Spanish and Portuguese Studies - University of Washington
  Graduate Program in Hispanic Studies - Overview

Master's Degree
We revised our M.A. degree in Hispanic Literary and Cultural Studies in 2001 to foster study of Hispanic culture, literature, and language together. Our program devotes increased attention to the rich diversity of Hispanic cultural texts and to their interdisciplinary study while also promoting broad understanding of Spanish and Latin American literature. The program gives careful attention to acquainting students with the traditions of scholarship in our field as well as a range of current textual theory, criticism and research methods. Study of Portuguese and other Romance literatures and cultures, Comparative Literature, Romance and Spanish Linguistics, and other related disciplines may be included in the Master's Degree program. The degree is earned normally in six academic quarters.

Our M.A. Graduates
Some graduates of our M.A. Program pursue careers in teaching at the secondary and community college levels, while others use their Spanish skills in business, politics and translation. They have been accepted into Ph.D. Programs at some of the most prestigious universities in the United States and beyond, including Harvard, Princeton, Brown, Berkeley, New York University, The University of British Columbia, and The University of Arizona. One hundred percent of our M.A. graduates who have applied for Ph.D. study have been accepted into a Ph.D. program.

Doctoral Study at the University of Washington
Students who wish to pursue advanced study in Spanish and Portuguese in a post-Masters' degree program do so by entering the doctoral studies programs of Comparative Literature or other departments of the University. Typically these programs require four quarters of course work followed by written and oral exams in fields the student has defined for specialized study. The final requirement for the degree is the preparation of a written dissertation and its defense.

University
Founded in 1861, the University of Washington is the oldest state-assisted institution of higher education on the Pacific coast. The University's beautiful 700-acre park-like campus borders two lakes in a residential section of Seattle, three miles from the city center. With a student enrollment of 35,000 and a faculty of 3,500, the University has achieved an outstanding, international reputation for its diverse academic programs and distinguished faculty, its notable and varied research contributions, and its broad range of public services.

Seattle
The city's metropolitan population of three million (550,000 in Seattle) supports vibrant cultural, educational and recreational institutions, including flourishing opera, symphony, ballet, and professional theater groups, and major-league sports teams. The city hosts a renowned International Film Festival and boasts a lively film, theater, book and cafô culture. Seattle enjoys a mild climate year-round and is one of the nation's most beautiful, cosmopolitan, and liveable cities.

Region
The nearby Cascade and Olympic mountain ranges, the state's abundant lakes and rivers, the waters of Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean, as well as the area's productive vineyards, orchards, crop lands, and forests, offer Seattle residents unsurpassed natural beauty and a rich variety of recreational opportunities.

Advanced Study and Research Support
The University of Washington Library system, exceeding 5,000,000 cataloged volumes and more than 50,000 serials, ranks high among the acclaimed American academic research libraries. The University's exceptional support facilities include the generously endowed Simpson Center for the Humanities, and the Center for Advanced Research Technology in the Arts and Humanities. The latter provides high-level expertise (including optical scanning, database, and programing support) for the University's humanities departments. The Division of Spanish and Portuguese Studies is the home of the Center for Spanish Studies, a cooperative initiative of the Embassy of Spain and the State of Washington. We provide our graduate students additional computer services, including word-processing, electronic mail, and access to the World-Wide Web and the University Library's on-line catalog and a rich array of reference and bibliographic resources. The University's many theaters, concert halls, galleries, language-learning and media centers, broadcasting stations, and satellite reception facility, are used by students and faculty in research, instruction, and performance projects.

Financial Support and the Cost of Study
One form of support available for graduate students is Teaching Assistantships awarded by the Division of Spanish and Portuguese Studies. These Academic Student Employee positions are covered under a union contract. The positions pay $12,654 for the 2006-2007 academic year. Tuition is about $2,940 per academic quarter for full-time graduate students who are legal residents of Washington state and about $6,880 for nonresident students. Teaching Assistants pay only about $210 tuition each quarter; the remainder is waived.

Inquiries and Applications
Applications for Teaching and Research Assistantships received by January 15 will be assured preferred consideration for the Division's financial support. Applications for admission to graduate study, and for Teaching Assistantships should also be received by January 15, 2008 for domestic applicants and November 1st, 2007 for international applicants for admission the following fall quarter. To download application forms and information, please visit the Admission Requirements & Application Forms link in the Graduate Study section of our webpage. Please contact our Academic Advisor, Suzanna Martínez, at (206) 543-2075, or via e-mail at spsadv@u.washington.edu with any questions you may have.

The Graduate Faculty
(See also Faculty Page
)

Farris Anderson (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin), studies modern Spanish literature and civilization, especially Galdós, the city in literature, and modern theater, as well as advanced grammar.

Kevin Donnelly

Ana Fernández Dobao

Anthony Geist (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley), Acting Chair of the Division, studies 20th-century Spanish literature (particularly the Generation of '27 and poetry since Franco), Modernism & Postmodernism, and cultural studies.

Donald Gilbert-Santamaría (Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley) studies the novel and theater of Early Modern Spain. His next major project is a study of autobiography in Early Modern Spain.

Edgar O'Hara (Ph.D., University of Texas) studies Latin American poetry, especially modern and contemporary, and publishes in this field as well as on poetic theory.

Leigh Mercer (Ph.D., Brown University) studies 18th- and 19th-century Spanish literature.

Suzanne Petersen (Ph.D., University of Wisconsin) studies the Pan-Hispanic ballad tradition from its origins to our time, and medieval literature, especially poetry (the popular lyric and the Libro de buen amor).

George Shipley (Ph.D., Harvard University) studies literature as contradiction and as social modeling during the Edad conflictiva, and innovation in fiction from La Celestina through picaresque to Cervantes.

Adjunct Faculty Members who contribute to the Division's graduate program include the following
(See also Adjunct Faculty Page)

Klaus Brandl, Department of Scandinavian Languages and Literatures (language-teaching methodology)

Terri DeYoung, Department of Near Eastern Languages and Literatures (Arabic literature).

Lauro Flores, Department of American Ethnic Studies

Victoria Lawson, Department of Geography (Gender, labor and migration in Latin America)

Karen Zagona, Department of Linguistics (Spanish syntax, phonology, history of the language)

  See also…
Admission Requirements
Academic Requirements
Former Academic Requirements
TA Program
Fellowships
M.A. Reading List
GO-MAP


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