Fernando Rocha
Associate Professor of Portuguese
frocha@middlebury.edu
work802.443.5476
Warner Hall 05
Fernando Rocha obtained a Master's and a PhD degree in Comparative Literature from the University of Southern California, Los Angeles. He also holds a Master's degree in Letters (Brazilian Literature and Literary Theory) from the Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro (PUC-Rio). Prof. Rocha just finished a book manuscript on Brazilian novelist Graciliano Ramos. His present research interests focus on the writings of subalterns in Brazil and on the intersections between voice and vocal performance and literature. He has articles published in journals such as Luso-Brazilian Review and ArtCultura.
Courses
Courses offered in the past four years.
▲ indicates offered in the current term
▹ indicates offered in the upcoming term[s]
PGSE0101 - Beginning Portuguese I
This course is a fast-paced introduction to Brazilian Portuguese and contemporary Brazilian culture. It focuses on the development of skills in listening, reading, speaking, and writing within a cultural context. Students are expected to continue with PGSE 0102 in winter term, and PGSE 0103 in spring term, after successful completion of PGSE 0101. 5 hrs. lect./disc. LNG
Fall 2013, Fall 2016
PGSE0103 - Beginning Portuguese III
This course is a continuation of Portuguese 0102. Intensive reading, writing, and speaking. (PGSE 0102) 5 hrs. lect./disc. LNG
Spring 2014
PGSE0210 - Beginning Port/RomanceSpeakers
Beginning Portuguese for Romance-Language Speakers
This course is designed for Romance-language speakers and advanced Romance-language learners at the 0200 or 0300-level, depending on the language. It is an intensive introduction to Portuguese, covering all of the basic structures and vocabulary as well as important aspects of the cultures of Lusophone countries. Language learning is based on the students’ previous knowledge of one or more Romance languages. Students are expected to continue with PGSE 0215, after successful completion of PGSE 0210. (FREN 0205, ITAL 0251, SPAN 0220, or placement at French 0210 or above, Italian 0252 or above, Spanish 0300 or above, or instructor’s approval) 6 hrs. lect./disc. LNG
Fall 2014, Spring 2016, Spring 2017
PGSE0215 - Advanced Portuguese
Advanced Portuguese
This course is a continuation of either PGSE 0103 or PGSE 0210. It is designed to balance textual and cultural analysis with a thorough review of grammar at an intermediate/high level. Students will hone their critical thinking and linguistic skills through guided readings, oral discussions, and short written assignments on Lusophone cultural topics. (PGSE 0103 or PGSE 0210 or by waiver) 4 hrs. lect./disc. LNG
Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2017
PGSE0321 - Food and Brazilian Culture
With Flavor: Food and Brazilian Culture
In this course we will focus on the food being produced and consumed in Brazil in its relation to Brazilian culture and history. Topics include how food and Brazilian culinary practices are related to certain aspects of Brazilian society, such as the Northeast’s landed oligarchy, Afro-Brazilian culture in Bahia, regional, national, and transnational identities, women and gender constructs, and the experience of hunger. Narratives (fictional, non-fictional, and theoretical) will be drawn from different media: printed and online texts as well as audio-visual materials, such as songs and popular music videos, films, TV series and cooking programs. The course will also entail preparation and degustation of Brazilian dishes. (PGSE 0215 or by approval) 3 hrs. lect. AAL AMR LNG SOC
Fall 2016
PGSE0324 - Slavery and Resistance ▹
Slavery and Resistance: Visions for the Present
In this course we will analyze how slaves and slave communities in Brazil were able to forge different modes of resistance in the face of the atrocities that resulted from the trans-Atlantic slave trade. We will delve into printed and audio-visual materials to analyze how resistance operated at both a macro and a micro level, but also extend our study into the present, looking at how Brazilians nowadays reinvigorate old forms of resistance. The ultimate goal of the course is to establish a bridge between those enslaved communities’ self-empowerment and the students’ visions of resistance in the present time. We will also work on developing students’ language abilities at an advanced level. (PGSE 0215 or by approval). 3 hrs. lect. AAL AMR LIT LNG
Fall 2017
PGSE0353 - Faces of Brazil
Faces of Brazil
In this course we will study four central elements in contemporary Brazilian culture which have been reshaping the country's "face." We will focus on the legacies of a slave-based social structure by studying the favelas and the MST (Landless Rural Workers' Movement) which led to new formations in both urban and rural landscapes, but also to a perplexing mirror of social violence. We will analyze different narrative texts from directors and authors such as Sérgio Bianchi and Ferréz. Critical texts will be drawn from social activists as well as from theorists, such as philosopher Renato Janine Ribeiro and anthropologist Alba Zaluar. (PGSE 0215 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect./disc. AAL AMR LIT SOC
Fall 2013
PGSE0405 - Narratives from the Margin
Narratives from the Margins: Occupying Minds
In this course we will investigate the narratives that marginal voices create in order to symbolically occupy a "space" in society. Taking, as our starting point, the concept of ocupação developed by the MST (Movimento dos Trabalhadores Rurais Sem Terra), we will focus on marginal groups composing of Brazilian society, such as landless workers, inmates, or favelado. We will also analyze literary and filmic texts that express dissident viewpoints in the 20th century as well as the contemporary scene. In conjunction with these texts, we will discuss an array of online articles that deal with analyzed authors and/or issues that serve as context and counterpoint to these narratives. Texts analyzed will include Tetê Moraes's and Paulo Sacramento's documentaries, MST's poetry and songs, inmates' literature, or Carolina Maria de Jesus's narratives. (PGSE 0320 or equivalent) 3 hrs. lect./disc. AAL AMR LIT LNG
Spring 2014
PGSE0500 - Independent Study ▹
Independent Study
(Approval Required)
Fall 2013, Winter 2014, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Winter 2015, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Winter 2016, Spring 2016, Fall 2016, Winter 2017, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Spring 2018
SPAN0201 - Intermediate Spanish
Intermediate Spanish
This accelerated course is designed to review, reinforce, and consolidate the linguistic structures that students need in order to reach the intermediate level of proficiency in Spanish. A grammar review will accompany intensive language acquisition, vocabulary expansion, readings, discussions, and compositions. (Placement test required) 3 hrs. lect., 1 hr. drill. LNG
Fall 2014
