School welcomes Dr Gonçalo Cordeiro of the University of Macau to Cardiff
23 January 2017
Dr Gonçalo Cordeiro of the University of Macau visited the School of Modern Languages in December. His visit was funded by the European Union’s Erasmus+ programme and strengthens the School’s links with the University of Macau.
Dr Cordeiro, a specialist in the work of the Portuguese writer Miguel Torga, delivered a lecture on the short story, ‘Alma Grande’ for students in the second year of their degree programme in Portuguese. He also gave a lecture to students in year one on the history of Macau which was a Portuguese colony until date, and where Portuguese remains one of the official languages. Dr Cordeiro additionally held individual discussion sessions with students, participated in language classes, and met with colleagues in the Global Opportunities Centre to discuss potential further collaborations between the Portuguese programmes at Cardiff and at the University of Macau.
Dr Cordeiro’s visit enhanced the Portuguese programme, providing students with the opportunity to learn from his first-hand experience about another region of the Portuguese-speaking world. Erasmus+ has also provided support for longer research visits to the School from two Brazilian doctoral students, Adriano Smaniotto (University of Curitiba) and Cristiano Reis (Mackenzie University).
Dr Rhian Atkin, programme leader for Portuguese and Lusophone Studies said, “We gratefully acknowledge the support of the European Union Erasmus + programme for Dr Cordeiro’s visit, as well as for Adriano and Cristiano’s visits, and the opportunities that Erasmus+ opens up for both staff and students at this University and across the world.”
“Studying a foreign language opens our mind to the similarities and differences between communities across the globe. We all learnt a lot from Dr Cordeiro’s visit, his informative lectures and wide-ranging discussions with students. We will be welcoming another visiting lecturer through Erasmus+ in February, when Dr Ana Raquel Fernandes from the University of Lisbon, one of our exchange partners, will deliver classes in Portuguese language and Brazilian literature. With these visits and the contributions to our learning environment from our visiting Brazilian students, the Erasmus+ programme provides opportunities for students to experience other cultures from across the Portuguese-speaking world before they leave Cardiff on the year abroad.”