Course Meeting Times
Lectures: 4 sessions / week, 1 hour / session
Description
Accelerated Introductory Portuguese for Spanish Speakers covers the basics of Portuguese grammar and presents selected cultural aspects of the Lusophone world, with special emphasis on Brazil.
Designed as an intensive introductory course equivalent to Portuguese I and II, it is a Portuguese course for native speakers of Spanish or speakers of other languages who have a native–like command of Spanish. The course focuses on those aspects of the Portuguese language that have proved to be more difficult for Spanish speakers, such as pronunciation, vocabulary, idioms, and grammatical structures particular to Portuguese.
Our focus is on communication, but the four basic language skills (listening, speaking, reading, and writing) are practiced. At the end of the course, students will have mastered the core grammar of Portuguese, as well as basic vocabulary. They should also be able to engage in everyday conversation with native speakers and read simple texts, both fiction and non-fiction, with relative ease. The class is conducted in Brazilian Portuguese.
Prerequisites
21G.774 Spanish IV-Globalization
Permission of the instructor
Required Books
- de Jouet-Pastre, Clemence, Anna Klobucka, et al. Ponto de Encontro: Portuguese as a World Language. 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 2012. ISBN: 9780205782765.
- ———. MyPortugueseLab with Pearson eText for Ponto de Encontro: Portuguese as a World Language. 2nd ed. Prentice Hall, 2013. ISBN: 9780205978533.
- Harper Collins. Collins Gem Portuguese Dictionary English-Portuguese, Portuguese-English. Collins, 2000. ISBN: 9780004724096.
- Nitti, John J., and Michael J. Ferreira. 501 Portuguese Verbs. Barron’s Educational Series, 2005. ISBN: 9780764129162.
- Whitlam, John. Modern Brazilian Portuguese Grammar: A Practical Guide. Routledge, 2010. ISBN: 9780415566445.
Evaluation / Grades
Grading is based on frequent relatively small evaluations rather than on one or two major hurdles.
| ACTIVITIES | PERCENTAGES |
|---|---|
| Class attendance, participation, and homework | 25 |
| Composition (redações) | 20 |
| Exams | 40 |
| Oral presentation | 15 |
See the assignment section for more detailed information.
Grading Scale
A+ (98–100); A (94–97.9) A- (90–93.9); B+ (86–89.9); B (84–85.9); B- (80–83.9); C+ (76–79.9); C (74–75.9); C- (70–73.9); D+ (66–69.9); D (63–65.9); F (62 and below).
Academic Integrity
Academic integrity is defined by the Center of Academic Integrity as “a commitment, even in the face of adversity, to five fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect, and responsibility.” If you haven’t done so yet, please read the MIT Academic Integrity Handbook. Learning a foreign language is not something that typically occurs in isolation. Communication and practice are essential. Therefore, working with others is highly encouraged. However, there are cases in which collaboration is tantamount to cheating. There follow some examples of what is allowed and what is not in our class: having your pronunciation corrected by a native speaker before an oral presentation is perfectly acceptable. They won’t utter the words for you in class. Using a spellchecker is valid if you are writing a text, but having a text edited by another person before submission is clearly a different matter. To a certain extent, the editor is the coauthor of the text. Likewise, the use of dictionaries is recommended, but no translation program may be used. In a few words, obtaining help from people or online resources is allowed as a way of enhancing your learning, but should be avoided altogether if as a result of it, the work submitted is not an accurate representation of the student’s progress or capacity. If that’s the case, it will be considered academic dishonesty. If you have doubts about what you can do in this class, consult with your instructor.
