Subject guide to Portuguese
Portuguese at Manchester
Portuguese is the most widely spoken language in the southern hemisphere, and it is the national language for Lusophone countries in the Comunidade dos Paises de Lingua Portuguesa – Portugal, Brazil, Angola, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Equatorial Guinea, Mozambique, São Tomé and Príncipe, and Timor-Leste. For many students, studying Portuguese at university is the first time they’ve had the opportunity to find out more about the varied and vibrant cultures, and histories of Lusophone countries.
As Portuguese- and Spanish-speaking countries are often immediate neighbours, people assume the languages are the same. Whilst there are similarities, there are also significant differences in vocabulary, pronunciation and grammar.
At Manchester, students have access to a range of resources to support their studies. The Portuguese Language Café provides a friendly and supportive space for students to practise their conversation skills, building their confidence and fluency. The Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies Collections in The John Rylands Library enable students to directly access manuscripts and archival materials for medieval, early modern, and modern Portugal and Spain.
The course was more than just languages and allowed me to learn about Spanish and Portuguese film and TV, art, literature, politics, and general culture. This allowed me to explore my interests further and realise that a career in the arts was for me.
Grace Hickson, Alumni. / Senior BA Course Coordinator for the London Film Academy (2022).
Video: Discover more about studying here
Courses - 2027 entry
Portuguese is available as a specialism in the following 4-year degree courses:
- BA Linguistics and Modern Languages
- BA Modern Languages and Business and Management
- BA Modern Languages
- BA Politics and Modern Languages
- BA Sociology and Modern Languages
BA Modern Languages has 2 pathways for Portuguese and students on this course must choose one:
- Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies
- Spanish and Portuguese
The degree title on the graduation certificate will state the language(s) that have been studied. For example: BA Linguistics and Modern Languages (Portuguese), BA Modern Languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies) BA Modern Languages (Portuguese) and Business and Management.
For information about entry requirements, tuition fees, scholarships and bursaries, please visit the online prospectus.
Course structures
Degree courses in Portuguese provide students with a range of choices. When considering the choices you’d like to make, please note:
- Portuguese has 2 language learning pathways – beginner and intermediate.
- Each year, all students study a total of 120 credits. Each course unit is 20 credits unless indicated.
- The course unit titles for each year of study have been listed.
- Joint honours. In Year 1 students take 60 credits from Portuguese. In Year 2 students can take 40 or 60 credits from Portuguese. In Year 4 students can take 40, 60 or 80 credits from Portuguese. The remaining credits are taken from the other subject or language.
- Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies (SPLAS). In Year 1 students take 100 credits from Spanish and Portuguese. In Years 2 and 4, students can choose 100 or 120 credits from Spanish and Portuguese. The remaining credits are chosen from a range of subjects in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures, including digital humanities, or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning.
- Essential course information for students studying a 4-year degree.
Course content
Although there are different study options for students taking Portuguese as a Joint Honours subject or through SPLAS, the courses are designed to bring students together and some course units are shared. For example, all students take Introduction to the Cultures of the Lusophone World.
The beginner language leaning pathway is designed to develop students’ skills and confidence with both spoken and written Portuguese. Initially, the focus is on developing language skills for everyday situations and then progressing to using the language in more academic contexts such as translating short pieces of text, and delivering presentations in Portuguese.
On the intermediate pathway, students build on their existing language skills, broadening their vocabulary, improving their writing and translating skills, deepening their cultural awareness, and building their fluency and confidence in debating and presenting in Portuguese. Study Project (Portuguese) enables students to improve their reading abilities whilst deepening their appreciation and understanding of literary texts and of social issues in the Lusophone world.
Joint Honours students
40 credits taken from one of the language learning pathways:
◈ Beginner pathway: Portuguese Language 1
◈ Beginner pathway: Portuguese Language 2
◈ Intermediate pathway: Portuguese Language 3
◈ Intermediate pathway: Study Project (Portuguese)
20 credits:
◈ Introduction to the Cultures of the Lusophone World
BA Modern Languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies)
Course units for SPLAS are almost an equal split between Portuguese and Spanish, with students developing their knowledge and skills of both languages, as well as learning about the cultures of the Lusophone and Hispanic worlds. Course units are 20 credits unless indicated.
Two course units are only available to students that have taken A-level Portuguese or equivalent - Study Project (Portuguese) and Catalan Language and Culture 1. Students that do not have A-level Portuguese have the option of taking Catalan Language and Culture 1 in Year 2.
20 credits taken from the language learning pathway for Spanish:
◈ Intermediate pathway: Spanish Language 3
20 credits taken from one of the language learning pathways for Portuguese:
◈ Beginner pathway: Portuguese Language 1
◈ Intermediate pathway: Portuguese Language 3
60 credits taken from:
◈ Introduction to the Cultures of the Lusophone World
◈ Themes in Spanish and Latin American Studies
◈ Cultures of the Hispanic World
20 credits chosen from:
◈ Study Project (Portuguese)
◈ Catalan Language and Culture 1
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (10 or 20 credits). Some free choice units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
KEY:
◆ Semester 1
◇ Semester 2
◈ Full Year
In Year 2, Joint Honours students can take Portuguese as a minor (40 credits) or joint (60 credits) subject. The remaining credits are taken from the other Joint Honours subject or language. SPLAS students take 120 credits. Course units are 20 credits unless indicated.
