Analysis of the Dramatic Text

Code: LAC2.97623

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The aim of this course unit is to develop conceptual and methodological skills so to be able to study dramatic texts. Students are expected to acquire and develop knowledge on the theories involved in writing for theatre. Furthermore, students will have the opportunity to expand their research and organizational skills, as well as the ability to reflect upon the knowledge acquired. Therefore, they will have the opportunity to develop their speaking and writing skills, as well as their ability to apply the critical and essayistic skills learned throughout the semester to the acquired notions and concepts. 

Course Unit Description:

• Analysis of the Dramatic Text (TP1 / S1) | Faculty: David Michael Greer »

Canadian Literature and Culture

Code: LAC2.12400

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Students will gain an understanding of Canadian literature and culture by examining its historical and geopolitical structure, together with critical analysis and discussion of its literature, cinema and visual arts. Thus, Canada’s history and geopolitics will be examined through the lens of its artistic production. There will be a questioning of the role of the arts, as vehicles of reflection and change, in this country that has progressed from being a diverse European colonial project to independent existence, despite the presence of a culturally aggressive neighbor. Particular attention will be paid to the time since the beginning of the multicultural project (1950-60) to the contemporary attempts to correct the mistakes of colonialism.

Course Unit Description:

• Canadian Literature and Culture (TP1 / S1) | Faculty: Cecilia Beecher Martins »

Cinema and Literature

Code: LAC2.97342

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Through an interUCry approach, it is intended that students develop critical skills and reasoning regarding the relationship between cinema and literature via the analysis of a specific group of films. These skills and knowledge to be developed, both orally and in writing, include the various ways in how writing, latu senso, translates and establishes a dialogue with cinema. Therefore, and taking this relationship into consideration, film analysis will be particularly relevant for students to better understand the importance of literature for cinema.

Course Unit Description:

• Cinema and Literature (TP2 / S2) | Faculty: Cecilia Beecher Martins »

Classical Culture

Code: COR1.41053

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The course develops a set of skills and provides extensive knowledge about some of the greatest cultural creations of the classical world. Skills to be acquired include the ability to collect and analyze information on cultural practices in Classical Antiquity and to develop qualitative research in this specific field of studies. To this end, the course discusses a list of problems that help understanding Western culture, either by contrasting perspectives, or by discussing the notions of tradition, heritage and continuity.

Course Unit Description:

• Classical Culture (TP2 / S1) | Faculty: Bernardo Machado Mota »
• Classical Culture (TP7 / S2) | Faculty: Fotini Hadjittofi »

Contemporary Drama

Code: LAC2.99831

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course aims to present some dramaturgical practices that mark their literary evolution throughout the 20th century and the beginning of the 21st century in a European and Western context, addressing the issues of their relationship with theatre and performances. Alongside the reading of some plays that reflect different understandings of the possibilities offered by the dramatic genre in this period, theoretical texts will be read to help students relate to the vocabulary that has marked the most recent history of dramatic literature in contemporary theatre. By the end of the semester, students should be acquainted with ideas of drama in contemporary performing arts and with contemporary playwrights.

Course Unit Description:

• Contemporary Drama (TP1 / S2) | Faculty: David Michael Greer »

Contemporary History of Portugal

Code: HIS2.78045

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The course of Contemporary History of Portugal intends to study the History of Portugal from the end of the 18th century to the 20th century, the transition from the Old Regime to Liberalism, the consolidation of the constitutional monarchy, the emergence of the republican and socialist movements, the proclamation of the Republic and his fall. The establishment of the military dictatorship in 1926 and the Estado Novo. Without forgetting the international context and the projection in the colonial space. Contemporary History of Portugal studies the main moments of state-building and Portuguese society (Liberal Monarchy, First Republic, New State, Democracy) and the Portuguese Constitutions in a comparative perspective (fundamental rights, system of government and political representation). The course unit seeks to develop a historical critical view and to understand political, economic, social and cultural problems of Portugal in the Contemporary world (19th and 20th centuries).

