Beginning this school year, Ashland University will offer Portuguese as a new foreign language option to students.

This semester, interested individuals can take Elementary Portuguese I (PORT 141) with Dr. Lina Aguirre. This course will provide students with the opportunity to learn fundamental concepts of Portuguese. After completing this class, individuals have the ability to enroll in higher-level courses in the future, including Portuguese 2 (142) in the spring.

Director of Global Education Rebecca Parillo explained the decision of adding Portuguese as a result of students’ expanding interests in this area.

She indicated that a greater number of students seek to study abroad in Brazil and offering Portuguese would help prepare them for their experience.

Overall, individuals can gain numerous advantages by studying Portuguese and enrolling in the classes this year.

“They will be exposed to new cultures, which will increase their global awareness and allow them to be in contact with different ways to understand social and individual life,” Aguirre said.

With the rapid economic development in Brazil, becoming familiar with the Portuguese language remains beneficial for individuals in all fields. It may assist them in their future careers and provide a competitive edge when searching for employment after college for companies that work closely with Brazil.

“Right now, this country is the 5th biggest market of the world, which means lots of jobs and business opportunities, and it is also a very important trade partner of the US,” Aguirre said.

Parillo expressed similar sentiments regarding Brazil’s role in the world economically.

“Learning Portuguese will make students more marketable because of the growing economy of Brazil,” Parillo said.

Another advantage of gaining knowledge in Portuguese encompasses the opportunity to study abroad in Brazil and apply the insight acquired in the classroom to a real world setting.

“Brazilians take education very seriously, and this is reflected in the quality of their academic programs,” Aguirre said. “Being proficient in the language will allow students to get the most out of their study experience in Brazil, not only academically, but also socially.”

Aside from acquiring more technical knowledge about the mechanics of Portuguese, individuals will gain a greater sense of the lifestyles and traditions common to people living in Brazil.

“Our language courses are not only about language but about the culture; students will learn about Brazilian geography and cultural legacy, music, film, family and the way young people live,” Aguirre said. “I think this is a wonderful opportunity for any student.”

In addition to Portuguese I, the classes taught by Aguirre this fall include Elementary Spanish I and Civilization of Latin America. She has spent six years as a teacher in the United States and two with AU.

Aguirre became more familiar with Portuguese while pursuing her PhD and from her academic background in the cultures of Latin American countries. She has participated in Brazilian conversation groups and interacted with Brazilian communities in Columbus.

“I have also traveled numerous times to Brazil and my current research includes Brazilian contemporary film,” Aguirre said. “In this case, knowing the language is a good way to better understand the aesthetics and cultural content of the movies.”