service, and professions in health, law, business, education, and media.

About this Program

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Department Information

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies endeavors to achieve excellence in research, teaching, and public service related to the languages, literature, and cultures of the areas and countries where Spanish and Portuguese are spoken.
Website

CONTACT

Spanish Email | Portuguese Email
352.392.2016 (tel) | 352.392.5679 (fax)

P.O. Box 117405
170 DAUER HALL
GAINESVILLE FL 32611-7405
Map

 Curriculum

Related Programs 

The Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures and Linguistics major offers the opportunity to gain proficiency in Spanish and/or Portuguese, two of the most important languages spoken in the United States, the Western Hemisphere and the world. The department offers courses of study in language, culture, linguistics, and literature, as well as a series of courses in languages for the professions, which focus on medical, legal,  business and other professional contexts.

By studying the literary and linguistic heritage of Spanish and Portuguese, students gain critical reading and writing skills that help them acquire and refine their abilities to speak, understand, read and write one of both of these languages.

The Spanish specialization focuses on the language and culture of Spain and Spanish-America, while the Portuguese specialization stresses the language and culture of Brazil, with complementary study of Portugal and Lusophone Africa. The combined specialization recognizes the increasingly prominent roles that Brazil, Spain and Latin America all play in international affairs, especially as they relate to Florida. Spanish- and Portuguese-speakers constitute the fastest growing immigrant populations in Florida. Studying both languages and cultures provide a competitive edge for those seeking careers in business, industry, tourism, health care, agricultural affairs, government, and education.

BA in Portuguese

The major requires 33 credits, beginning with foundational work in Portuguese and then moving on to more advanced coursework in language, culture and literature.

Students must earn minimum grades of C for coursework to count toward the major.
POR 3010 is an accelerated course for speakers of Spanish (or French). It fulfills the CLAS foreign language requirement but it does not count as a 3000-level course for the major requirements. POR 3010 will satisfy the same requirement as the POR 1130/POR 1131 sequence.

Required Coursework

  • POR 3242
  • 30 additional credits of POR or POW courses at the 3000 and 4000 levels.
    • A minimum of 12 credits must be at the 4000 level.
  • Only one course in English (PRT) can count towards the major, substituting for POR/POW.
  • Courses must be passed with a grade of C or better in order to be counted for the major.
  • Two Individual Work courses (POW 4905) may be accepted as part of the major's requirements.
  • Select courses outside the department may also count toward the major under special conditions.

Overseas Study

The university sponsors a reasonably priced Summer B program in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Majors and minors are encouraged to participate at the 3000/4000 level, where they will earn six credits. The program also fulfills the Summer residency requirement.

Placement

See the undergraduate coordinator for placement information, especially for transfer students and heritage speakers.

Relevant Minors and Certificates

Majors may want to pursue a certificate in Latin American Studies.

Research

Students who wish to complete a senior thesis for honors should consult Portuguese faculty at least two semesters in advance of graduation.

Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for progress toward each major. Please note the critical-tracking requirements below on a per-semester basis.

For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements: Structure of a CLAS Degree.

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Semester 1

  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 2

  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 3

Semester 4

Semester 5

  • Complete POR 3242 and one additional Portuguese course with a 2.5 critical-tracking GPA
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 6

  • Complete 3 of the remaining 3XXX/4XXX required courses
  • 2.5 critical-tracking GPA required
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 7

  • Complete 3 of the remaining 3XXX/4XXX required courses
  • 2.5 critical-tracking GPA required
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Semester 8

  • Complete all remaining 4XXX required courses
  • 2.5 critical-tracking GPA required
  • 2.0 UF GPA required

Students are expected to complete the Writing Requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are also expected to complete the General Education International (GE-N) and Diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another General Education requirement (typically, GE-C, H, or S).

To remain on track, students must complete the appropriate critical-tracking courses, which appear in bold. These courses must be completed by the terms as listed above in the Critical Tracking criteria.

This semester plan represents an example progression through the major. Actual courses and course order may be different depending on the student's academic record and scheduling availability of courses. Prerequisites still apply.