Contemporary Philosophy

Code: FIL2.920222

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The question of the "will" after Nietzsche. Introduction to the works of Deleuze, Foucault, Agamben and Sloterdijk.

Contemporary Visual Arts

Code: LAC2.98051

ECTS: 6

Objectives: With an emphasis on late 20th century to 21st century art, this programme aims to 1) develop students’ critical thinking and analytical skills through an introduction to different interpretive frameworks and theories that will be used to analyse and contextualise a range of media including painting, sculpture, drawing, photography, and installation; 2) examine how artists challenge conventions, categories, power, norms and histories of various artistic movements across a global geography; 3) investigate the ways in which contemporary artistic practices intersect with social and political matters; 4) explore innovations in artistic production, curatorial practices and museum spaces. 

Cultural Industries in the USA

Code: LAC2.12830

ECTS: 6

Objectives: We will discuss the development of culture industries in the USA since the start of the 20th century till today, and how these have transformed Western society. We will analyze texts (Frankfurt School, etc.) and fundamental concepts (capitalism, mass culture, media, the copy, etc.). We will examine specific industries and their impact on American society (and the world): press, radio, cinema, advertising, television, literature, music and streaming, comics, digital platforms and AI-generated art. We will debate how American modes of cultural production and distribution have affected ideology and cultural identity (gender, class, patriotism, etc.).

Cultures of India

Code: HIS2.78681

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course aims to provide an overview on Indian cultures for which the chronology starts from the Indus Valley Civilization and ends at the modern-day India. The course pretends to elaborate the topics related to sociocultural and sociopolitical system of India through films, documentaries, short stories, novels etc. The principal focus is on the study of major cultural developments and social debates that have taken place in the last sixty-five years of contemporary history of India. During the course, the representation of the Idea of India and its famous lemma "Unity and Diversity", as well as nationhood, the idea of regional identities etc. will be discussed.

Discourse Analysis

Code: COR1.12104

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course’s main goal is to make students familiar with the main topics of Discourse Analysis, by presenting an historical perspective and by identifying text markers that are relevant for analysis. The students will learn how to link up linguistic observations with text genres, persuasive strategies, social, institutional and ideological issues. 

Discourse Analysis

Code: COR1.12104

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Being the study of practices, processes and discursive formations, and the way these are socially constitutive, the unit aims at surveying different types of descriptions of discourse, providing students with an opportunity to analyse written and spoken texts and investigate their features as functional variations of different contexts of use and different socio-cultural purposes. In addition to the acquisition of knowledge related to the basics of what is Discourse Analysis, the unit gives students the opportunity to acquire particular techniques for a linguistic-discursive analysis that is adapted to the description of the social phenomena, processes and events constituting the subject of study in the course.

Elements for the History of Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries

Code: LAC2.99889

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The course unit Elements for the History of Music of the 20th and 21st Centuries aims at familiarizing students with the great moments and movements of the History of Music during the 20th and 21st century, beginning with classical composers, going through the great moments of rupture, while also exploring the most popular musical genres which were prominent in the global musical culture. As such, students will be introduced to different musical genres, their historical and cultural contexts so that they can then develop a brief study on a topic of their choice.

English (C2): Academic Writing

Code: ENG3.12216

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This CU is designed to provide a comprehensive review of the foundations of Academic English and is divided into three segments: Academic Writing; Academic Language Focus; Academic Presentation Skills. In addition to revising the features of academic writing in general, particular emphasis is placed on the language and organisation of an academic paper. Students are guided through the stages of an academic paper and are encouraged to carry out their own research, to identify reliable sources, to adopt a critical stance and ultimately to submit their own academic paper in the form of a critical analysis.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English (C2): Academic Writing

Code: ENG3.12217

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This CU is designed to provide a comprehensive review of the foundations of Academic English and is divided into three segments: Academic Writing; Academic Language Focus; Academic Presentation Skills. In addition to revising the features of academic writing in general, particular emphasis is placed on the language and organisation of an academic paper. Students are guided through the stages of an academic paper and are encouraged to carry out their own research, to identify reliable sources, to adopt a critical stance and ultimately to submit their own academic paper in the form of a critical analysis.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English (C2): Business and Professional

