Meet Professor Renato Amado, New Portuguese Instructor in World Languages Department

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Professor Renato Amado

The Department of World Languages, Literatures and Cultures welcomes professor Renato Amado, its new instructor of Portuguese. Amado is originally from Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, was previously a lawyer and completed his Ph.D. at Brown University before coming to the U of A.

Amado's specialization is in Brazilian literature, and he graduated with his M.A. in Brazilian literature from the Universidade Estadual do Rio de Janeiro while he was still a practicing lawyer. 

Amado's interests also include political science, film and writing. He produced and wrote the script for a short film called Morte Súbita (Sudden Death) about the death of a romantic relationship. He has also published a novel and some short stories. These varied interests eventually led him to pursue a Ph.D in Portuguese and Brazilian studies at Brown University, a track of study that includes the Portuguese-speaking world including Portugal and Lusophone, Africa. 

The studio sat down with Amado to ask some questions about his first impressions of the U of A, his teaching experiences and approach, and more! 

Q: What made you want to teach Portuguese? 

RA: "I was a lawyer for 10 years for Petrobras, Brazil's biggest energy company, before realizing that was not my passion. I founded and coordinated a collective of artists that united literature with other mediums of art, like photography (Caneta, Lente, e Pincel - Pen, Lens, and Brush). This collective still exists and has made some exhibitions in distinguished venues in Rio de Janeiro, such as the Museum of Modern Art of Rio de Janeiro (MAM Rio). I also founded and coordinated a publishing house called Editora Flaneur, which specializes in literary works and comics."

Q: What drew you to the U of A? 

RA: "The fact that I will be fully responsible for the Portuguese Department will be an experience beyond the classroom. I have an opportunity to do something people often do later on in their careers right in the beginning of my teaching career." 

Q: What has been your first impression(s) of the U of A and Fayetteville so far? 

RA: "The university has a very good infrastructure — computers in every class and it is user-friendly for professors. I also like that they have the Union in the heart of campus with several food options. I love nature here; it's very important to me. Also, Crystal Bridges museum — it's amazing. I am impressed that this area, which is not densely populated, has top-notch cultural venues." 

Q: What are your other areas of interest? Your research interests? 

RA: "Political science. My dissertation topic was on comics and literature — which involves a lot of political science, a topic that interests me. I also want to expand that to other manifestations of art and media, including video games and cinema. Eventually I want to focus specifically on the cultural war in the geek world, and I will then focus on both sides of the conflict." 

Q: What do you hope to bring to your classrooms? 

RA: "Enthusiasm. My classes are really upbeat, and I incorporate a lot of games. I want students to have fun — why would you learn a language otherwise? When students are having fun, they are more engaged, and when they are engaged, they are paying attention." 

Q: What do you enjoy the most about teaching?

RA: "Seeing the students' progress. When I realize that a student is conversational, that is something beautiful. I'll never forget the day a student of mine told me she could speak to her grandma in Portuguese for the first time. I love seeing my students engaged and having fun; that makes me have fun too. Those are the golden moments." 

Q: What has been a highlight of your experiences so far with your students?  

RA: "Bringing back Bate-Papo (Portuguese Conversation Table), taking students to a free Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu class, seeing my students quickly pick up the language and learning about local culture. I am impressed with how big football is here." 

Q: Do you have any advice for beginning Portuguese learners? 

RA: "Come to class — near 100% attendance if possible. If you know Spanish, that will be very helpful, but be careful not to mix up the two languages. Prepare yourself for each class and study before class so when you come to class the topic is not totally new — this way you can absorb more content." 

Q: What would you say to someone who is considering studying Portuguese? 

RA: "Go ahead! Opening the doors to the Portuguese-speaking world is like seeing a whole new universe. There is a lot of culture in the Portuguese-speaking world, especially in Brazil, but also Portugal and African countries. You might learn that we have many variations in samba just like rock — hard rock, progressive rock, punk rock — it's one of the most spoken languages in the world." 

Amado currently teaches Elementary Portuguese I, Intermediate Portuguese I and Portuguese for Romance Language Speakers. For questions about the Portuguese program, please contact Amado at renatoa@uark.edu.