Launched in October, 2006, the Institute for Portuguese and Lusophone World Studies is a non-traditional academic center at Rhode Island College. It was approved for permanent status by the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education on June 28, 2010.
It is dedicated to the promotion and support of Portuguese Studies at the College, fostering connections between the College and Lusophone communities in the region, and pursuing scholarly research and cultural projects related to the Portuguese language and Lusophone cultures.
The Institute strives to be a center of interaction for Rhode Island College students and the community by sponsoring lectures, conferences, artistic exhibitions, cultural performances, adult enrichment courses, workshops and youth and family-centered events as well as professional development workshops for elementary and secondary teachers of the Portuguese language.
The Institute is committed to encompassing the cultures of the many nations and regions of the Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) diaspora, that is Portugal, including Madeira and the Azores, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, São Tomé e Príncipe, Angola, Mozambique, East Timor and the region of Macau.
