AFFIRMATIVE ACTION

Alongside the other graduate programs from the Faculty of Letters of UFRJ, the Graduate Interdisciplinary Program in Applied Linguistics of UFRJ has adopted affirmative actions and policies in the area of linguistics in Brazil, commencing with indigenous and black people. It is also a pioneer in offering scholarship quotas for indigenous and black people who join the program through affirmative actions. Accordingly, as of the selection process in the second semester of 2018, we have been setting aside some of our places and scholarships for Brazilians who self-identify as indigenous or black and who opt to apply via the special selection process for the master’s or doctorate program. In 2019, we expanded our affirmative actions to include places specifically for transgender people, cross-dressers, and disabled people.

Our affirmative action policies came into effect for the second semester selection process in 2018 throughout all the six graduate programs at the Faculty of Letters of UFRJ. In line with Directive 13, published on May 11, 2016, on the introduction of affirmative action policies for graduate admissions, the Faculty of Letters’ Graduate Education and Research Commission resolved that as of the second semester of 2018, each graduate program would set aside 30% of all its master’s places and 30% of all its doctoral places for Brazilian candidates who self-identified as indigenous, black, brown, trans (transsexual, transgender, and cross-dresser), or who were disabled, provided they opted to apply via the special selection processes set up by means of the affirmative action policy.

Indigenous candidates who opt to apply via the special selection process are exempted from the requirement to do the examination of specific knowledge and the English or other instrumental language examination. Their evaluation and approval/classification is based on an interview and a dossier, to be submitted upon application, which must contain: a personal statement (up to 10 pages long) containing an account of their life history and their study and research prospects; a statement in which they self-identify as indigenous, giving the name of the indigenous group to which they identify; and any other documents they deem relevant, such as their FUNAI card, their community card, and/or a letter from an indigenous organization, etc.

Black, brown, trans, and disabled candidates who opt for the special selection process will be assessed and classified in the regular examinations alongside the other non-affirmative action candidates. However, in this case, the pass mark for the exams will be 6.0 (six), while the pass mark set for students not applying as part of the affirmative action policy is 7.0 (seven).