Campuses:
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Twin Cities Campus
Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics Ph.D.Spanish & Portuguese Studies
College of Liberal Arts
Link to a list of faculty for this program.
Contact Information
Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies, 214 Folwell Hall, 9 Pleasant Street SE, Minneapolis, MN, 55455 (612-625-5858; fax 612-625-3549)
Email:
spptgrad@umn.edu
Website: http://spanport.umn.edu
Along with the program-specific requirements listed below, please read the
General Information section of
this
website for requirements that apply to all major fields.
The PhD program in Hispanic and Lusophone literatures, cultures, and linguistics is a four-year program (post MA) that provides students with a focused and rigorous formation in the literatures, languages, and cultures of Spain and Latin America. PhD students choose one of four areas of emphasis: Iberian (peninsular), Latin America, Lusophone literatures and cultures, and Hispanic linguistics.
In addition to establishing a specialization in one or more areas of Hispanic studies, the program allows and encourages students to pursue comparative or interdisciplinary work. Students complement their work in the department with coursework in other disciplines such as history; cultural studies and comparative literature; gender, women, and sexuality studies; medieval and early modern studies; and linguistics, among others. In addition to the requirements for the MA degree, PhD students must complete additional coursework.
The department's faculty is committed to preparing students and giving them the tools to become scholars and teachers of the highest quality. The department has a strong tradition of fostering socio-historical perspectives on literatures, languages, and cultures. The graduate faculty is committed to comparative and interdisciplinary research and engages a variety of contemporary theoretical approaches, with strengths in postcolonial theory, social justice and human rights, memory studies, critical race theory, diasporic studies, and gender and sexuality studies. Members of the Hispanic linguistics faculty are specialists in the fields of sociolinguistics, second language acquisition, syntax, pragmatics, and phonology.
The department offers students in the program faculty mentoring, a seminar, and workshops on professional development, including publishing, teaching, and interviewing. In addition, graduate student workshops in both literatures and cultures and in linguistics foster student-faculty relations and allow graduate students to ready themselves for conference participation. Travel funds are available through the department to allow students to present their papers at conferences in the US or abroad.
Program Delivery
Prerequisites for Admission
The preferred undergraduate GPA for admittance to the program
is 3.00.
Applicants must first apply to, or hold, a master of arts degree (or its equivalent) before applying to the PhD program. A graduate GPA of 3.50 is preferred.
Other requirements to be completed before admission:
Prospective students generally have completed an undergraduate degree or substantial coursework in the fields of Hispanic literatures and cultures, Lusophone literatures and cultures, or Hispanic linguistics, although individuals with other backgrounds may be admitted.
The Graduate Studies Committee may require completion of background coursework, without graduate degree credit, for admitted students with insufficient preparation.
Special Application Requirements:
Students admitted to the program are required to be fluent in Spanish or Portuguese. The Graduate Studies Committee may require completion of background coursework, without graduate degree credit, for admitted students with insufficient preparation.
All application materials must be submitted electronically through the ApplyYourself application system by December 15. Applicants are accepted for admission for fall semester only. Please refer to the Application Checklist for important details. The following is required for the application: the Departmental Application; a personal statement; a writing sample representative of the applicant's level of scholarly development; three letters of recommendation; a five-minute voice sample; a Curriculum Vitae; GRE or TOEFL test scores; and transcripts. For more information see the Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies Apply page: http://spanport.umn.edu/grad/applying.html.
International applicants must submit score(s) from one of the following tests:
Key to test
abbreviations
(TOEFL, IELTS, MELAB).
For an online application or for more information about graduate education admissions, see the
General Information section of this
website.
Program Requirements
42
credits are required in the major.
12 credits are required outside the major. 24 thesis credits are required.
This program may be completed with a minor.
Use of 4xxx courses toward program requirements is permitted under certain conditions with adviser approval.
Language Requirement: Fluency in Spanish and/or Portuguese.
A minimum GPA of 3.50
is required for students to remain in good standing.
Students entering the program with an MA from other institutions must take a minimum of 7 graduate courses (21 credits) in this department.
Required Coursework
All students must take the following 3-credit course:
SPPT 5999 - The Teaching of College-Level Spanish: Theory and Practice
(3.0 cr)
Outside Coursework
Take 12 credits, selected in consultation with the advisor, from outside the major.
Thesis Credits
Take exactly 24 credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 8888 - Thesis Credit: Doctoral
(1.0-24.0 cr)
Emphasis Options
Hispanic Literatures & Cultures
Spanish Peninsular Literature Electives
Take exactly 12 credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5110 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5150 - Contemporary Spanish Literature
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5160 - Medieval Iberian Literatures and Cultures
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5170 - The Literature of the Spanish Empire and Its Decline
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5180 - Don Quixote
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5190 - The Crisis of the Old Regime: Spanish Literature of the Enlightenment and Romanticism
(3.0 cr)
Spanish American Literature
Take exactly 12 credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5550 - Caribbean Literature: An Integral Approach
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5560 - Global Colonial Studies in the Hispanic World
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5570 - Nineteenth Century Latin America: Enlightened Thought, Nation Building, Literacy, Cultural Discourse
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5580 - Latin American Cultural Integration in the Neocolonial Order
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5590 - The Impact of Globalization in Latin American Discourses
(3.0 cr)
Portuguese Literature
Take exactly 6 credit(s) from the following:
·
PORT 5530 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
PORT 5540 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
PORT 5910 - Topics in Lusophone Cultures and Literatures
(3.0 cr)
·
PORT 5520 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
Major Electives
Take three additional courses (9 credits) at 5xxx or 8xxx level in order to strengthen and further define the student's area of concentration. This can include credits from the student's minor field.
