The Center for Portuguese Studies

Mission

The Center for Portuguese Studies exists to promote the study of the Portuguese-speaking world: language, history, culture, and influence. The Center works to enrich the connections between the local Portuguese community and its cultural and linguistic heritage and to forge new connections between countries of the Portuguese-speaking world and California's Central Valley. The Center sponsors scholarship, exchanges, language programs, and cultural activities.

Initiatives

• Stanislaus State Portuguese Studies program support
• New courses and fellowships to incorporate Portuguese-related materials into existing courses
• Promotion of scholarship on the Portuguese community of California and on Portuguese-speaking countries
• Distance delivery of Portuguese language courses within the California State University system.
• Development of K-12 curricular units on Luso-Americans, their language, history, and culture, and teacher training to help elementary school teachers use the material.
• Public lectures on scholarly topics related to Portugal
• Activities which celebrate traditional Portuguese culture
• Liaison between the Portuguese program at Stanislaus State and other Portuguese Studies centers in California and the U.S.
• Liaison between the university and the Portuguese community
• Donations to the Portuguese collection in the Stanislaus State library
• Scholarships to students for Portuguese study
• Student exchange with Portuguese universities
• Partnership with the Portuguese Ministries of Education and Foreign Affairs to Coordinate Portuguese Language programs in the Western United States, including hosting a Coordinator of Portuguese Programs appointed by those Ministries.