As with Year 1, there are different study options for Joint Honours students and SPLAS students, but they study together on selected course units.
Joint Honours students
20 credits taken from one of the language learning pathways:
◈ Beginner pathway: Portuguese Language 3
◈ Intermediate pathway: Portuguese Language 5
20 or 40 credits chosen from:
◆ Empire and its Aftermath: The Making of Modern Portugal in Literature, art and Film
◇ Brazilian Literature
0 or 20 credits chosen from:
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (10 or 20 credits). Some free choice units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
BA Modern Languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies)
All students continue on the intermediate language learning pathway for Spanish.
Students can choose to study Portuguese, or Catalan, or both provided that they meet the pre-requisites. In Year 1, students must have taken Portuguese Language 1 to be able to study Portuguese Language 3 in Year 2. Portuguese Language 5 is only available to students that have previously studied Portuguese Language 3.
Catalan Language and Culture 1 is now available to students who were unable to take it in Year 1. Students who completed this course unit in Year 1 can progress to Catalan Language and Culture 2 if they would like to do so.
To choose Empire and its Aftermath: The Making of Modern Portugal in Literature, Art and Film, students must have studied Portuguese Language 3 in Year 1, or they choose it in Year 2.
20 credits taken from the language learning pathway:
◈ Intermediate pathway: Spanish Language 5
80 or 100 credits chosen from:
◆ Empire and its Aftermath: The Making of Modern Portugal in Literature, art and Film
◆ Writing Women in the Spanish Golden Age
◆ Modern Latin American Literature
◇ Visual Culture in Modern Spain: Film, Painting and Photography
◇ Spanish Linguistics
◇ Brazilian Literature
◇ History of Latin America
◇ Culture and Cold War in Latin America
◈ Catalan Language and Culture 1
◈ Catalan Language and Culture 2
◈ Portuguese Language 3
◈ Portuguese Language 5
0 or 20 credits chosen from:
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or the University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (10 or 20 credits). Some free choice units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
KEY:
◆ Semester 1
◇ Semester 2
◈ Full Year
This is the Residence Abroad year and students usually undertake a study abroad placement in Brazil or Portugal. Opportunities vary from year to year, and some opportunities are selective.
Students studying Portuguese and another language, usually divide their time between two countries.
Please see Residence Abroad for information about funding and finance, the support provided to students to find suitable study or work placements, and for videos and blog posts from current students.
In Year 4, Joint Honours students can take Portuguese as a minor (40 credits), joint (60 credits) or major (80 credits) subject. The remaining credits are taken from the other Joint Honours subject or language. SPLAS students take 120 credits. Course units are 20 credits unless indicated.
As with Years 1 and 2, there are different study options for Joint Honours students and SPLAS students but they study together on selected course units.
The Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures is an option for Joint Honours students and SPLAS students. Students usually need to achieve a minimum of 60% in Year 2 to join this course unit. It is a guided research project leading to a dissertation of 10,000 words. Contact hours are low (9 hours) and independent study hours are high (391 hours).
Although the dissertation will be written in English, students must demonstrate that they have analysed or used primary or secondary sources in Portuguese. SPLAS students also have the option of choosing a topic where the primary or secondary sources are in Spanish.
Joint Honours students
20 credits taken from one of the language learning pathways:
◈ Beginner pathway: Portuguese Language 5
◈ Intermediate pathway: Portuguese Language Project
20, 40 or 60 credits chosen from:
◈ Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures (40 credits)
◆ Imagining the Amazon: Culture and Environment
◈ Migration, Identity and Environment in Portuguese and Spanish Film
BA Modern Languages (Spanish, Portuguese and Latin American Studies)
Students return from their Residence Abroad year with excellent language skills. They all take the same language learning course unit for Spanish.
Students can choose to study Portuguese or Catalan or both provided that they meet the pre-requisites. Portuguese Language 5 is only available to students who are proficient or have previously studied Portuguese Language 3. Portuguese Language Project is only available to students taking Portuguese Language 5.
Catalan Language and Culture 1 is an option for students that have not studied it previously. Students taking Catalan Language and Culture 2 must have studied Catalan Language and Culture in Years 1 or 2.
There are limited places on Introduction to Interpreting, which is also a selective course unit. Students must achieve a minimum of 60% in Year 2 Language course units to apply.
20 credits taken from the intermediate language learning pathway:
◈ Intermediate: Spanish Language 6
80 or 100 credits chosen from:
◆ Introduction to Interpreting: Context, Skills and Modes
◆ History of the Spanish Atlantic World: Empire, Trade, War
◆ Imagining the Amazon: Culture and Environment
◆ Modern Spanish Music: A Cultural History
◇ Introduction to Professional Translation
◇ Migration, Identity and Environment in Portuguese and Spanish Film
◇ The Supernatural in Latin American Literature and Film
◇ The Politics of Business in Latin America
◇ Conquest and Resistance in the Spanish Golden Age
◈ Dissertation in Modern Languages and Cultures (40 credits)
◈ Catalan Language and Culture 1
◈ Catalan Language and Culture 2
◈ Portuguese Language 5
◈ Portuguese Language Project
0 or 20 credits chosen from:
◆ Free choice units in the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures or University College for Interdisciplinary Learning (10 or 20 credits). Some free choice units are delivered in semester 1, some are delivered in semester 2.
KEY:
◆ Semester 1
◇ Semester 2
◈ Full Year