Code: ENG3.12290

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Students will acquire knowledge of specific lexis and register patterns related to appropriate professional communication and gain familiarity with how people interact in an English-speaking business environment. Among the several contexts in which competence will be developed we might stress the following:
· Job applications.
· Developing a good relationship at work..
· Making presentations.
· Participating in meetings.
· Making phone calls.
· Writing professional letters and emails.
· Ethical principles at work.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English (C2): Creative Writing

Code: ENG3.12275

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Students will learn to analyze flash fiction and to creatively appropriate varying sets of narrative elements. At this level of Mastery, the focus will be putting the English language to use within narrative writing techniques: articulating ideas, plot, images and metaphor – more than grammar, which will be discussed whenever common problems arise in class assignments. Group work is intended to promote interactive communication between peers and to foster participative orality and a more dynamic exploration of source materials.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English (C2): English and the Arts

Code: ENG3.12286

ECTS: 6

Objectives: At the end of this CU students should know how to develop a reflective and analytical encounter with the arts (literature, cinema, TV and graphic novel) in English. They will learn to use a series of analytical techniques from literary close reading to visual literacy, adaptation studies and other academic film and literary analysis as they consider how the arts reflect society and propel social change.
Students will be expected to express themselves spontaneously in both spoken and written forms of the language, with a high level of fluency and accuracy in keeping with CEFR standards for C2 level.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or been placed in C2 by a FLUL Placement Test.

English (C2): English and the Arts

Code: ENG3.12287

ECTS: 6

Objectives: At the end of this CU students should know how to develop a reflective and analytical encounter with the arts (literature, cinema, TV and graphic novel) in English. They will learn to use a series of analytical techniques from literary close reading to visual literacy, adaptation studies and other academic film and literary analysis as they consider how the arts reflect society and propel social change.
Students will be expected to express themselves spontaneously in both spoken and written forms of the language, with a high level of fluency and accuracy in keeping with CEFR standards for C2 level.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or been placed in C2 by a FLUL Placement Test.

English (C2): English in the Media

Code: ENG3.12220

ECTS: 6

Objectives: By CU completion, the student will have learned some aspects of a style of writing and of a specific language used in the written press. Classes involve the reading and analysis of newspapers, comparison and contrast of the stylistic features typical of popular and quality British newspapers, and the studying of examples of English language change and development in newspaper texts. Additionally, students will be encouraged to produce different types of newspaper texts (e.g. editorials, features, opinion columns, and letters to the editor).

Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Culture, 16th-18th Century

Code: LAC2.12310

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course unit aims to study the changes which were underway in the 16th to 18th-century English culture. Concepts such as Renaissance and Enlightenment will be explored. Key factors will be approached, namely: the religious schism; the empire genesis; the ideologies and political practices then-prevailing in Europe. The supremacy of reason in individuals’ and communities’ actions / decisions will reflect on the study of political uprising – French Rev., and the nationalist assertion versus the empire – the American Rev. Due to their impact on modern society, the scientific and technological advances, the consolidation of capitalism and urban exodus will be object of study.

English History and Culture (19th-20th Century)

Code: LAC2.12391

ECTS: 6

Objectives: To become familiar with the main political, socio-economic, and cultural changes that occurred in Great Britain between the end of the Napoleonic wars and the present, in a perspective of global interdependence.
To critically relate cultural representations with the political and socio-economic transformations registered in that spatio-temporal context and simultaneously frame them in a global perspective.
To mobilize conceptual and methodological knowledge in cultural studies that frames cultural representations within the historical and geopolitical contexts that create and, at the same time, question them.
To train critical and methodological practices (specifically, cultural analysis skills).

