Portuguese
Portuguese 103-104 class is an intensive two-years-in-one introduction to Portuguese language and culture. You will learn to speak the famous Carioca dialect of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, but will learn to write a standard Portuguese grammar that is acceptable everywhere Portuguese is spoken. And where is Portuguese spoken besides in Portugal and Brazil? It is spoken in the African countries of Angola and Mozambique and on islands worldwide, making it the 6th most popular spoken language. It is easy to learn Spanish after learning Portuguese and vice versa, as they were the same language until the 16th century. We will glimpse Portuguese culture worldwide through film, theater, and music. As a complement, History of Brazil (HIST 484) taught by Professor Anne Handley here at NIU offers an in-depth study of Brazilian history and culture. Many of my students have gone on to graduate school in Portuguese or Latin American Studies and others have served in the Peace Corps in Mozambique. Jan Hertzberg, the current president of Partners of the Americas, studied Portuguese 103-104 and Brazilian history at Northern Illinois University.