Student Experience

Graduate student experience

Should you choose to join our department, you will contribute to a culture that is collaborative, active, and diverse. We encourage a rich intellectual life and the vigorous exchange of ideas.

Our students and faculty participate in brown bag lectures, presenting their own research. They have the opportunity to meet with visiting scholars during frequent guest lectures, conferences, and symposia. Within the university, our department is highly connected to other units and programs, making a strong and visible impact.

Bloomington is a fun and exciting place to live, offering cultural events, festivals, music, and lots of dining options. Find out what makes our town so special.

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Graduate Student Advisory Committee

The mission of our Graduate Student Advisory Committee (GSAC) is to listen to the needs of graduate students, to serve as a liaison between graduate students and faculty, and to coordinate various activities within the department, including social events, the annual Diálogos graduate student conference, and workshops to prep for exams and for academic professionalization.

Learn more about GSAC in our Student Portal

Learn about our Diálogos conference

Enrichment activities

Our graduate students also participate in and help develop a number of extracurricular and enrichment activities.

Committees + Associations

You may volunteer to be a member of one of the Portuguese graduate student committees.

  • The Portuguese Outreach Committee initiates and coordinates community outreach activities related to the Portuguese language and Luso-Brazilian cultures in the city of Bloomington.
  • Within the Program Committee, you work with faculty members to contribute to the intellectual life of the Portuguese program, by inviting guest speakers and organizing workshops and film series.
  • You may run for two-year appointments as President, Vice President, Treasurer, Secretary, or Technology Officer for Brasa, the IU Brazilian Association.
Cafezinho

Every semester, one graduate student in Portuguese becomes responsible for organizing and leading our Portuguese Conversation table, known as Cafezinho.

Teatro VIDA

In Teatro VIDA, our graduate students select a play with the assistance of a faculty mentor and are responsible for the different elements of staging one-act plays through this community theater experience—from acting and direction to production, as well as soliciting grants to support the project.

Song Festival

Musical graduate students and undergraduates work together to produce and participate in this annual festival.

Volunteering

Our graduate students also volunteer in service learning projects and mentor undergraduate students who wish to participate in these projects.

Learn about more opportunities in our department

View our research
Check out our brown bag series
Learn about news + events