Plan of Study Grid
Semester OneCredits
State Core Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences 3
State Core Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences 3
State Core Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
State Core Gen Ed Mathematics 3
IDS 2935 Special Topics (Quest 1) 3
 Credits15
Semester Two
State Core Gen Ed Humanities 3
Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (area not taken in semester one) 3
Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
Gen Ed Mathematics 3
Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences 3
 Credits15
Semester Three
Select one: 5
POR 1130
 Beginning Portuguese 1 (Critical Tracking)
POR 3010
 Introduction to Portuguese and Brazil: Accelerated (Critical Tracking) 1
Gen Ed Humanities 3
Gen Ed Biological or Physical Sciences (area not taken in semester 2) 2 3
Gen Ed Social and Behavioral Sciences 2 3
Science laboratory (Gen Ed Physical or Biological Sciences) 1
 Credits15
Semester Four
Select one: 5
POR 1131
 Beginning Portuguese 2 (Critical Tracking)
POR 3010
 Introduction to Portuguese and Brazil: Accelerated (Critical Tracking) 2
Gen Ed Biological Sciences 3
Gen Ed Composition; Writing Requirement 3
Elective (3000 level and above, not in major) 3
 Credits14
Semester Five
POR 3242 Oral and Written Practice (Critical Tracking; recommended; or other POR or POW or PRT 3000/4000-level course) 3
POR or POW or PRT 3000/4000-level course (Critical Tracking) 3
Electives 9
 Credits15
Semester Six
POR 3243 Composition and Conversation (recommended; or other POR or POW or PRT 3000/4000-level course) 3
POR or POW or PRT 4000-level courses (Critical Tracking) 6
Elective (3000 level and above, not in major) 3
Elective 3
 Credits15
Semester Seven
POR or POW or PRT 3000/4000-level courses (Critical Tracking) 9
Elective (3000 level or above, not in major) 3
Electives 4
 Credits16
Semester Eight
POR or POW or PRT 4000-level courses (Critical Tracking) 9
Electives (3000 level or above, not in major) 6
 Credits15
 Total Credits120
1

POR 3010 satisfies the CLAS language requirement, and satisfies the same requirement as the POR 1130/POR 1131 sequence.

2

One General Education option taken this term must be a Quest 2 course.

The Bachelor of Arts in Hispanic and Latin American Languages, Literatures and Linguistics enables students to achieve communicative competence in Spanish and/or Portuguese, with an emphasis on all four language skills: speaking, comprehension, reading, and writing. Students will become knowledgeable in the areas of Hispanic and Lusophone cultures, literatures and/or linguistics, and they will learn how to interpret Spanish- and/or Portuguese language texts according to their cultural, literary, and linguistic content.

Before Graduating Students Must

  • Complete all requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.
  • Satisfactorily complete a written assignment in a 4000-level course that includes the written analysis of a text according to its cultural, literary and/or linguistic content. The text analyzed and the analysis will be in Spanish/Portuguese.
  • Satisfactorily deliver an oral presentation in Spanish/Portuguese on the topic of the written paper. Presentation will include answering questions from audience members.

Students in the Major Will Learn to

Student Learning Outcomes | SLOs

Content

  1. Identify cultural correlates, literary production, and/or linguistic structure of texts written in Spanish and/or Portuguese.

Critical Thinking

  1. Analyze cultural correlates, literary production, and/or linguistic structure of texts written in Spanish and/or Portuguese.

Communication

  1. Demonstrate competence in written Spanish and/or Portuguese, including knowledge of grammar, vocabulary, orthography, and appropriate stylistic conventions.
  2. Demonstrate communicative competence in spoken Spanish and/or Portuguese, including the ability to understand the spoken language, speak with correct grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation, and use appropriate registers.

Curriculum Map

I = Introduced; R = Reinforced; A = Assessed

Courses SLO 1 SLO 2 SLO 3 SLO 4
SPN 2240; POR 3224 I I I I
SPN 3300; POR 3242 R R R R
SPN 3510/SPN 3520; POR 3500/POR 3502 I, R I, R I, R I, R
SPN 3700; POR 3701 I, R I, R I, R I, R
SPW 3030/SPW 3031/SPW 3100/SPW 3101 I, R I, R I, R I, R
SPN or POR course, 4000 level R, A R, A R, A R, A
SPW or POW course, 4000 level R, A R, A R, A R, A

Assessment Types

  • Written paper
  • Oral presentation/discussion