Why Brazilian Studies at KU?

What our students have to say:

Victoria Garcia Unzueta

"I began studying Portuguese my sophomore year of college. I had been studying French for a few years, but wanted to try something new and Portuguese seemed like a good option, especially being a native Spanish speaker. My first semester of Portuguese was fully online due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which created an additional challenge, but I had a fantastic instructor who made learning engaging and fun. Thanks to his dedication to our learning, I fell in love with the language and continued my studies. After my fourth semester of studying, I got the opportunity to study abroad in Brazil and live there for two months during the summer. It was an incredible experience where I got to learn so much about the culture and the language, as well as meet many wonderful people who became my friends. Now, I continue to practice Portuguese and have many fond memories attached to the language."

Michelle Gray

"I began the M.A. program in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese this past fall semester. I was a little surprised and a bit nervous when my advisor suggested that I enroll in Portuguese 611, Accelerated Brazilian Portuguese for Speakers of Spanish. Since I had never studied Portuguese, I was not sure about whether the PORT 611 course designation was placing me in a higher level than I would be able to manage. But I can say now, after completing Portuguese 611 and 612, it has been a very attainable challenge and I am amazed at how much I have learned in two semesters!

Our professor makes the class informative, fun and interactive. She is enthusiastic, patient, kind, helpful, and encouraging. It has been a wonderful experience! We have learned not only the basic language components of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, sentence structure, and so on, but also many aspects of culture—music, literature, poetry, food.

We have opportunities to practice Portuguese conversationally not only in class, but also at the monthly language table gathering. We were recently invited to participate in a panel discussion in Portuguese with a group of Brazilian teachers of English who were visiting KU to learn more about educational systems and practices here in the US. Much of our in-class instruction and assignments have been accomplished through considering current events and social issues affecting people living in countries where Portuguese is the main language. So, instruction is all done in ways that are truly relevant to real-world language usage.

I already had an in-depth academic background in Spanish and French, so it is evident that I love learning languages. The Portuguese language has become even more important to me since my brother and his wife moved from the US to the northeastern coastal town of João Pessoa in Brazil not long ago. They are both fluent speakers of Brazilian Portuguese and I have had fun communicating with them via text and social media in my newest language. I hope to visit them in Brazil one day soon!

I feel confident that KU’s Portuguese program has prepared me well for all the skills in using another language—reading, writing, speaking, listening, and cultural competence."