University of Maryland
Graduate Catalog Fall 2009

Spanish and Portuguese Languages and Literatures (SPAP)

Faculty

Chair
Quintero-Herencia, Juan Carlos,

Director
Merediz, Eyda,

Professor
Aguilar-Mora, Jorge, Benito-Vessels, Carmen, Cypess, Sandra M., Harrison, Regina, Igel, Regina, Quintero-Herencia, Juan Carlos, Sosnowski, Saul,

Professor Emerita
Nemes, Graciela P.,

Professor Emeritus
Pacheco, Jose E.,

Associate Professor
Demaria, Laura, Lacorte, Jose Manuel, Lavine, Roberta Z., Merediz, Eyda, Naharro-Calderon, Jose M., Rodriguez, Ana Patricia, Sanchez De Pinillos, Hernan,

Assistant Professor
Penrose, Mehl,

Abstract

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Maryland, College Park, has been the home of Latin American and Spanish literary luminaries such as Juan Ramon Jimenez, who taught at the University between 1943 and 1951 and who, after being nominated by the Department, received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1956. The legacy of Juan Ramon Jimenez as well as that of cultural critic Angel Rama, award-winning poet Jose Emilio Pacheco, and Professor Emerita Graciela Palau de Nemes continues to shape the thought, vision, and mission of our Department. Following in this tradition of excellence and innovation, the Department offers comprehensive undergraduate and graduate programs in the languages, literatures, and cultures of Latin America, Spain, and Portugal.

The Department is renowned for its interdisciplinary strengths in Latin American and Lusophone literatures and cultures as well as its faculty research in the areas of the history of ideas, Southern Cone literature, Judeo-Latin American literature, Mexican literature, theater, and performance, Latin American modernismo, colonial and transatlantic discourses, Central American transnational cultures, U.S. Latinidades, Quechua language and indigenous literatures, Caribbean poetics, salsa and sabor, Brazilian cinema, Lusophone Africa and African diaspora studies, deconstructions of the Cuban Revolution, and contemporary reinscriptions of the nineteenth century.

Faculty members in the area of Spanish literature are recognized for their work in the history of the Spanish language and philology from the Middle Ages to the present, Medieval historiography and women narratives, Golden Age poetics, Cervantes and Quevedo traditions, revisions of the Enlightenment, romanticism (journalism and costumbrismo) and realism (philosophical traditions), modern and postmodern narrative and poetics, as well as representations of the Spanish Civil War and exile, particularly in Latin America.

The Department is also at the forefront of Spanish Applied Linguistics, language teaching pedagogy, language teacher education, language use and identity, social and political issues in foreign language teaching and learning, instructional technology, learner variables and learning disabilities, language for specific purposes, cross-cultural communication, and heritage language learning.

Mission

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese seeks to forge a strong dialogue between, and within, our areas of specialization pertaining to Latin America, Spain, and Portugal. To that end, we offer thorough instruction in the diverse, complex, and globalized literatures, cultures, and linguistics of the Spanish and Portuguese-speaking world. Our students not only develop the critical language skills to communicate in the target language but also gain an understanding of the cultures, politics, histories, and literatures of the communities and national spaces of the Americas, Spain and Portugal.

Our goal is to foster learning, develop critical perspectives, and promote intellectual growth in our students. We teach across interdisciplinary fields such as literature, film, popular and visual culture, theatre, history, philosophy, critical theory, gender and queer studies, philology, and linguistics in different cultural and geographic contexts. We strive for the creation and discussion of new forms of knowledge and the effective engagement of our students and faculty with the world. We prepare students to become promising professionals in their chosen careers.

Our M.A. and Ph.D. graduates are mentored by our faculty, engage in substantive research projects, and benefit from rigorous training in the teaching skills required by the profession. They are prepared to meet the professional demands of highly competitive academic positions in the United States and Latin America.

Admissions Information

In addition to Graduate School requirements, candidates must have a bachelor's degree with a major in Spanish Language and Literature, or the equivalent in a related field with near native fluency in the written and spoken language.

Application Deadlines

 

Fall

Spring
Domestic Applicants:
U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents

Domestic Applicant Deadlines


Applications must be received by JANUARY 7 to be considered for admission. This deadline applies to both, national and international students. January 7 (January 7 preferred) .

 


International Applicants:
Applicants from Outside the U.S. or U.S. Citizens / Permanent Residents with Non-U.S. Credentials

IMPORTANT:   International Applicants and U.S. Applicants with Non-U.S. Credentials must follow the domestic deadlines above if they are earlier than the deadlines listed below.   

