The University of São Paulo’s Graduate Program of Compared Studies in Portuguese Literatures aims to continue its frontiers expansion process towards the establishment of an interdisciplinary excellence center on the integrated and compared study of Portuguese language literatures amongst the social and political contexts of their origin countries.
This continuous process of research improvement (in Master, Doctoral and Post-doctoral levels; in the teaching on undergraduate and graduate levels, beyond extension courses focused on training and updating public school teachers not only on the State of São Paulo) relies on the exclusive dedication of its faculty members, through their well-succeeded academic activities, progressively resulting on social impact activities, aside from national and international agreements, by the significant number of research groups that have members from other graduation programs not only in Brazil, but also from abroad. The Graduate Program of Compared Studies in Portuguese Literatures has currently 24 research groups registered on the CNPq (Brazilian National Council for Scientific and Technological Development), receiving scholarships from Capes, CNPq, FAPESP and consolidating the interinstitutional partnerships, strengthening and expanding the possibilities of dialogue and reciprocity among the University of São Paulo’s Graduate Program of Compared Studies in Portuguese Literatures and different scholars from diverse graduation programs in Brazil and abroad. Therefore, all of the scholars from the program are dedicated to more than one research project, aside from a regular dedication for undergraduation/graduation activities and development of post-doctoral supervisions, strengthening the research bonds with scholars from different educational institutions and young doctors that are not yet attached to superior educational institutions.
Aside from other initiatives, the Graduate Program of Compared Studies in Portuguese Literatures maintain its integration activities through the PAE-USP, a program that provides qualification for graduate students for the higher education. During the program activities, graduate students work as interns in USP’s third level education activities, under the supervision of a tutor. If the student does not receive a scholarship, the activity is financially compensated. Although a mandatory activity for CAPES’ scholarship holders, the Program encourages other students to participate into the initiative, that has been an important resource for the education of new professionals for the higher education, as well as a landmark for the Program’s integration with the undergraduate level. Another relevant aspect that must be considered is the inclusion of undergraduate students in the annual meetings of the Program, occasions for them to present their scientific initiation researches, opportunities for their insertion into the context of graduate activities and the routines of Master and Doctoral researches. The scientific initiation students participate actively in the graduation’s academic activities, observing potential future opportunities for the development of research projects in the Master and Doctoral levels.
Since the beginning, the internationalization has been a part of the Program’s guideline, by means of different projects, agreements and a systematical professor’s exchange program that has increased along the years. The implementation of international cooperation agreements has enabled and encouraged the international exchanges, stablishing a productive dialogue among professors and students of different programs through research groups, events coordination and presentation of projects and researches’ results, as well as Brazilian or international publications.