Oxford University is one of the few institutions with an independent unit devoted solely to the teaching of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies. The Sub-Faculty of Portuguese, which has just celebrated 75 years of the teaching of Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, has five teaching members: the King John II Professor of Portuguese Studies, University Lecturers in Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, Brazilian Literature and Culture, and Portuguese Language and Linguistics, and a leitor appointed by the Instituto Camões. The Lecturership in Brazilian Literature and Culture was created in 2008, and the first holder of the post, Dr Claire Williams, began work in April 2009.

The Sub-Faculty works closely with the Centre for Portuguese Language/Instituto Camões and the Latin American Centre (continuing the work of the former Centre for Brazilian Studies).

The members of the Sub-Faculty have distinct but complementary areas of expertise which allow it to offer graduate courses and graduate research across the broadest spectrum, from modern literature (including modern women's writing, Brazilian and African writers, and cinema) through sixteenth-century poetry and drama to medieval literature and Linguistics.  Information about the Portuguese options available as part of our MSt and M.Phil.  degrees is available here.

Since 2005 Oxford and Universiteit Utrecht have operated an exchange of teachers under the Erasmus programme. Every year, usually in January, Paulo de Medeiros, Professor of Portuguese at Utrecht, spends a week in Oxford, giving lectures and classes on modern and contemporary Portuguese and Portuguese African literature, post-colonial theory and literary theory. Professor T. F. Earle has made several visits to in Utrecht, giving lectures and classes on Portuguese Renaissance literature; in 2010-11 Dr Pazos Alonso will spend a week in October giving lectures on Modern Portuguese literature, and Dr Parkinson will make his second visit to lecture on Portuguese Linguistics and Medieval Literature.

Three members of the Sub-Faculty have edited the Companion to Portuguese Literature, which was published in December 2009. A supporting website is in preparation.

There are large and active communities of Portuguese and Brazilian graduate students in Oxford, who meet regularly in the Oxford University Portuguese Society and the Oxford University Brazilian Society. Portuguese students in Oxford organised a major meeting of UK Portuguese students, LUSO 2008, in Oxford in June 2008.

Applications

We welcome applications from graduates of all universities in the UK and around the world, and particularly from Portugal and Brazil. The application procedure is the same as that for all prospective graduate students in the university. Those applying for doctoral work may wish to contact a potential supervisor directly, and are encouraged to do so by email (contact details are given on the Teaching Staff website).

It is very helpful if you are able to submit written work in the same broad area as that in which you wish to pursue graduate work, giving the date and context in which it was written. All graduate courses require a high level of linguistic competence in the main language studied, and your application should make it clear that you meet this requirement.

Prospective graduate students are encouraged to identify the areas in which they are interested in pursuing work, and those applying for doctoral work are expected to have a coherent research proposal. Where feasible applicants are invited to attend for interview with the prospective supervisor.

Prospective students wishing to apply for graduate studentships should make sure they submit their application in time for consideration for the studentship: for many studentship schemes the deadline is in January each year.