95393 - Portuguese and Brazilian Language and Linguistic Exercises 3

Learning outcomes

This course aims to improve all four language skills, speaking, listening, reading and writing to achieve level C1 of the CEFR

Course contents

The Portuguese and Brazilian Practical Language Classes 3 course aims to consolidate and expand students’ linguistic and communicative skills with a view to achieving an advanced B2 level, with skills corresponding to level C1 according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) and the Camões PLE Reference Framework.

The module aims to provide students with greater autonomy in expression, developing their ability to organise complex discourse using different registers. By the end of the course, students will be able to rework intertextual content, understand authentic texts and grasp implicit meanings.

The module’s content is based on consolidating and expanding the morphosyntactic skills acquired in previous years, with particular attention to developing students’ communicative effectiveness in various contexts. In particular, the module will offer an in-depth study of verb modes and tenses, with specific reference to the uses of the indicative and subjunctive in subordinate clauses, as well as the study of compound tenses and constructions that allow for the expression of hypotheses, evaluations and varying degrees of certainty.

In addition to subordinate clauses (e.g. concessive, causal, consecutive, final and temporal), the module aims to enable students to become familiar with the construction of complex sentences, reported speech and verbal periphrases. Through the use of authentic materials, students will be guided in developing the ability to converse on concrete and abstract topics, to argue, negotiate, persuade and express themselves with greater autonomy.

 

Although the module adopts the European variety of the Portuguese language, attention will be paid, where possible and with the aid of selected material, to the specific features of the Brazilian variety. Through a contrastive approach, differences relating to the lexical, morphosyntactic, phonetic and pragmatic aspects of the two main varieties of contemporary Portuguese will be highlighted, with the aim of developing students’ greater awareness of the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Portuguese-speaking world.

 

Readings/Bibliography

The following textbook will be used during the Portuguese Practice 3 course:

• Hermínia Malcata, Português Atual 2, Lisbon, Edições Técnicas Lidel, 2019

https://m.lidel.pt/pt/catalogo/portugues-europeu-lingua-estrangeira/exercicios/portugues-atual-2-2/

 

Teaching methods

Practical language classes in portuguese. Active student participation in class is expected.

The module is based on an interactive approach aimed at developing students’ communication skills. Although it includes periods of explanation, the focus will be primarily on practical exercises. Students are therefore encouraged to participate actively and will be asked to interact with their peers, articulating and justifying their opinions on general topics, for example, during group debates and role-plays. During the lessons, in addition to the textbook listed in the bibliography, authentic multimedia materials will be used, such as podcasts, music tracks, comics, magazine covers, advertising leaflets, photographs, film clips, clips, documentaries and texts of various kinds, including newspaper articles and prose extracts, all designed to stimulate oral interaction, the formation of opinions, and written and oral production on topics of general interest. Translation may be used as a teaching tool for language learning.

In order to promote exposure to Brazilian Portuguese as well, and from an intercultural perspective, a ‘teletandem’ activity with the Universidade Estadual Paulista is also planned. Materials will therefore be provided that reflect, as far as possible, the linguistic and cultural diversity of the Portuguese language.

 

Assessment methods

The Portuguese and Brazilian Practical Language Classes 3 examination is divided into two parts: a written component and an oral component. The written component is a prerequisite for the oral component; students may sit the oral component only if they have achieved a minimum mark of 18/30 in the written component. The Seminar examination is therefore structured as follows:

Written paper: this assesses the knowledge acquired by the student in the following areas: listening comprehension; reading comprehension; grammar exercises; composition of a short text; and translation. The paper generally lasts 2 hours and 30 minutes. The use of a dictionary is not permitted.

Oral examination: this consists of a conversation with the lecturer, in Portuguese, aimed at assessing the student’s interactive skills relating to vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation, and will focus on general topics.

The mark for the Practical Language Classes is calculated as the arithmetic mean of the written and oral examinations. This result is then added to a third mark, that obtained in the examination with the lecturer responsible for the lectures in Linguistics. The final mark for Portuguese and Brazilian Language and Linguistics 3 is derived from the average of these three marks.

Students are free to choose whether to sit the Linguistics 3 exam or the Practical Language Classes 3 exam first; the important thing is that the prerequisite order between the written and oral components of the Practical Exercises is observed.

With regard to the written examination for the Practical  Language Classes course, there will be mid-term exams held throughout the first and second semesters for attending students (both generally towards the end of the respective semesters) on dates to be announced during the course. Please inform the lecturer of your intention to sit the mid-term exams by the deadlines that will be specified.

Students who do not sit the mid-term exams may sit the full exams on the resit dates scheduled for the 2026/2027 academic year: summer, autumn and winter sessions. For the Practical Language Classes exam, each session generally includes one date for the written exam and two dates for the oral exam.

The use of AI tools during the written examination is prohibited in any form, including chatbots, text generators, advanced translation tools, content synthesisers and tools built into devices. Any use of AI is considered a breach of the principle of honesty and fairness set out in the Policy and may result in the examination being annulled by the lecturer, who remains responsible for verifying the validity of the examination.

Assessment will take into account linguistic accuracy and richness, fluency of expression, argumentative skills, appropriateness of register, understanding of the materials provided, participation in teaching activities and the work carried out, including the language tandem programme.

Teaching tools

PowerPoint presentations, handouts, video and audio files will be made available to students on the Platform Virtuale (https://virtuale.unibo.it/my/).

Notice for students with disabilities

Students with SLDs or temporary or permanent disabilities: we suggest that you contact the relevant university office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en) and your professor immediately to work together to find the most effective strategies for attending classes and/or preparing for exams.

Any requests for accommodations must be made at least 15 days before the date of the exam, by sending an email to the lecturer and copying (Cc) the email address [disabilita@unibo.it [mailto:disabilita@unibo.it] ](mailto:disabilita@unibo.it ) (in case of disability) or [dsa@unibo.it [mailto:dsa@unibo.it] ](mailto:dsa@unibo.it ) (for students with Specific Learning Difficulties).

Office hours

See the website of Roberto Mulinacci