Internationalization

Doctoral Sandwich Program Abroad (PDSE) 

The CAPES Doctoral Sandwich Program Abroad (PDSE) is a crucial initiative that allows Brazilian doctoral students to conduct part of their research at high-quality foreign institutions. It promotes the internationalization of graduate studies, offering an enriching experience that transcends national borders. By experiencing other academic environments, students gain access to new theoretical perspectives, innovative methodologies, and the opportunity to establish global collaborative networks. 

This immersion significantly contributes to the training of doctoral students, enhancing their research skills, increasing the visibility of their work, and expanding their academic repertoire. For UNIFRAN’s Graduate Program in Linguistics, the PDSE represents a valuable tool to further qualify its researchers. By participating in the program, UNIFRAN doctoral students can bring cutting-edge knowledge and international partnerships to Brazil, elevating the level of Linguistics research and strengthening the program’s reputation in the academic landscape. 

With the broad resumption of in-person activities, the Program deepened ties with international higher education institutions. In 2021/2022, through the PDSE call, the student Valmir Ferreira dos Santos Júnior undertook a research internship abroad, in Mexico City, specifically at the Center for Classical Studies, of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), advised by Dr. Gerardo Ramírez Vidal. The research internship abroad has a direct connection with the research project developed by the program’s professor, Dr. Maria Flávia Figueiredo. 

Silvia Lucia Goretti Gerardo Guerreiro, a doctoral student in Linguistics at UNIFRAN, completed an internship at the Université Sorbonne Nord, in Paris, France, between May and October 2024, with a scholarship from the PDSE/CAPES program. Under the guidance of Professor Dr. Marie-Anne Paveau, Silvia dedicated herself to in-depth research and readings on Discourse Analysis and the African subject, the central theme of her thesis. The experience provided contact with new theoretical perspectives and a deepening of decolonial studies, criticizing Eurocentrism in the field. 

During this period, the doctoral student participated in various international events, such as the “Colloque International: Langues coloniales, langues indigènes” at Sorbonne Nouvelle, the lecture by Mónica Zoppi-Fontana, and the “8ème Rencontres des Études Africaines en France – REAF 2024” in Nice. In addition, she participated online in the IX SIMELP in Portugal and in person in the Colloquium “L’Afrique en mutation” and the Biennale d’Ethnographie de l’EHESS 2024. The internship not only expanded her network of contacts and enhanced her research skills but also contributed significantly to her cultural education and language comprehension. 

Publications with International Partnerships 

Another point related to the Program’s internationalization is the publication of the Portuguese translation of the work “La invención de los Sofistas” (The Invention of the Sophists), written by Dr. Ramírez Vidal. The publication occurred in the first semester of 2023 and was developed by a group of translators coordinated by Dr. Maria Flávia Figueiredo and some members of the PARE Group (Research in Argumentation and Rhetoric). 

As a result of our partnership with UNAM, it is important to highlight that, in 2020, we had as a bibliographic publication the joint organization – between the Graduate Program in Linguistics of the University of Franca (UNIFRAN), the Graduate Program of the Faculty of Philosophy and Letters of the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), and the Graduate Program in Literature of the University Vale do Rio Verde (UNINCOR) – of the e-book “Linguística do Texto e do Ensino” (Text and Teaching Linguistics) (volume 5 of the “Foco” series), which had “Time, Body, and Space” as its thematic axis and features chapters by various authors. 

Another internationalization action developed by the Program was the participation of Prof. Dr. Aline Fernandes de Azevedo Bocchi in the Scientific Committee of the OPENPUBLISUDS Project, promoted by the Université Sorbonne Paris Nord and coordinated by Prof. Dr. Marie-Anne Paveau. The article « Militantisme féministe sur le web : le fonctionnement de l’argumentation dans les discours sur les violences obstétricales » (Feminist activism on the web: the functioning of argumentation in discourses on obstetric violence), authored by Prof. Aline Bocchi, was translated within the scope of OPENPUBLISUDS and published in the journal Itinéraires: littérature, textes, cultures, organized by Pléiade – Unité de Recherche pluridisciplinaire de l’Université Sorbonne Paris Nord. 

Furthermore, it should be noted that, in May 2024, Professor Dr. Assunção Cristovão was part of the Organizing and Working Committee of the II International Bakhtinian Seminar, held from 05/06/2024 to 05/10/2024, with a workload of 50 hours. The event was held remotely but based, especially, in the cities of Araraquara (SP, Brazil) and Lecce (Italy), under the supervision of professors Luciane de Paula and Luciano Ponzio. 

International Relations Committee (CRI) 

The UNIFRAN International Relations Committee (CRI), which includes representation from the Master’s Program in Linguistics by Prof. Dr. Marilurdes Borges, plays a fundamental role in the institution’s internationalization. Its responsibilities range from strengthening relations and monitoring international academic activities to encouraging agreements and partnerships with foreign universities. The CRI is also responsible for disseminating information about courses, lectures, and scholarship opportunities abroad, as well as promoting the internationally developed work of students and faculty. The committee also seeks to raise funds for exchange programs, welcome international visitors, and create internal actions to consolidate UNIFRAN’s internationalization.