Applicants seeking admission under F (Student) or J (Exchange Visitor) visas

February 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Feb. 1

June 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

Applicants seeking admission under A, E, G, H, I, and L visas and immigrants

May 1
If Domestic Deadline is after May 1

October 1
If Domestic Deadline is after Jun. 1

U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents with foreign credentials

May 15
If Domestic Deadline is after May 15

October 31
If Domestic Deadline is after Oct.31
 

Application Requirements

By January 7th, Send your Application for Graduate Admission DIRECTLY TO:
University of Maryland, College Park
Enrollment Services Operations (ESO)
Rm 0130 Mitchell Building
College Park, MD 20742

INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING MATERIALS:

  • 1. Official Transcripts (minimum 12 credits upper level literature/culture courses)
  • 2. TOEFL (minimum required 575) or IES* results for foreign students only
  • 3. Three letters of Recommendation IN ENGLISH (or notarized translation)
  • 4. Sample Research Paper IN SPANISH
  • 5. Statement of Purpose IN ENGLISH
  • 6. Oral Interview could be requested, in person or by phone, if the candidate is in the short-list of applicants.

The Department strongly encourage all of our applicants to submit as many of their materials as possible electronically.


*International Education Services http://www.international.umd.edu/ies documents and transcripts must be submitted in original hard copy.

Degree Requirements

Master of Arts (M.A.)

The Department offers both a non-thesis option and the thesis option for the master's degree. A total of 30 credit hours are required for the non-thesis option with three credits in linguistics; three credits in literary theory and/or criticism; fifteen credits in either Spanish or Latin American literature, one of which is to be considered the candidate's main field; and nine credits in the other or "non-major" literature. A one-credit course in methodology is required of all teaching assistants. Students must also submit a written scholarly paper in the final semester of their program which will be read and evaluated by at least two appropriate faculty members.

Students who choose to write a thesis must meet the same criteria stated above, except that the course requirement in the "major" literature is reduced from fifteen to nine credits with six hours of thesis research credit required. All M.A. candidates must take a comprehensive examination.

Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.)

The doctoral degree is a research and specialized degree and it does not require a fixed number of credit hours. Before admission to candidacy, the student must demonstrate:

  1. a thorough knowledge of the literary production in the chosen area (Spanish or Spanish-American Literature);
  2. an in-depth knowledge of the field of specialization;
  3. proficiency in at least one field of the others Hispanic literatures;
  4. a reading knowledge of a language other than Spanish and English, to be used as a research tool in the field of specialization;
  5. one course in linguistics, such as "History of the Spanish Language";
  6. a minimum of one course in Literary Theory and/or Criticism;
  7. acquaintance with a third literature (e.g. Luso-Brazilian, French, or English); and
  8. a background in supporting fields to be used as research tools (e.g. history, philosophy, political science, sociology, or art). Students must pass a comprehensive examination, a translation exam (in a language other than English and Spanish), have their dissertation proposal approved for admission to candidacy, and defend a dissertation.

    Facilities and Special Resources

    In addition to the resources of the University libraries, students have easy access to the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution and other Washington-based libraries and archives. National Archives-II, located on University grounds, is readily accessible to the Campus community. Dr. Sosnowski is the founder and editor of the literary journal Hispamerica. The graduate students publish Ojo de buey, a cultural magazine and also they have a discussion group on Creative Writing named Humo.

    In association with the Latin American Studies Center, the Department promotes original initiatives on Latin American topics. Postdoctoral Fellows and Visiting Professors are an integral part of our academic program. In recent years, our faculty has been the recipient of major grants and fellowships from The Rockefeller Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the John Simon Guggenheim Foundation.

    Financial Assistance

    Financial assistance in the form of fellowships and assistantships is available for qualified applicants.

    Contact Information

    For additional information please contact:

    Dra. Eyda Merediz
    Director of Graduate Studies
    Department of Spanish and Portuguese
    2215-H Jimenez Hall
    University of Maryland
    College Park, MD 20742
    (301) 405-6451
    e-mail: emerediz@umd.edu

    Department of Spanish and Portuguese
    University of Maryland 2215 Jimenez Hall College Park, MD 20742
    Maryland  20742
    Telephone: 301-405-6441
    http://www.languages.umd.edu/SpanishPortuguese/

    current URL: http://www.gradschool.umd.edu/catalog/programs/printable.cfm?CODE=188

    Copyright 2001 University of Maryland