Prospectus

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Sociolinguistics and Dialectology of Brazilian Portuguese

Course
2019-2020

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.

    Transferable skills (useful job market 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

Timetable LAS

Mode of instruction

Lecture

Course Load

Total load for the course (5 EC =140 hours) is the following:

  • 28 hours = Hours spent on attending lectures and seminars;

  • 24 hours = Hours spent preparing and taking tests;

  • 88 hours = reading and preparation for lectures; completing assignments.

Assessment method

Assessment

  • Mid-term Exam = 40%;

  • Final Research Paper = 40%;

  • Final Oral Presentation = 20%.

The written examination may include closed questions (for example multiple choice), open ended questions and short essay questions.

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).

Exam review

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.

Blackboard

Blackboard will be used for:

  • providing study materials

Reading list

Bortoni-Ricardo, S. M. (2014). Manual de sociolinguística. São Paulo: Editora Contexto.
Outros Textos
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 uSis is mandatory.

General information about uSis is available in Engels and Nederlands

Registration Studeren à la carte and Contractonderwijs

Not applicable

Contact

For questions about the content of the course, you can contact the teacher:
E. Alves Vieira MA

Administrations Office: van Wijkplaats

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.