Take 9 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5316 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5531 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5920 - Topics in Spanish-American Studies
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8100 - Research in Sociohistorical Approaches to Spanish Literature
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8200 - Spanish Literary Texts: Theories of Formal Structures
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8212 - Spanish Theater of the 16th Century: Drama up to Lope
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8223 - The Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8300 - The Construction of Spanish Literary History
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8312 - Two Spanish Masterpieces: [Libro de Buen Amor] and [La Celestina]
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8960 - Workshop: Research in Hispanic Cultural Issues
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8990 - Advanced Comparative Research of Caribbean Genres
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5930 - Topics in Ibero-Romance Linguistics
(3.0 cr)
-OR-
Lusophone Literatures & Cultures
Portugeuse and Lusophone Literature
Take exactly 12 credit(s) from the following:
·
PORT 5520 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
PORT 5530 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
PORT 5540 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
PORT 5910 - Topics in Lusophone Cultures and Literatures
(3.0 cr)
Spanish Peninsular OR Spanish-American Literatures & Cultures
Students can petition out of one of the four required Spanish courses if the advisor and student consider it appropriate in accordance to the student's intellectual needs with regard to his/her dissertation project.
Take exactly 12 credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5160 - Medieval Iberian Literatures and Cultures
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5170 - The Literature of the Spanish Empire and Its Decline
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5180 - Don Quixote
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5190 - The Crisis of the Old Regime: Spanish Literature of the Enlightenment and Romanticism
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5110 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5150 - Contemporary Spanish Literature
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5550 - Caribbean Literature: An Integral Approach
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5560 - Global Colonial Studies in the Hispanic World
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5570 - Nineteenth Century Latin America: Enlightened Thought, Nation Building, Literacy, Cultural Discourse
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5580 - Latin American Cultural Integration in the Neocolonial Order
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5590 - The Impact of Globalization in Latin American Discourses
(3.0 cr)
Electives
Take five additional courses (15 credits) at the 5xxx or 8xxx level in order to strengthen and further define the student's area of concentration. This can include credits from the student's minor field.
Take exactly 15 credit(s) from the following:
·
PORT 5930 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5316 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5531 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5920 - Topics in Spanish-American Studies
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8100 - Research in Sociohistorical Approaches to Spanish Literature
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8200 - Spanish Literary Texts: Theories of Formal Structures
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8212 - Spanish Theater of the 16th Century: Drama up to Lope
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8223 - The Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8300 - The Construction of Spanish Literary History
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8312 - Two Spanish Masterpieces: [Libro de Buen Amor] and [La Celestina]
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8960 - Workshop: Research in Hispanic Cultural Issues
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 8990 - Advanced Comparative Research of Caribbean Genres
(3.0 cr)
-OR-
Hispanic Linguistics
Linguistic Core Areas
Take at least one course from each of the five core areas, for a total of 21 credits.
Take exactly 21 credit(s) from the following:
Phonology
Take 3 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5711 {Inactive}
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5721 - Spanish Laboratory Phonology
(3.0 cr)
·
Syntax/Pragmatics
Take 3 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5714 - Theoretical Foundations of Spanish Syntax
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5716 - Structure of Modern Spanish: Pragmatics
(3.0 cr)
·
Language Variation
Take 3 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5718 - Spanish Language Contact
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5717 - Spanish Sociolinguistics
(3.0 cr)
·
SPAN 5985 - Sociolinguistic Perspectives on Spanish in the United States
(3.0 cr)
·
History of Language
·
SPAN 5701 - History of Ibero-Romance
(3.0 cr)
·
Second Language Acquisition
·
SPAN 5991 - The Acquisition of Spanish as a First and Second Language
(3.0 cr)
Hispanic Linguistics Electives
Take at least three 5xxx or 8xxx level courses (9 credits) from within or outside the department with linguistics content.
Take 9 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5xxx
·
SPAN 8xxx
·
PORT 5xxx
·
PORT 8xxx
·
LING 5xxx
·
LING 8xxx
·
STAT 5xxx
·
STAT 8xxx
·
CI 5xxx
·
CI 8xxx
Spanish & Portuguese Electives
Select three 5xxx or 8xxx level courses (9 credits) from the following list in order to strengthen and further define the student's area of concentration. This can include credits from the student's minor field.
Take 9 or more credit(s) from the following:
·
SPAN 5xxx
·
SPAN 8xxx
·
PORT 5xxx
·
PORT 8xxx
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Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
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Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
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Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Prerequisites: | Grad student or # |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
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Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
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Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
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Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
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Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Every Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
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Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
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Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
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Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Every Fall, Spring & Summer |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 9.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Grading Basis: | A-F or Aud |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
Typically offered: | Periodic Fall & Spring |
Credits: | 3.0 [max 3.0] |
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