Students wishing to pursue graduate work in Spanish leading to candidacy for advanced degree should carefully read the Master's Degree Requirements section of this catalog.
Areas of Concentration
Peninsular/Spanish American Literature Concentration
Our MA in Peninsular and Latin American literatures is designed to give the student a broad overview of the cultural productions of the Latin American and Peninsular worlds. MA students are required to take 30 hours of graduate coursework.
Hispanic Linguistics Concentration
Our MA in Hispanic linguistics is an interdisciplinary program that provides students with a solid foundation in linguistics through the coursework taken in the Departments of Spanish and Portuguese, Linguistics, Communication, Anthropology and the School of Education. Students have the unique opportunity to work closely in collaboration with faculty to develop their areas of concentration and graduate as specialists in a wide range of topics (e.g., history of the Spanish language, Spanish in the United States, sociolinguistics, etc.)
All MA students in the Hispanic linguistics option are required to take 30 hours of graduate coursework. They are required to have their course selections in linguistics approved by their advisor and the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, but they are encouraged to develop an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary course of study. Graduate seminars offered in linguistics, sociology, psychology, anthropology and education could serve as important complements to linguistics courses taken in our department.
Spanish & Portuguese Studies Concentration
Our MA in Spanish and Portuguese studies is designed to give the student a broad overview of the cultural productions of the Latin American and Peninsular worlds, with an emphasis on Lusophone culture. MA students are required to take PORT 2350 in their first semester of study (or place in upper Portuguese language level) and 30 hours of graduate coursework, of which 27 hours must be taken within the department. Students who are proficient in Portuguese but not in Spanish are required to take SPAN 1150 or SPAN 2150 in addition to 30 hours of graduate coursework. Graduate students in this subplan are required to have Portuguese as the main area for their MA Comprehensive Exams.
Teaching Spanish Concentration
The MA in Spanish with an emphasis in teaching Spanish offers students a broad base in literature, linguistics and language pedagogy and education, and its 31 hours of coursework are almost evenly divided between these three areas. Six of the credits in the pedagogy and education area may be taken outside of the Department. If students wish to earn a teaching license, they can apply to and concurrently enroll in the Post-Baccalaureate Secondary Spanish Teaching Licensure program, completing remaining coursework and the student teaching semester after graduation with the MA. Upon completion, students will be prepared to teach and design Spanish language curricula at the secondary and post-secondary levels, as well as pursue further study and research in the fields of applied linguistics, second language acquisition or education.
Requirements
General Course Requirements
The MA in Spanish is offered in two areas of concentration: one with an emphasis on literature and one with an emphasis on linguistics.
All MA students are required to complete at least 30 hours of graduate coursework, at least 25 of which must be completed at CU Boulder. MA students may transfer to the department a maximum of 6 credit hours of acceptable graduate-level courses and may take no more than 6 credit hours of independent study courses.
Courses taken as part of the MA program must be offered by our department or by others upon having been approved by the student's MA supervisory committee (or the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies if the committee has not yet been formed). In addition, MA students may not take more than 9 hours of graduate coursework in any given semester.
No graduate course in the department may be taken pass/fail by a graduate student in our program. This rule also applies to those courses taken in the Department of Linguistics by our MA students.
Students who are failing a course will not be allowed to drop the course, except under special circumstances. To do so, approval must be secured from the course instructor, the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies and the department Chair.
Language Requirement
Students must demonstrate, as early as possible and before taking the comprehensive examination, a communication knowledge (as defined by the Graduate School) of a foreign language other than Spanish. They also must be able to speak, read and write English well.
Concentration Requirements
Peninsular/Spanish American Literature Concentration
The emphasis in Peninsular and Latin American Literatures is designed to give the student a broad overview of the cultural productions of the Latin American and Peninsular worlds. MA Students are required to take 30 hours of graduate coursework, of which 27 hours must be taken within the department.
