Brazilian Studies Minor and Requirements
The Minor in Brazilian Studies is designed to help students acquire advanced training in the Portuguese language and gain knowledge and understanding of Brazilian culture. The goal of this Minor is to provide an opportunity for motivated undergraduates to develop communication skills and cultural understanding to strengthen them in their personal, professional, and academic endeavors, and ultimately to provide greater opportunities for advanced graduate training and a competitive edge in the job market. It supports a number of initiatives in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and across the University of Kansas, including the undergraduate research initiative, calls for greater interdisciplinary and international collaboration, and the broader goal of increasing linguistic and cultural literacy at KU.
Students are encouraged to begin the Minor at the end of their sophomore year or the beginning of their junior year. A pre-requisite of the program is two semesters of elementary Portuguese and one semester of intermediate Portuguese, or proof of equivalent preparation. The Minor requires 18 credit hours of minor-specific training, to be determined in consultation with an academic advisor. These 18 credit hours are divided as follows: (1) three of the five foundational courses in Portuguese language and literary/cultural analysis (all taught in Portuguese) and (2) three upper-division courses in Geography, History, and Portuguese specifically approved as electives for the Minor. Additionally, students may petition to substitute the approved electives with selected classes in Economics, History, International Business, Political Science, Spanish, and Theater and Film Studies having at least 1/3 focus on Brazil and for which the students write a term paper on Brazil. Courses taken as electives may be taught in English, Portuguese, or Spanish.
To declare a minor, or if you have a question about classes in the Brazilian Minor and need preliminary consultation, please contact the Advising Specialist.
Requirements:
This program consists of 6 3-credit-hour courses (for a total of 18 credit hours) in which students pursue Brazilian studies beyond the 3 first semesters of basic language classes. In consultation with departmental advisors, students combine their course work in several academic areas, such as language, business, economics, film and media studies, geography, history, political science, and theatre.
Students selecting this minor must complete the following:
Prerequisite Knowledge. Satisfied by Intermediate Brazilian Portuguese I (PORT 212) or equivalent placement.
Requirements for the Minor. Satisfied by 3 courses from each of the following groups:
Group 1:
Courses
Group 2:
Courses
Depending on their content, the following courses may substitute for required or elective courses by petition:
Courses
Minor Hours & Minor GPA
While completing all required courses, minors must also meet each of the following hour and grade-point average minimum standards:
Minor Hours
Satisfied by 18 hours of minor courses.
Minor Hours in Residence
Satisfied by a minimum of 9 junior/senior (300+) hours of KU resident credit in the minor.
Minor Junior/Senior Hours
Satisfied by a minimum of 15 hours from junior/senior courses (300+) in the minor.
Minor Graduation GPA
Satisfied by a minimum of a 2.0 KU GPA in all departmental courses (300+) in the minor. GPA calculations include all departmental courses in the field of study including F’s and repeated courses. See the Semester/Cumulative GPA Calculator.