Although studying literature and culture in Portuguese necessitates a desire to learn the language, prior knowledge of the language is not necessary: You can start from the beginning at JGU.

You should be interested in Portuguese-speaking cultures and societies and enjoy reading and analyzing Portuguese literature. Experience and contact with Lusophone cultures is not a must, though it could make the start of your studies easier.

If you enjoy interpersonal communication, teamwork, and giving presentations, you already have the basics you need for this program.

You will study this subject as part of a two-subject bachelor’s degree program. The degree program always consists of an academic major and minor, which can be combined according to your interests or professional goals.

If you choose the subject as a minor, you will generally complete only a portion of the modules and classes taught to students of the major subject. As a result, you will focus on a selection from the content listed below.

Portuguese can be pursued as a minor only!

Another option is to pursue Portuguese as part of the Bachelor or Master of Education as a supplementary qualification (requirement for the teaching license).

Program structure

At the beginning of the Portuguese Studies program, you will learn the basics of language acquisition and practice.

You will then consolidate your knowledge and abilities in both oral and written communication, and work with Portuguese grammar. All of this will help you to be able to read Portuguese texts in detail and discuss them in seminars.

In the areas of linguistics, literature studies, and cultural studies, you will start by learning the fundamentals through introductory courses with thematic overviews. These are then followed by topic-specific courses aimed at consolidating and specializing your knowledge.

Stays abroad

Would you like to live abroad for a semester or a year? Do you want to learn another language and get to know a new culture? Or gain a different perspective on your particular subject? A stay abroad provides you with the perfect opportunity to achieve this and is possible with every degree program – either self-organized or by taking advantage of one of the popular exchange programs. This is made possible by various cooperation agreements and partnerships with foreign universities.

For more information on this topic, please visit our websites on studying abroad. Visit our student exchange platform for an overview of cooperating universities in your field.

This program of study does not require you to spend time abroad, but you nevertheless have the opportunity to do so.

Internships

This program of study does not include a mandatory internship. However, voluntary internships are a great way to gain insight into a professional field.

An internship allows you to discover whether everyday life in a particular occupation suits your career expectations and interests. You can gain qualifications for a professional field and acquire important professional and personal skills to start a career. An internship helps you both shape your career path, and mold the remainder of your course sequence – in particular by selecting specializations that suit your practical experience.

You can find further information and relevant internships on the Career Service website.

Alongside the language skills and specialist knowledge about the culture, literature, and history of Lusophone countries, you will have also acquired many more skills during your studies. These include intercultural competencies, research and writing skills, experience in communicating knowledge and scientific findings, as well as media literacy. These cultural studies and humanities-based skills make you an interesting candidate for employers from a wide variety of professional fields:

• Language teaching, language lessons at private, in-house, or public institutions
• Research (e.g., university, research institutions, projects)
• Public services and administrations (e.g., as a specialist consultant)
• Media and public relations, editorial work (e.g., publishing, editing)
• Education and culture (e.g., at theaters, museums, private and public educational institutions, libraries, and archives, or in documentary work or adult education)
• International relations (e.g., in tourism, trade relations, development cooperation, diplomacy, and international organizations)
• International communication (at businesses, organizations, etc.)
• Business (e.g., business advisory services, consulting, marketing, purchasing and materials management, human resources, corporate training)
• Politics (e.g., ministries, foundations, associations and clubs)

Not sure what to do after graduation? Don’t worry!

A university degree generally does not prepare you for a single profession but qualifies you for a wide range of career paths – for example, in research, in a typical profession related to your field of study, or in one of many other academic fields.

This is why career orientation is also part of your studies. Gaining practical experience is key, and you can do so through internships, working student positions, part-time jobs or voluntary work, for example.

JGU’s Career Service will support you throughout the entire process with information, advice, workshops and numerous events – from career orientation and working on your profile and skills to finding your dream job and successfully applying for it.