Communication Techniques in Portuguese

Code:

CC043

Acronym:

TEPOR

Keywords
Classification	Keyword
OFICIAL	Language Sciences

Instance: 2025/2026 - 1S

Active?	Yes
Web Page:	https://moodle2526.up.pt/course/view.php?id=2236
E-learning page:	https://moodle.up.pt/
Responsible unit:	Department of Portuguese and Romance Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Bachelor in Communication Sciences

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
CC	119	Study plan	1	-	6	41	162

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

At the end of the course, students should be able to:

• view the Portuguese language as an instrument of thought, expression, and social interaction;
• critically reflect on language as a cognitive, affective, and cultural phenomenon;
• demonstrate oral and written communicative competences, with attention to appropriateness across different discourse genres;
• express knowledge and ideas competently and effectively in formal oral and/or written contexts

Learning outcomes and competences

The analysis of the components of the communicative act enables students to develop greater skills in elaborating and adapting discourse to different interaction situations.
The study of oral expression, through practical activities focused on genres such as presentations/expositions and debates, promotes mastery of oral discourse and awareness of its specific features (deixis, intonation, reformulation). At the same time, work on written discourse forms — synthesis, summary, commentary, and critical review — strengthens textual production skills and consolidates mastery of the stages of planning, textualization, and revision.
The exploration of the constitutive principles of the text, such as cohesion and coherence, leads to more critical and attentive reading and raises awareness of compositional heterogeneity and discursive polyphony, while also reinforcing oral and written production skills.
The theoretical and practical study of communication and textual construction, including the analysis of discourse genres (chronicle, biography, advertising), is integrated with the practice of oral and written expression in journalistic, institutional, and digital contexts. This comprehensive approach fosters the development of discursive, pragmatic, and sociocultural competences, as well as reflection on the role of the lexicon and processes of lexical innovation.

Working method

Presencial

Pre-requirements (prior knowledge) and co-requirements (common knowledge)

Not applicable.

Program

1. Language, Communication, and Cognition

1.1. Cognitive and affective dimension of the mother tongue
1.2. Models of the communication process: from the code-message paradigm to inferential approaches
1.3. Verbal, paraverbal, and non-verbal communication

2. Discourse Genres

2.1. Concept of discourse genre and its categorization: literary, journalistic, advertising, and digital
2.2. Biography genre: from literary biography to journalistic biography
2.3. Advertising genre: appellative function, brevity, impact

3. Textual Analysis and Written Production

3.1. Constitutive principles of textuality: cohesion, coherence, and textual connection
3.2. Techniques of planning, textualization, and revision
3.3. Text types and textual sequences (narrative, descriptive, argumentative, expository-explanatory)

4. Orality and Communicative Interaction

4.1. Specificities of orality: spontaneous discourse and prepared discourse
4.2. Oral communication techniques: narration, presentation/exposition, debate, and interview

5. Journalistic, Institutional, and Digital Writing

5.1. Techniques of journalistic writing: clarity, conciseness, and objectivity
5.2. Institutional writing: persuasive and appealing writing in organizational contexts
5.3. Digital writing: adaptation to digital media and social networks; digital genres (post, blog, comment)

6. Lexicon and Lexical Innovation

6.1. General lexicon and specialized lexicon
6.2. Word formation processes
6.3. Lexical relations: synonymy, antonymy, hyperonymy/hyponymy, polysemy
6.4. Neologisms and the impact of digital media and social networks on lexical innovation

7. Academic Work Norms and Practices

7.1. Academic writing norms: citations, bibliographic references, formatting
7.2. Written assignments: essay/article, review, report, dissertation/thesis
7.3. Oral assignments: presentation, lecture, talk

Mandatory literature

Bassolds, M. e Torrent, A; Modelos textuales: teoria y práctica, 1997, 1997
Cintra, L. e Cunha, C.; Nova Gramática do Português Contemporâneo, Lisboa: Sá da Costa, 1984
Figueiredo, O. e Figueiredo, E.; Dicionário Prático para o Estudo do Português, Porto: Asa , 2003
Fiske, John; Introdução ao estudo da comunicação, Porto: Asa, 1999. ISBN: 972-41-1133-4
Mateus, M.H.M. et al.; Gramática da Língua Portuguesa, Lisboa: Caminho, 2003. ISBN: 972-21-0445-4
Vilela, M.; Gramática da Língua Portuguesa, Coimbra: Almedina , 2002

Complementary Bibliography

Adam, Jean-Michel; Les textes: types et prototypes, Paris: Nathan, 1992
Adam, Jean-Michel; Linguistique textuelle. Des gentes de discours aux textes, Paris: Nathan, 1999

Teaching methods and learning activities

• Theoretical–practical classes and tutorial guidance


• Group and individual work, focusing on text production


• Critical analysis of journalistic, literary, and multimodal texts


• Oral practice exercises: debates, short presentations


• Use of digital tools

To develop written and oral discourse production and interpretation skills, classes will be student-centered, encouraging individual work and critical thinking. Students, individually or in small groups, will prepare oral discourses — expositions, presentations, discussions, and debates — to be performed later in class. Written texts will also be produced in class, such as syntheses, summaries, and commentaries, exploring different types and parameters of verbal interaction.

Special emphasis will be placed on individual work, critical perspectives, and problem-solving skills.

Through the analysis of written texts, the specific characteristics of the biography genre will be identified, with a view to producing a biographical text that may constitute the laboratory component of coursework assessment.

In tutorial sessions, in addition to other written assignments, students will also be asked to produce an opinion piece and a critical review, which may likewise form part of the individual coursework assessment.

Students will also have the opportunity to practice their oral skills through the delivery of a short individual speech. The assessment will also include a final exam.

keywords

Humanities > language sciences > Linguistics

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation with final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Exame	50,00
Trabalho escrito	30,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	20,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Estudo autónomo	60,00
Frequência das aulas	41,00
Apresentação/discussão de um trabalho científico	7,00
Trabalho laboratorial	54,00
Total:	162,00

Eligibility for exams

Attendance in 75% of classes, except in cases provided for by law. A passing grade in both the final exam and the continuous assessment.

Calculation formula of final grade

The assessment method will be agreed upon with students at the beginning of the semester, in accordance with FLUP regulations. The initial proposal is as follows: preparation of a group laboratory assignment (30%), to be submitted by the end of November, with the possibility of revision until early December; delivery of a short 2-minute speech (20%); and the possible completion of a written test as part of continuous assessment, which may replace the final exam (50%).

Examinations or Special Assignments

Not applicable

Internship work/project

Not applicable

Special assessment (TE, DA, ...)

Not applicable

Classification improvement

According to FLUP regulation.
Only the exam can be subject to improvement.

Observations

Teaching language: Portuguese