The Graduate Program in Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures
The
Ph.D. program in Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures embraces
all periods and genres of the literatures of Portugal and Brazil.
It allows students to develop a broad knowledge of these countries'
literary traditions, situating and comparing them with Hispanic
literatures in general. Graduate students in Portuguese are given
the opportunity to work with faculty in both areas; similarly,
graduate students in Spanish may choose to minor in Portuguese
literature.
The program in Portuguese is small, allowing its graduate students
to work closely with individual faculty members. Graduate seminars
focus on the work and legacy of major authors such as Camões, Eça de Quiroz, Antero de Quental,
Pessoa, Sophia de Melo Breyner Andresen, Jorge de Sena, Manuel Bandeira, Cecília Meireles, Clarice Lispector,
Guimarães Rosa, and Carlos Drummond de Andrade. Students
are encouraged to take courses and consult with faculty outside
the department treating diverse historical, economic, or political
aspects of the literature and culture of Brazil, Portugal, and
the Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa and Asia. Classes
in Luso-Brazilian literature, offered at nearby Brown University,
are open to Harvard students and creditable toward a Harvard Ph.D. (Click here for information about cross-registering.)
The Portuguese section at Harvard, and the Nancy Clark Smith Chair of the Language and the Literatures of Portugal, in collaboration with the David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies, sponsor frequent colloquia and conferences on Portuguese and Brazilian Literatures and Cultures. Past distinguished speakers include Gilberto Freyre, Maria de Lourdes Belchior, Luciana Stegagno Picchio, Eduardo Lourenço, Wilson Martins, José Guilherme Merquior, Ana Luisa Amaral, Almeida Faria, Vasco Graça Moura, Eugénio de Andrade, José Blanco, and Roberto Schwarz, among others.
A number of literature faculty in Spanish have interests in Luso-Brazilian Studies. The resulting collaboration between the two sections broadens the range of topics on which students in Portuguese and Spanish may choose to focus. Furthermore, it is expected that the Ph.D. program in Portuguese will soon appoint a new senior Brazilianist to the faculty.
Joaquim-Francisco
Coelho
Director
of Graduate Studies in Portuguese and Head of the Portuguese Section
Please see also information about our "Minor in Portuguese."
Last updated on February 4, 2008