Clarice Deal is a lecturer with a MA degree from Arizona State University, where she has been teaching since 1990. She has received the CLAS Distinguished Teaching for excellence as well as having been nominated three other times. More than anything, Clarice enjoys the challenge of teaching her native language and culture to students.

My Philosophy – As a language Instructor I have observed the continual struggle between the human need to communicate and the cultural elements involved in achieving that goal. This conflict is nowhere more evident than in processes associated with learning another language and absorbing the fundamental elements of another culture. Experience has taught me that effective language teaching requires a cultural context into which vocabulary and word structures can be properly situated. All students are capable of meeting the instructor’s expectations if taught correctly and if they apply themselves in a reasonable way to their studies. Some students will require extra help. I pledge myself to do everything possible to give all students the chance to succeed in class. It is also my hope that they will not only learn Portuguese, but also learn lessons and experiences that will add value and insight to their personal lives. As a woman of color, African-Indian–Brazilian, Hispanic, and now American, I can truly say that most of all I am grateful for the wonderful students that I have been a part of my life here at ASU. They are, after all, the reason we are here.

Methodology – I usually teach four classes each semester. As much as possible, I want to bring Brazil into the classroom. The preferred method for this is the use of music. In Beginning and Intermediate classes, I use songs to teach grammar, vocabulary, rules of usage, diction, and even basic elements of Brazilian culture with emphasis on everyday objects and situations. Songs are an essential part of every culture and can be a valuable tool in learning a language, as well as providing a relaxed and fun atmosphere.

Courses – I teach the following courses:

POR101 – Elementary Portuguese

POR201 – Intermediate Portuguese

POR313/314 – Portuguese Conversation and Composition

POR 472 – Luso-Brazilian Civilization

POR 394 – Business Portuguese (Commercial Portuguese)

Office: Room 419C (Languages and Literatures Building)

Phone: (480) 965-6401 Fax: (480) 965-0135

Activities – A vibrant cultural element is an essential part of any language. It is important to do as much as possible to make learning enjoyable and productive, challenging students to learn and making it interesting. Teaching is a holistic enterprise that targets the natural diversity of opinions, abilities, and personal preferences in a way that encourages students to learn. Following is a list of some of the activities I am engaged in:

• Teaching – The main focus of my work is the classroom. I have worked hard to achieve a high standard of excellence as a language instructor, giving the best possible class and expecting students to fulfill their potential. I believe my work has been recognized by the consistent ‘outstanding’ ratings on my yearly performance evaluations and by having received the CLAS Distinguished Teaching Award.

• Classroom Material – After using standard textbooks for several years I came to realize that a music based approach would be more effective in teaching the Portuguese language. Working with an experienced colleague, Anamaria Teixeira, we created the Canta Brasil textbooks – a musical approach that not only provides a relaxed atmosphere, but also uses songs to teach grammar, sentence structure, vocabulary, rules of usage, diction, and even Brazilian culture. This method provides an accelerated and pleasant learning environment that uses the fascinating music and social fabric characteristic of Brazil. Canta Brasil consists of a beginning (101) and intermediate level (201) textbook with exercises, accompanied by two CDs – one of popular songs and another with dialogs about everyday situations and daily life in Brazil.

• Dissertation – As time permits, I have been working on my dissertation about the use of music as a tool for teaching the subjunctive mood. My thesis is based upon a survey conducted in three schools, in six Portuguese language classes of similar levels. The object of the research is to determine to what extent, if any, the use of music can facilitate the teaching of the subjunctive - a form considered by many to be especially difficult for many foreign language students of Portuguese and other Romance languages, particularly for those whose first language is English.

• Research Interest – New teaching methodologies, particularly those that incorporates music in ways that facilitate learning. In particular, I am interested in the subjunctive mood, a form that presents a certain degree of difficulty in the language classroom, and the use of songs as a pedagogical tool to teach this important aspect of grammar.

