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PORT30220

Academic Year 2026/2027

Feminine Voices across the Portuguese-Speaking World (PORT30220)

Subject:
Portuguese
College:
Arts & Humanities
School:
Languages, Cultures & Linguis
Level:
3 (Degree)
Credits:
5
Module Coordinator:
Dr Ana Vera
Trimester:
Spring
Mode of Delivery:
On Campus
Internship Module:
No
How will I be graded?
Letter grades

Curricular information is subject to change.

This module explores how women and feminine voices across the Portuguese-speaking world express identity, memory, and resistance through literature, film, and visual arts. It examines works from Brazil, Portugal and Lusophone Africa engaging with themes of gender, power, and postcolonial experience.

About this Module

Learning Outcomes:

By the end of this module, students will be able to:
1. Critically analyse the ways feminine voices are represented and constructed across different forms of cultural production
2. Evaluate the intersections of gender, race, class, and colonial histories in Lusophone literature, film and visual arts
3. Apply relevant feminist, postcolonial and cultural theories to the analysis of texts and artworks.
4. Reflect on the role of cultural expressions in challenging dominant narratives
5. Develop and communicate an original argument in written and creative formats.

Indicative Module Content:

Indicative module content:

- Feminist and gender theories in the Lusophone contexts
- Women's writing and the literary canon: Clarice Lispector and the "Three Marias"
- Feminine memory in African Lusophone literature
- Feminine perspectives in film
- Women artists and the feminine in plastic and visual arts
- Contemporary voices and intersections: trans/feminist/queer voices in Lusophone culture today

UNESCO highlights a set of key competencies that support individuals in their development and support society in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). UCD has adapted these competencies and is combining them with others to form a general framework of learning competencies. This module will help you develop the competencies below to the levels specified. 
Learning Competency Additional Information Level

Collaboration

 The ability to learn from others; to understand and respect the needs, perspectives and actions of others (empathy); to understand, relate to and be sensitive to others (empathic leadership); to deal with conflicts in a group; and to facilitate collaborative and participatory problem solving. Competent

Critical Thinking

 The ability to question norms, practices and opinions; to reflect on one’s own values, perceptions and actions. Competent

Systems Thinking

 The ability to recognize and understand relationships; to analyse complex systems; to think of how systems are embedded within different domains and different scales; and to deal with uncertainty. Competent

Strategic

 The ability to collectively develop and implement innovative actions that further sustainability at the local level and further afield. Advanced Beginner

Integrated Problem Solving

 The overarching ability to apply different problem-solving frameworks to complex sustainability problems and develop viable, inclusive and equitable solution options that promote sustainable development, integrating the competencies in this list. Competent

Self-awareness

 The ability to reflect on one’s own role in the local community and (global) society; to continually evaluate and further motivate one’s actions; and to deal with one’s feelings and desires. Competent

Normative

 The ability to understand and reflect on the norms and values that underlie one’s actions; and to negotiate values, principles, goals, and targets, in a context of conflicts of interest and trade-offs, uncertain knowledge and contradictions. Competent

Anticipatory

 The ability to understand and evaluate multiple scenarios for the future – possible, probable and desirable; to create one’s own visions for the future; to apply the precautionary principle; to assess the consequences of actions; and to deal with risks and changes. Competent

Digital Literacy and Judgement

 The ability to access, evaluate, create and communicate information in digital environments; to engage critically, ethically and responsibly with digital technologies and digital information; to understand their opportunities, limitations, risks and impact on individual’s digital identities; and to exercise informed judgement in digital participation and decision-making. Competent

AI Literacy & Agency

 The ability to understand, critically evaluate and responsibly engage with artificial intelligence; to recognise how AI systems are shaped by human values; to assess their ethical, social and environmental implications; and to exercise human judgement, agency and accountability in AI-related contexts. Advanced Beginner

Wellbeing

 Wellbeing is having the resources and skills to meet life's challenges, including attributes such as personal development skills, resilience, stress management, strengths, lifestyle skills, nutrition, physical activity, sleep, alcohol/substance use, academic skills, time management, goal setting, interpersonal skills, group work, communication. Competent

Student Effort Hours:
Student Effort Type Hours
Specified Learning Activities

43
Autonomous Student Learning

43
Lectures

12
Tutorial

12
Total

110

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
This module will be delivered face-to-face through lectures, seminar-based learning or workshops with a multimodal approach that encourages critical engagement with literature, film, and visual arts. Students will take an active role through student-led discussion, creative analysis and collaborative exploration of diverse cultural productions from the Portuguese-speaking world.

Note on IA: AI may be used to help with the refinement of expression and style, but AI must be used critically, with an awareness of its limitations. You must add a note documenting and explaining your use of AI, mentioning the AI tool you used and the prompts you put in. The content and argument of the written assessment must be authored by you, and you must not allow the AI tool to alter the sense of any text, offer a critique of or modify any arguments.

Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 

Assessment Strategy
Description Timing Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade Component repeat (in-module) Offered
Assignment(Including Essay): Analytical written essay (1500 words) on one or more works or themes from the module. Week 8 Graded No
30
 No
Individual Project: Creative literary, artistic or multimedia output (e.g. podcast, video essay, visual artwork, or creative writing) with critical reflection of 500 -750 words. Week 14 Graded No
50
 Yes
Participation in Learning Activities: Mix of formative tasks throughout the trimester, including: Individual project proposal and pitch; contributions to in-class discussions, presentations, tasks and learning activities. Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11 Graded No
20
 No

As part of UCD's student support, under the Additional Consideration policy, extensions may be available for the following assessments in the module: Assignment (including essay/poster), Portfolio, Reflective Assignment, Report(s), and Individual Project.


Carry forward of passed components
No
 

Resit In Terminal Exam
Summer No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 

Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, on an activity or draft prior to summative assessment
• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Feedback will be provided through Brightspace on online submitted components, with opportunities for one-to-one feedback

Students are not required to purchase any materials for this module. Essential readings and learning materials will also be provided on Brightspace.

Name Role
Dr Pascale Baker Lecturer / Co-Lecturer

Timetabling information is displayed only for guidance purposes, relates to the current Academic Year only and is subject to change.
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Thurs 11:00 - 11:50
Spring Lecture Offering 1 Week(s) - 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33 Tues 12:00 - 12:50
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