Nicolas Portugal
Areas of Study: Department of Romance Languages and Literatures Office: Gates-Blake 219 Office hours: Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, 1:30-2:30pm Phone: 159cdafd1a4e1002026e68cf31900000 Contact: Email Interests:
Aesthetics, Cinema and Screen Studies, Cognitive Science, Comparative Studies of Literature, Contemporary Art, Critical Theory, Digital Humanities, Game Studies, Media, Narrative, Pedagogy and/or Teaching and Learning, Philosophy, Philosophy of Language, Politics, Religious Studies, Science Studies, Sociolinguistics, Translation Studies, Visual Culture, 20th and 21st-century French Literature, Cultural Studies (French-American cross-cultural relations), Terrorism Studies, Memory Studies, Affect Studies
Nicolas Portugal, PhD, is an Assistant Instructional Professor of French in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at the University of Chicago. He teaches French language and culture across the curriculum, from beginning through advanced levels, with an emphasis on oral proficiency, intercultural competence, and inclusive, student-centered pedagogy. His teaching and scholarship explore how emerging technologies, including virtual reality and AI-supported conversation, can create immersive, low-stakes opportunities for students to develop confidence and prepare for meaningful interaction in French. His broader interests include curriculum design, inclusive language education, and the cultural narratives surrounding French and France in the United States. He has contributed to the redesign of the University of Chicago’s second-year French curriculum, aligning instruction and assessment with proficiency-based outcomes and real-world communication. Across his work, he brings language learning into conversation with literature, film, contemporary culture, and global engagement.
Selected Publications
- Olid, Bel, and Nicolas Portugal. “From Insecurity to Inclusion: Addressing Gender Diversity in Romance Language Teaching.” South Atlantic Review, vol. 91, no. 1, Spring 2026, pp. 116+.
- Portugal, Nicolas, and Georgy Khabarovskiy. “Breaking Boundaries in Language Education: Exploring Cultural Immersion via Virtual Reality, a Pilot Study.” South Atlantic Review, vol. 90, no. 1-2, 2025, p. 172. ISSN: 0277-335X
