Admission requirements
Students need to have completed the Propedeuse in Latin American Studies. This course can be followed by students in both tracks Spanish and Portuguese.
Description
This course serves as an introduction to the study of how the Portuguese language is used in society, including the study of language variation in general and in particular varieties of Brazilian Portuguese. Particular attention will be paid to how the field of sociolinguistics emerged and its contributions to the larger field of linguistics. In addition, the course will look at the study of dialects, or dialectology (i.e., geographic linguistic variation).
Course objectives
Students will be able to discuss the principal contributions of the field of sociolinguistics, including quantitative sociolinguistics (i.e., variationist studies), to the larger field of linguistics;
Students will be able to describe characteristics of various dialects of Brazilian Portuguese;
Students will be able to carry out basic linguistic research in the field of sociolinguistics;
Students will be able to apply the main concepts studied in class to carry out basic linguistic analyses in Portuguese.
Skills
Problem solving (recognizing and analyzing problems, solution-oriented thinking)
Analytical thinking (analytical skills, abstraction, proof)
Project management (planning, delineation, result orientation)
Responsibility (ownership, self-discipline, responsible attitude towards own project, acknowledging errors)
Commitment (dedication, motivation, proactive attitude, own initiative)
Self-regulation (independence, insight into one's own goals, motives and capacities)
Oral communication (presenting, speaking skills, listening)
Written communication (writing skills, reporting, structuring, summarizing)
Working together (teamwork, support, loyalty, fulfilling agreements, attendance)
Flexibility (dealing with changes, eagerness to learn, adaptability)
Critical thinking (asking questions, checking assumptions)
Creative thinking (resourcefulness, curiosity, out of the box thinking)
Integrity (honesty, morality, ethical conduct, personal values)
Intercultural skills (communication with different cultures)
Timetable
Mode of instruction
Lecture
Assessment method
Assessment
2 exams, 40% each. Written examination with closed questions (e.g. multiple choice) & Written examination with short open questions, both midterm and endterm. Presentation 20%.
Weighing
The final grade for the course will be established by determining the weighted average.
Resit
Re-sit: Relevant Component.
Only students with less than a 6 will be allowed to take the resit (for the relevant component).
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Bortoni-Ricardo, S. M. (2014). Manual de sociolinguística. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.
Azevedo, M. M. (2005). Portuguese: A linguistic introduction. New York, NY: Cambridge University Press.
Bagno, M. (2003). A norma culta: Língua e poder na sociedade brasileira. São Paulo: Parábola Editorial.
Ilari, R. & Basso, R. (2006). O português da gente: A língua que estudamos, a língua que falamos. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.
Mollica, M. C. & Braga, M. L. (2004). Introdução à sociolinguística: O tratamento da variação. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.
Registration
Enrolment through My Studymap is mandatory.
General information about uSis is available on this website
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Reuvensplaats
Remarks
The choice of textbooks used may be changed in case of difficulty in finding/purchasing the above-mentioned texts. Please contact the instructor before purchasing any materials.
Minimum 80% attendance required.