The Portuguese Program at SAIS is divided in 4 levels, from Level 1 (Novice) to Level 4 (Intermediate High). Because the majority of students taking Portuguese here already know Spanish, the first two levels might be reached in one semester. The acceleration also applies to levels 3 and 4. This characteristic of the program may allow the Spanish-speaking student to pass the proficiency exams at the end of the third semester. The non-Spanish-speaking student should take four semesters to be able to reach the level required for passing the SAIS language proficiency exams. The Portuguese Program teaches the language not only to proficiency-track students, but also to those students who want to learn the language for their career development, taking advantage of this educational service offered at the school. They will also be able to take the Portuguese proficiency exams, thus increasing their prospects for employement. Brazil, its political, economic, and cultural aspects, is the main country being discussed during Portuguese classes. As far as other Portuguese-speaking areas of the world are concerned, namely Africa, an effort is made to bring subjects for discussion pertaining that area. In this way, Portuguese classes offer the opportunity for a cross-geographical and interdisciplinary study. The objective of the Portuguese program is to teach the four skills (speaking, reading, listening, and writing), using authentic written and audio materials. Since learning a language is a building process that demands active participation from the students, class attendance is extremely important. A limited and unexcused number of absences will have a negative impact on the final grade for the course.
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