Discovering Portugal (Lecture)




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In this course, we will explore how a tiny nation – Portugal – played an outsized role in world history. We will examine Portugal’s fifteenth and sixteenth century maritime expansion (once called the “Discoveries”), as well as its central role in the transatlantic trade in enslaved people. We will trace how Portugal, once a fringe region of the Roman Empire, emerged as the only independent kingdom on the Iberian Peninsula as Castile grew into Spain. We will follow Portugal’s rise as a global power, with outposts stretching from Brazil to Japan, and then its decline as rival empires overtook it – culminating in twentieth century poverty under Europe’s longest dictatorship. Finally, we will consider how this past continues to shape Portuguese identity and culture in the decades since a revolution ushered in democracy. As we survey Portugal’s landscapes, art and architecture, and food, we will see why record numbers of Americans are now visiting the country.

Your instructor: Alison Roberts
Alison Roberts is a journalist with nearly four decades of experience, reporting in her native UK and later internationally for English-language outlets including the BBC, NPR, and Bloomberg News. Her work has covered politics, finance, sports, and the arts. She has edited or contributed to a dozen guidebooks and provided online updates for Fodor’s, Time Out, and other publishers. Now based in Portugal, she is writing a history of the country and has explored it extensively from north to south.

Class Dates and Time: Tuesdays, July 7 through August 11
10am Pacific | 11am Mountain | 12pm Central | 1pm Eastern
Each session is 90 minutes. 
 
 Class schedule: Live lecture will take place on Tuesdays via ZOOM 
  • 7/7/2026
  • 7/14/2026
  • 7/21/2026
  • 7/28/2026
  • 8/4/2026
  • 8/11/2026

June 30, 2026, 1pm Central is the Osher Online Member Orientation.

Class Details

6 Session(s)
Weekly - Tue

Location
Virtual - Any Location

Instructor
Osher Online 

Tuition: 

$70.00

Email olli@northwestern.edu for more information. Send to Friend »

Schedule Information

Date(s) Class Days Times Location Instructor(s)
7/7/2026 - 8/11/2026 Weekly - Tue 12:00 PM - 01:30 PM N/A, Virtual - Any Location  Map Osher Online 

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