English in the World

Code: LAC2.13004

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The purpose of this course unit is to provide students with a (socio)linguistically informed presentation of the spread of English across the globe. At the end of the course students should know: (i) the spread of English in the world, as a native or additional language, its historic and cultural motivations and sociolinguistic consequences. (ii) the concept and main models of World Englishes; (iii) (socio)linguistic characteristics of some examples; (iv) reasons for and consequences of the transformation of English into the international lingua franca. This course will also develop students' ability to describe and analyze language and encourage autonomous research.

English Language: Description of the System

Code: LAC2.12784

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The course unit aims at surveying different types of descriptions of discourse, providing students with the acquisition of skills for the analysis of written, spoken and multimodal texts in English and of the specific knowledge of their features as functional variations of different contexts of use and different sociocultural purposes. It is intended to provide students with the necessary skills to develop objective analysis of the texts they are asked to analyse, according to the analytical purposes guiding them, be they linguistic or extralinguistic.

English Literature. The 20th Century and Beyond.

Code: LAC2.12815

ECTS: 6

Objectives: To reflect upon the remarkable creativity of literature written in England throughout this last century and to revisit, through poetry, essays and short fiction, some decisive moments in contemporary literary and cultural history. The syllabus will proceed through close attentive reading of several influential authors of the period focusing on the study of modernist experiments, on the persistent return to realist and/or postmodernist practices, and on their contribution to the ongoing rewriting of the canon. 

English Mastery (C2)

Code: ENG3.12152

ECTS: 6

Objectives: At the end of this CU, students will be able to understand with ease virtually everything heard or read, demonstrating the ability to express themselves spontaneously in both spoken and written forms of the language, with a high level of fluency and accuracy. They will be able to produce clear, coherent and cohesive written texts in a style appropriate to the genre adopted, demonstrating a good command of idiomatic expressions and colloquialisms with awareness of connotative levels of meaning.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Medieval Literature and Culture

Code: LAC2.12646

ECTS: 6

Objectives: By reading and reflecting about several medieval texts and their specific contexts, students are invited to understand some of the most important aspects of medieval culture, such as the art of the manuscript, the art of illumination and the art of memory. They are also expected to learn about the origins of English culture, born with the Anglo-Saxon occupation of the territory, as well as about the period beginning with Norman invasion after the Battle of Hastings. These two periods of the English Middle Ages will be studied in historical, social, political, religious and literary terms.

English Near Mastery (C1.2)

Code: ENG3.12141

ECTS: 6

Objectives: To achieve the requisite level of fluency and accuracy for all four language skills at this level; to read, appraise and criticize texts of different kinds – literary, journalistic, philosophical, etc.; to have an understanding of appropriate register; to recognize and use a variety of idiomatic expressions as well as more complex syntactic constructions; to produce clear, coherent and cohesive written texts; to be able to discuss abstract/philosophical ideas.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English C1.1 at FLUL or have been placed in C1.2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Proficiency (C1.1)

Code: ENG3.11985

ECTS: 6

Objectives: To further develop the student's abilities to interact with longer texts and to fluently respond both orally and in writing within well-structured and organized formats in various contexts whether academic, social and/or professional. Particular emphasis is given to developing analytical reading and writing skills, including the academic research essay. Listening, speaking and academic skills will also be integrated in order for students to develop fluency, efficiency and effectiveness in communication at near mastery level.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English B2.2 at FLUL or have been placed in C1.1 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Strong Threshold (B1.2)

Code: ENG2.11904

ECTS: 6

Objectives: At the end of this CU, students will be able to maintain interaction and communicate effectively in a range of contexts and cope flexibly with problems in everyday life and use an enhanced exchange of information on topics of a more abstract nature, such as summarising and giving his or her opinion about a short story, article, talk, discussion, interview, or documentary and answering further questions of detail.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English B1.1 at FLUL or have been placed in B1.2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Strong Vantage (B2.2)