• Articles – I have a chapter about Clementina de Jesus included in Tompkins and Foster’s (eds) work about Notable Twentieth Century Latin American Women: A Biographical Dictionary. I am also working on the following articles: "Language and Gender Differences in Clarice Lispector’s Literature, American and Brazilian Metaphors – A Contrastive Analysis," and "Language Transfer – An Analysis of Some Sounds in Portuguese and Spanish. "

• Summer Programs – I have setup and directed the Portuguese Language Summer Programs in Brazil. The first six-week program was held in Salvador - Bahia, a historic city considered to be the heart of Afro-Brazilian culture. The following year the program was divided between three cities: Sao Paulo, Salvador, and Rio de Janeiro, exemplifying the commercial, cultural and artistic centers of the country. It was a rewarding experience for all. In 2006 the program will be in Portugal.

• Fund-raising – To assist the Portuguese language Summer Programs and participating students, I have promoted fund-raising activities each year, including special events and dinners. Most of the proceeds from these have been made available to students to use to help pay personal expenses of students. Every little bit helps. Some funds are also used by the Portuguese Department to pay for cultural activities or to give cash awards to students who are studying Portuguese, as a special incentive and to promote the department.

• New courses – I have developed a series of new courses, each with a specific curriculum designed to provide an effective basis for understanding aspects of Luso-Brazilian culture, and to give a knowledge basis for student to use as they go out and take their place in the world. Some of the courses are: Business Portuguese and Luso-Brazilian Civilization.

• Evaluations and awards – The ASU Office of University Evaluation has included my name as one of the faculty members in our section who has had important and positive influences on students, based upon comments in a survey of graduating students.

• Mentoring - Honor’s College – I believe it to be important to help students as much as possible, especially those that excel. I work to mentor Honor’s College students, giving them the extra support they need in their quest for academic excellence. I usually have four to five students participating in this program.

• Thesis Advising – I acted as advisor for a thesis by a Barrett Honors College student doing work on children’s books in English, Spanish and Portuguese. The object of the paper was to study the similarities and differences between selected works for children in each of the three languages, and then to write a book for children that incorporated elements of each culture and language in a way that is both interesting and educational.

• Proficiency Exams – Under department guidelines, I have prepared and given Proficiency Exams and placement tests for students wanting academic recognition of their level of aptitude in the Portuguese language.

• Search Committee – As a member of the Search Committee for a new Afro-Brazilian Assistant Professor I worked with other faculty members to receive and guide the candidates during their time at ASU. I also provided classroom time and material for the assessment lesson presented by each. In view of my close relationship with this position, I strived to make each as comfortable as possible and to answer any questions regarding the position and our institution.

• International Programs – Last year I worked with PUC University in Rio de Janeiro to setup an agreement for a Study Abroad program at that institution through the ASU International Program's Office.

• Phonetics Project – The Portuguese department was awarded a partial grant, along with other language departments at ASU, for phonetics-based research relating to "Pronunciation in lower division classes on the Internet."

• Commencement – I have participated in the Spring Commencement ceremonies for the past 3 consecutive years.

• Interaction with local community – As an officer in local Brazilian community organizations, such as Casa Brasil and Brazilian Institute of Arizona, I have worked to provide cultural events and conducted outreach programs to the local community, always including ASU students, encouraging them to participate in these events to develop practical language skills. Casa Brasil is a worthy non-profit charity that promotes cultural activities and events, as well as doing fund-raising to help needy children in Brazil. It was also cooperated in raising money for our summer programs.

• Bate-Papo – Instruction isn’t limited just to the classroom: a Friday afternoon conversation group called Bate-papo is held at a local pizza shop. Students are invited and regularly participate in local events sponsored by the Brazilian community, such as feijoada dinners, churrascos (barbacues), festa juninas (a traditional festivity held in June), picnics, karaokes in Papago Park, carnival parties and other activities.