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 courses at all levels of French, from beginners to advanced learners, and focuses on helping students develop strong communication skills, cultural awareness, and confidence in using the language. His classes explore literature, film, and contemporary cultural issues, while also experimenting with innovative tools such as virtual reality to make learning more engaging and immersive. He recently collaborated on redesigning the second-year French curriculum to better support student progress and align with real-world goals for language proficiency. Students in his courses can expect a dynamic, inclusive environment that connects language learning to global perspectives and everyday life.
Publications
- 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
Recent Courses in RLL
- FREN 10300 Beginning Elementary French III (Winter 2024, Spring 2024)
- FREN 13333 Reading French for Research Purposes Prerequisite Course (Autumn 2022, Spring 2023, Autumn 2023, Winter 2024, Winter 2025)
- FREN 20100 Language, History, and Culture I (Autumn 2022)
- FREN 20200 Language, History, and Culture II (Winter 2023, Autumn 2024, Autumn 2025)
- FREN 20300 Language, History, and Culture III (Winter 2023, Spring 2023, Winter 2025, Spring 2025)
- FREN 23333/33333 Reading French for Research Purposes (Autumn 2023, Spring 2024, Autumn 2024, Spring 2025, Autumn 2025)