Sophia Beal
9 Pleasant St SE
Minneapolis,
MN
55455
Sophia Beal is the Associate Dean for Graduate Fellowships and Awards in the Graduate School and a Professor of Portuguese in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, with affiliations in CLA’s Department of Cultural Studies and Comparative Literature; Environmental Humanities Initiative; and Moving Image, Media & Sound graduate minor. Dr. Beal received the University of Minnesota Award for Excellence in Academic Unit Service in 2025 and has supported students in graduate fellowship competitions in and beyond the University of Minnesota. She has authored two books (each published in both English and Portuguese), co-edited two volumes, served as President of the American Portuguese Studies Association, and holds editorial positions for two academic journals. She received her PhD from Brown University and her BA from Columbia University. She was a Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow in the Humanities at Tulane University in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, affiliated with the Program for African and African Diaspora Studies.
Educational Background
- Ph.D.: Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, Brown University, 2010 -
- B.A.: Comparative Literature and Society, Columbia University, 2004 Summa Cum Laude -
- M.A.: Portuguese and Brazilian Studies, Brown University, 2008 -
Specialties
- Brazilian Literature and Cultural Studies
- Urban Studies