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The Department of Spanish & Portuguese provides a comprehensive program combining foundational and advanced studies in Spanish and Portuguese languages, literature, and linguistics. This curriculum helps undergraduate students meet major, college, and university requirements while also building language proficiency for future opportunities. The undergraduate programs aim to develop advanced speaking and writing abilities, cultural understanding of Hispanic and Luso-Brazilian societies, broad knowledge of their literary traditions, and insights into Ibero-Romance linguistics.
With nearly 250 million speakers worldwide, Portuguese ranks among the most widely spoken languages. Brazil accounts for 205 million of these speakers. Portuguese serves as an official or working language in major international bodies including the African Union, European Union, Organization of American States, and various Ibero-American organizations. As a Romance language, Portuguese shares grammatical structures and vocabulary with French, Spanish, and Italian, making it particularly accessible for speakers of these languages. Our dynamic Portuguese courses emphasize student participation and cultural immersion. Soon, our introductory textbook will be accessible as an interactive open-educational resource.