Code: ENG2.11926

ECTS: 6

Objectives: By CU completion students will be able to use argument and social discourse effectively. They will develop an awareness of discourse skills such as conversation management and the competent use of coherence/cohesion devices to establish a clear relationship between ideas in both their written and oral work. In addition, students will learn  to use persuasive language and simple arguments to defend points of view.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English B2.1 at FLUL or have been placed in B2.2 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Threshold (B1.1)

Code: ENG2.11895

ECTS: 6

Objectives: At the end of this UC, students will be able to understand the main points of clear, standard input on familiar matters. They will be to deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the English language is spoken in simple but appropriately  connected speech on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
They will also be able to produce simple written texts in English that demonstrate their knowledge of English sentence structures, correct subject-verb agreement, as well as punctuation and capitalization rules.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have been placed in the B1.1 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

English Vantage (B2.1)

Code: ENG2.11915

ECTS: 6

Objectives: At the end of this CU students will be able to understand the main ideas of complex texts on both concrete and abstract topics; interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with fluent / proficient speakers quite possible without strain for either party; produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.
Pre-requirement for enrollment: have successfully concluded English B1.2 at FLUL or have been placed in B2.1 level by a FLUL Placement Test.

Film History

Code: LAC2.97410

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Following a chronological and thematic methodology, the objective of this course is to familiarize students with the key moments in the history of cinema through the analysis of seminal cinematographic works that contribute to the understanding of what cinema is today. As such, at the end of the semester, it is expected that students will have had contact with the major cinematographic movements in the history of cinema, as well as with their films and directors, in addition to developing the capacity for cinematographic analysis, which will allow them to enhance their critical spirit regarding the importance of the moving image.

History and Culture of the USA (Colonial Period 1900)

Code: LAC2.12661

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course unit aims at engaging with diverse cultural texts (literary, historical, visual, multimedial) that underlay the birth and rise of US identity(ies). It means to provide an overview and solicit focused critical responses (depending on students’ interests) to the pre-colonial era, the colonial period and Puritanism; Enlightenment thinking and the independence of the USA; native populations, the frontier and territorial expansion; immigration and slavery; the Civil War; industrialization and the Gilded Age. Students will be motivated to apply a retrospective understanding to their awareness of the present, illuminating possible paths of action. 

History and Theory of Translation

Code: LAC2.62712

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The main objective of this BA course unit is to familiarise students with the seminal texts of translation theory from Cicero to the twentieth century. It will explore the changing attitudes towards translation and review the different classifications that have been proposed throughout history. While the focus will be on the history of translation theory, certain aspects of the history of translation practice (mainly in the Portuguese context) will also be addressed. Students will be required to read and analyse a selected number of texts on translation theory as well as to participate in group discussions and presentations.

Intercultural Communication

Code: COR1.11761

ECTS: 6

Objectives: To promote the learning of key theories and concepts in intercultural communication and to develop analytical and critical discussion skills concerning discourses and practices of interaction and communication between different cultures.
Possible syllabus contents: critical approach to key concepts, such as culture, nation, ethnicity, gender, alterity, interculturality, ethnocentrism, stereotype, tolerance, hospitality; relationship between language and culture; processes of identity construction and affirmation; migration, and cultural estrangement; processes of intercultural mediation; multicultural policy models; globalization and mediatization challenges.

Introduction to Theatre Practice

Code: LAC1.98036

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The aims of the course are essentially to establish a general understanding of production and performance practices, based on a broad based, highly practical view of the various processes involved. Although some theory will be involved, the focus will be on students acquiring practical knowledge of the basic skills required to put on a theatre performance, with the course progressing from preparatory work on the voice and the body in performance to identifying and developing interpretative, expressive, interpersonal and improvisatory skills specific to acting and directing that they may go on to develop in possible future projects.

Irish Literature and Culture

Code: LAC2.12422

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course unit aims to: 1) offer an introduction to Irish history, culture, and literature, both in terms of its links with Britain’s history and with the Irish diaspora; 2) introduce the ongoing identity debates within Irish Studies, as they reflect the close interaction between political developments and cultural manifestations in Irish history; and 3) foster students’ informed ability to think critically about literary texts and films within their respective historical framework, while providing an insight into Ireland’s rich cultural and literary heritage, and to the ethical and aesthetic dialogues that shape it.

