This course will examine the nature of Portuguese as an international language. We will consider the historical contexts that have led to the current use of Portuguese as an official language in former Portuguese colonies and its abandonment or simply its incapacity to become a de facto language in a colonized region. In addition to the study of international varieties of Portuguese, this course will examine issues such as ‘lusofonia’, language policy, language education, and language change within the context of the global use of Portuguese in Portugal, São Tomé and Príncipe, Brazil, Angola, Mozambique, Guinea Bissau, Cape Vert, Guinea Equatorial, Macao, Spain, Japan, and East-Timor.