Department of Modern Languages and Linguistics

PORT 1003 Introduction to Brazilian Culture

Pre-requisites: None

The country that has come to be known as Brazil is a country of many cultures. As a result of its colonial past, the indigenous peoples co-founded, together with Europeans, Africans and Asians, a society whose main cultural wealth is expressed through its rich diversity.

Brazil is, however, not a simple collection of isolated indigenous and foreign cultures, each preserving its own traditions. As a result of the contact between and among these peoples and their cultures, Brazil may be described as a huge synthetic mix, with elements of each heritage that interact to form a society that is uniquely Brazilian

The course Introduction to Brazilian Culture examines a variety of themes related to Brazilian civilisation. The diversity of Brazilian culture(s) are studied beginning with a critical analysis of the languages spoken in Brazil, and ending with an exploration of the artistic expressions of the Brazilian people, at both ends of the culture spectrum, erudite and popular.

This course is organised into eight units covering five main topics: i) language; ii) festivals and celebrations as popular forms of artistic expression; iii) music; iv) Brazilian visual culture and v) the football culture in Brazil.

It would be useful for the student reading for Introduction to Brazilian Culture to be aware of his/her own cultural values and expressions, and, therefore, to be able to contribute to a contrastive analysis of topics developed in the subject.

Classes are delivered in English, and textual readings are in both English and Portuguese.

Method of Instruction: 2 lectures and 1 tutorial per week
Assessment: 40% in-course assessment, 60% final examination

This course is a pre-requisite for PORT 2003 Brazilian Society and Culture.