Korean I

Code: KOR1.78400

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course aims to teach basic expressions of Korean language to foreigners who do not speak Korean as their native language. The learners will develop their abilities to understand and express basic Korean language on the basis of Korean alphabet education, and will learn Korean grammar and idiomatic expressions that should be understood at the beginner level. 

Korean II

Code: KOR1.78401

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The curriculum of this course is composed of everyday subjects necessary for living in Korea. To be able to connect speaking, listening, reading, and writing exercises through various thematic assignments. They are also able to have enough Korean language ability to communicate with Korean people.

Korean III

Code: KOR2.78402

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The target students are those who have finished a beginner course. In this course they develop their ability to use Korean properly, and learn Korean grammar and idiomatic expressions that must be learned at the intermediate level. Also, they gain the ability to use Korean to communicate daily with Korean people.

Korean IV

Code: KOR2.78403

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course is intended for international students who have completed Korean III and aims to improve the balance of four functions: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. The main contents of the curriculum are composed of the topics of speaking in daily life such as menu selection, symptom explanation, invitation, description of appearance, story of experience, and expression of change.

Korean V

Code: KOR3.78404

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course aims to enable students who have completed intermediate Korean language classes to communicate on various topics. Topics include individual, social, culture and humanities. Students will learn four language skills such as listening, speaking, reading, and writing in an advanced level. 

Korean VI

Code: KOR3.78406

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course is intended for international students who have completed Korean 5 and aims to improve the balance of four functions: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Students will be able to explain what they learned by presentation. They also can write about various topics. Students can not only write short essays but also organized writing with introduction, body and conclusions. 

Language and Communication

Code: LIN1.85324

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This is a course on language use in context, extending students' knowledge and competence on the principles that regulate verbal activity and on the properties of Portuguese in use in different linguistic and situational contexts.

Language and Communication

Code: LIN1.85325

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This is a course on language use in context, extending students' knowledge and competence on the principles that regulate verbal activity and on the properties of Portuguese in use in different linguistic and situational contexts.

Medieval History of Portugal

Code: HIS2.78071

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course unit studies the history of Portugal from the formation of the Portucalense County, circa 1096, to the end of the 15th century, in its multiple aspects: political, cultural, religious, social, economic, and so on. 

North-American Cinema

Code: LAC2.12481

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The aim of this course unit is to provide students with a view of the specificities of North American Cinema through the various cinematographic genres, its themes and history via the analysis of films and key directors in a diachronic perspective. In this way, students will have the opportunity to develop a critical discourse on themes, styles and moments that are part of North American Cinema, its importance over time and in the current context, thus guaranteeing a broad but in-depth view of this cinema.

Philosophy of Mind

Code: FIL2.34531

ECTS: 6

Objectives: We begin by examining the historical development of the mind body problem, from Cartesian Dualism, to Behaviourism, the Identity Theory, and Functionalism. We then study the problem of consciousness, focusing on contemporary arguments for property dualism. We study emergentism and panpsychism as two kinds of property dualism, and close with a discussion of the explanatory gap and its significance for artificial intelligence research. In the final part of the course we study cognition, beginning with classical computationalism and the language of thought hypothesis, and finally looking at modern deep learning architectures and their implications for the nature of mind.

Portuguese to English Translation Practice

Code: LIN2.87315

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This BA course unit will focus on the Portuguese to English d translation of a range of genres, including journalistic, academic and economic texts. All the texts are selected to highlight conventions, complex grammatical structures, sentence construction, register, technical terminology and culture-specific concepts. The main aim of each translation exercise is to gear students towards a less literal approach to the text in hand and encourage them to consider the strategies involved in rendering the final version fluent and natural. In the case of more technical texts, students will be expected to learn the terminology and use it appropriately in their translations.

