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Portuguese Culture 1

Objectives

The learning outcomes are as follows: formulate the appropriate aspects for the acquisition of capital knowledge in two periods of Portuguese culture, namely, medieval theocentrism and 19th century liberalism; develop reading and understanding skills in medieval and 19th century texts; know how to distinguish texts that contain imagery in a religious context from those that resort to imagination in a liberal regime; encourage student participation in approaching content and interpreting the topics analyzed.
The learning outcomes are compatible with the teaching methods, since the aim is to develop students' skills by comparing two moments in the history of culture, which will be covered in each half of the semester, and on which students will be assessed. As a complement to understanding the content, there will be a historical contextualization of each period, with balanced use of the visual support of works of art.

General characterization

Code

01109454

Credits

6.0

Responsible teacher

António Manuel Martins Gomes

Hours

Weekly - 4

Total - 168

Teaching language

Portuguese

Prerequisites

N/A

Bibliography

  • CHAVES, Castelo Branco. 1980. O Romance Histórico no Romantismo Português. Amadora: MCC - Biblioteca Breve.
  • LAPA, Manuel Rodrigues, Lições de literatura portuguesa: época medieval, 5ª. ed. rev. e acrescentada, Coimbra Editora, 1977.
  • LANCIANI, Giulia; TAVANI, Giuseppe (org. e coord.), Dicionário da literatura medieval galega e portuguesa, Lisboa, Caminho, 1993.
  • MARINHO, Maria de Fátima. 1999. O Romance Histórico em Portugal. Porto: Campo das Letras.
  • MARINHO, Maria de Fátima; TOPA, Francisco (coord.). 2004. Literatura e História: Actas do Colóquio Internacional. 2 Volumes. Porto: Faculdade de Letras do Porto. (Volumes disponíveis na internet, em pdf).
  • MARTINS, Mário, Estudos de cultura medieval, vols. I-III, Lisboa, Verbo, 1969-1983.
  • REIS, Carlos (dir.). 1993. História Crítica da Literatura Portuguesa, Vol. V: Romantismo, por Carlos Reis e Maria da Natividade Pires. Lisboa: Editorial Verbo.
  • SARAIVA, António José, História da cultura em Portugal, vol. I, Lisboa, Jornal do Foro, 1950.

Teaching method

The specific teaching and learning methodologies of the curricular unit are in line with the pedagogical model, since the aim is to develop, in two different periods of the semester, the students' knowledge skills around the themes covered and the literary texts analyzed, whether in a theocentric context or in a liberal background. In two different moments of the semester, students will be motivated to participate dynamically in the learning process, encouraged to read and correctly understand texts with medieval and 19th century spelling: in the first half, there will be an incidence on the medieval imaginary, conceived in the light of theocentric thought and considered a factor of divine legitimation of temporal power, and some mythical and legendary narratives will be addressed, in the way in which the characters and their actions are interpreted in political-religious terms; In the second half, we will focus on texts produced in a liberal context, designed to exalt the emotional component and infuse a patriotic feeling in the reader, through the elaboration of new myths such as Camões or Sebastianism. The aim is also to encourage students to practice good practices in terms of academic research, by suggesting that they write essays, which will be supervised by the teacher throughout their development. As a complementary aid to a better understanding of the most diverse content selected for this pedagogical model, a balanced use of visual support materials will be used, with a special focus on painting. By the end of the semester, students should be able to recognize the sources of cultural production from which the texts proceed, as well as identify the different narrative strategies and their objectives, both in medieval and 19th century contexts.

Evaluation method

Continuous assessment - if the student chooses to take only one of the written tests, than he/she must prepare a written essay (50% weighting) on a specific topic of his/her choice with 1500 original words (excluding quotes and bibliographical references), which is agreed with the teacher and to be submitted at the end of the semester.(50%), two in-person written tests, one related to the first half of the semester and the other to the second half (50%+50% weighting), one of which is mandatory(50%)

Subject matter

In this curricular unit, there will be an approach to literary and artistic works that characterize Portuguese culture in a strong contrast between medieval theocentrism and 19th century liberalism. In the first part of the semester, the content will focus on how the art and literature of the Middle Ages were at the service of the aristocracy and the Church, the main agents producing the culture of that period; the imaginary in myths and legends, in themes such as Ourique, the Holy Grail, Paradise and Hell, or feminine ambivalence, and the status of the hero as an exemplum of faith will be studied. The second part of the semester will focus on how romantic culture rediscovers medieval sources through the valorization of historicism, the appeal to the imagination and the emotion, the stimulus for patriotism and the exaltation of heroes from a remote past. Another issue will be the status of the romantic hero and the emphasis given to new myths, such as Camões and D. Sebastião.