All MA students in the Peninsular/Latin American Literature Option are required to take:
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SPAN 5130 | Seminar: Critical Approaches to Iberian & Latin American Literatures and Cultures | 3 |
| SPAN 4980 | Methods Language Learn/Pedagogy | 1 |
| In addition, students in the Peninsular and Spanish American Literature Option are required to take a minimum of six graduate credit hours in each of the 3 following subject areas: | ||
| 1. Medieval/Early Modern/Colonial Literature | 6 | |
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, Medieval Period | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, Renaissance and Baroque | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, Colonial Period and/or 19th Century | ||
| 2. Modern and Contemporary Peninsular Literature | 6 | |
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, 18th and/or 19th Centuries | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, 20th and/or 21st Centuries | ||
| 3. Modern and Contemporary Spanish American Literature | 6 | |
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, Colonial Period and/or 19th Century | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, 20th and/or 21st Centuries | ||
| One Hispanic linguistics course: | 3 | |
| Seminar: Spanish Phonology | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Syntax | ||
| Seminar: Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Seminar: Trends in Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Electives | 3 | |
| Any other graduate seminar offered by the department of Spanish and Portuguese: | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, Renaissance and Baroque | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, 20th and/or 21st Centuries | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, 20th and/or 21st Centuries | ||
| Methods of Teaching Spanish | ||
| Brazilian Literature | ||
| Literature of the Portuguese Speaking World | ||
| Additional 5000-level course(s), inside or outside the department, to fulfill the 30-credit minimum. | 2 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
Hispanic Linguistics Concentration
MA students in the Hispanic linguistics option are required to have their course selections in linguistics approved by their advisor and the Associate Chair of Graduate Studies, but they are encouraged to develop an interdepartmental and interdisciplinary course of study. Graduate seminars offered in linguistics, sociology, psychology, anthropology and education can serve as important complements to linguistics courses taken in our department.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| LING 2000 | Introduction to Linguistics 1 | 3 |
| SPAN 4980 | Methods Language Learn/Pedagogy | 1 |
| Electives | ||
| One Spanish graduate-level literature seminar. | 3 | |
| Additional courses to fulfill the 30-credit minimum. | 23 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 30 | |
| 1 | Required for students who did not take a similar course as part of their previous course of study. Students who must take LING 2000 are required to do so during their first semester in the program. |
Spanish & Portuguese Studies Concentration
MA students in the Spanish and Portuguese studies track are required to take PORT 2350 in their first semester of study (or place in upper Portuguese language level), and 30 hours of graduate coursework, of which 27 hours must be taken within the department. Graduate students in this subplan are required to have Portuguese as the main area for their MA comprehensive exams.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SPAN 5130 | Seminar: Critical Approaches to Iberian & Latin American Literatures and Cultures | 3 |
| SPAN 4980 | Methods Language Learn/Pedagogy | 1 |
| Electives | ||
| One Hispanic Linguistics course | 3 | |
| Seminar: Spanish Phonology | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Syntax | ||
| Seminar: Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Seminar: Trends in Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| Introduction to Hispanic Linguistics | ||
| In addition, students in the Peninsular and Spanish American Literature Option are required to take a minimum of six graduate credit hours in each of the following subject areas: | 18 | |
| Medieval/Early Modern/Colonial Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, Medieval Period | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, Renaissance and Baroque | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, Colonial Period and/or 19th Century | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Peninsular Literature | ||
| Literature of the Portuguese Speaking World | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature, 20th and/or 21st Centuries | ||
| Modern and Contemporary Latin American Literature | ||
| Brazilian Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish Literature and/or Spanish American Literature | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, Colonial Period and/or 19th Century | ||
| Seminar: Spanish American Literature, 20th and/or 21st Centuries | ||
| Additional graduate courses to fulfill the 30-credit minimum | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 31 | |
Teaching Spanish Concentration
MA students in the Spanish teaching concentration are required to complete a minimum of 30 graduate credit hours, of which at least 25 must be taken in the department. All students are required to have their course selections approved by their advisor and the Associate Chair for Graduate Studies.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| SPAN 4650/5650 | Methods of Teaching Spanish 1 | 3 |
| SPAN 4980 | Methods Language Learn/Pedagogy | 1 |
| Spanish graduate-level literature seminars | 9 | |
| Spanish graduate-level linguistics seminars | 9 | |
| Graduate-level linguistics or literature electives in the Department | 3 | |
| Education-related electives inside or outside of the Department | 6 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 31 | |
| 1 | Candidates enrolled in this course will complete a special teaching project covering the planning, teaching and evaluation of a unit consisting of 10 to 15 lessons. |