Portuguese to English Translation Practice

Code: LIN2.87316

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This BA course unit will focus on the Portuguese to English d translation of a range of genres, including journalistic, academic and economic texts. All the texts are selected to highlight conventions, complex grammatical structures, sentence construction, register, technical terminology and culture-specific concepts. The main aim of each translation exercise is to gear students towards a less literal approach to the text in hand and encourage them to consider the strategies involved in rendering the final version fluent and natural. In the case of more technical texts, students will be expected to learn the terminology and use it appropriately in their translations.

The Study of Cultures

Code: LAC1.57233

ECTS: 6

Objectives: What is culture? What does the study of cultures involve? The cultural identity and its dynamics. Methodological issues: descriptions, instruments, validation, comparability and commensurability between cultures, and controversies. Study of particular cases. From the study of cultures to the cultural studies: distinction of subject areas.

The Study of Cultures

Code: LAC1.57234

ECTS: 6

Objectives: What is culture? What does the study of cultures involve? The cultural identity and its dynamics. Methodological issues: descriptions, instruments, validation, comparability and commensurability between cultures, and controversies. Study of particular cases. From the study of cultures to the cultural studies: distinction of subject areas.

The Study of Human Language

Code: LIN1.86250

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course initiates students to the scientific study of human language (characterized as a biological property of humans) and the methods and tools of analysis used in Linguistics. It provides an introduction to the main areas of linguistics: the sounds used by human languages and how they are organized in specific languages (phonetics and phonology), how words are constructed in language (morphology), the structure of sentences (syntax), and various aspects of meaning (semantics) in interaction with the other components of grammar. The course also approaches issues of language acquisition, language change and language variation.​

The Study of Literature

Code: LAC1.57222

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Problematization of the concept of Literature. The institution of Literature as a discipline. Literature, Literary History and National History.
Literature and society: an introduction to the concepts of “literary field”, “canon”, “consecrating instances” and “trajectory” (Bourdieu). An introduction to the problematics of literary genres. Genre and Gender. Literature, reading and “non-reading” (Bayard).

The Study of Literature

Code: LAC1.57223

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Problematization of the concept of Literature. The institution of Literature as a discipline. Literature, Literary History and National History.
Literature and society: an introduction to the concepts of “literary field”, “canon”, “consecrating instances” and “trajectory” (Bourdieu). An introduction to the problematics of literary genres. Genre and Gender. Literature, reading and “non-reading” (Bayard).

US History and Culture (20th-21st centuries)

Code: LAC2.12725

ECTS: 6

Objectives: Students will be able to frame phenomena from distinct historical periods within the cultural evolution of modern American history: specifically in relation to key themes such as American Divisionism, Experiment and Dream. Students will grasp the ways in which American sociocultural manifestations -in their cultural epochs, presidential administrations, and social history- have advocated (or wrangled with) ideologies, aesthetics and customs within shared (and divided) forms of American life. Students will complete individual research projects as a way of attaining personal and critical insight into the ongoing complexities of American institutional and communal life.

US Literature (1945-Today)

Code: LAC2.12433

ECTS: 6

Objectives: This course unit develops analytical skills of US literary texts in a period spanning the post-WWII period to the present day. Students are encouraged to read and analyze representative texts from three literary genres - poetry, drama and narrative - in order to be in possession of analytical and conceptual tools that enable them to understand the profound aesthetic diversity that characterizes American literature of the time span in question. 

Visual Culture

Code: LAC1.12163

ECTS: 6

Objectives: The title of the discipline coincides with its object of study, visual culture, and supposes a multiUCry approach, with key-concepts of different fields, from Anthropology to Sociology and Psychoanalysis, as well as History of Art and Religion, Aesthetics, Semiology, film studies or the most recent media studies. Through the commentary of different objects, it enhances the understanding of historical, political, cultural and artistic issues related to vision and visuality, and with the modes of creation and reception of images, aiming at a comprehensive and critical understanding of the factors involved in what contemporary thinkers have diagnosed as “visual turns” in the history of thought and culture.