The University of New Mexico

Graduate Program

Graduate Advisor
Martha Hurd, (505) 277-2974, marthah@unm.edu

M.A. Application Deadlines  
Fall semester: January 15 (with financial aid)
  July 15 (without financial aid)
Spring semester: November 15 (without financial aid)
Summer session: May 10 (without financial aid)
Deadline for Ph.D. Application: January 15

NOTE: Early application is recommended.

Degrees Offered

M.A. in Spanish or Portuguese

Spanish:
Prerequisite for entrance into the M.A. Spanish program is an undergraduate degree with a Spanish major, or the equivalent. The M.A. in Spanish at The University of New Mexico has three concentrations: Hispanic Literature, Hispanic Linguistics, and Hispanic Southwest Studies. All students in the Spanish M.A. program will choose one of the above areas of concentration.

Portuguese:
Prerequisite for entrance into the M.A. Portuguese program is an undergraduate degree with a Portuguese major or the equivalent.

The M.A. in Spanish or Portuguese is offered under Plan I (thesis) and Plan II (course work). Plan I requires a minimum of 27 hours of course work, comprehensive examination and a thesis. Plan II requires 33 hours of course work and comprehensive examinations. Under Plan I, a thesis proposal must be submitted to the student’s thesis committee no later than the beginning of the fourth semester of study when the student will register for 6 hours of thesis credit. Minimum semester hour requirements for TAs under both plans are 9, 9, 9, 6.

1. Requirements for the Concentration in Hispanic Literature

  • 18 hours of Hispanic Literature evenly divided between Spanish American and Peninsular Spanish courses. SPAN 601 (Literary Theory) may be included.
  • 3 hours of Hispanic Linguistics (teaching methodology class, e.g., SPAN 541 may not be included).
  • 3 hours of Portuguese or Hispanic Southwest Studies.
  • SPAN 502 Research and Critical Methods.
  • SPAN 541 Recent Research on the Teaching of Spanish (required of TAs).
  • 3-6 hours (depending on whether teaching methodology class, e.g., SPAN 541, is taken) of electives or thesis.
  • All coursework must be at the 500-level or above with the exception of SPAN *423 (Cervantes’ Quijote) and SPAN *438 (Mexican Literature). Relevant electives outside of the Department may be taken only if pre-approved by the departmental Graduate Committee.

2. Requirements for the Concentration in Hispanic Linguistics

  • 21 hours in Hispanic Linguistics (teaching methodology class, e.g., SPAN 541, may not be included).
  • 3 hours of Hispanic Literature.
  • 3 hours of Portuguese or Hispanic Southwest Studies.
  • 6 hours of electives or of thesis.
  • All Spanish course work counted toward M.A. credit requirements must be in courses approved by the Department at the 500-level or above with the exception of SPAN *423 (Cervantes’ Quijote), and SPAN *438 (Mexican Literature). Relevant electives outside the Department may be taken only if pre-approved by the departmental Graduate Committee.

3. Requirements for the Concentration in Hispanic Southwest Studies

  • 6 hours of Hispanic Linguistics (must include at least one course on Southwest Spanish; teaching methodology class, e.g., SPAN 541, does not satisfy Hispanic Linguistics requirement).
  • 12 hours of Hispanic Southwest Studies taken in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
  • SPAN 502 Research and Critical Methods.
  • 6 Hours of Hispanic/Portuguese literature from outside the Southwest.
  • SPAN 541 Recent Research on the Teaching of Spanish (required of TAs).
  • 3-6 hours of relevant electives (depending on whether teaching methodology class, e.g., SPAN 541, is taken) in the Department or outside (e.g., History, Linguistics, Social Sciences) or thesis as approved by the departmental Graduate Committee.
  • All course work must be at the 500-level with the exception of SPAN *423 (Cervantes’ Quijote), and SPAN *438 (Mexican Literature).

Requirements for the M.A. in Portuguese

  • 15 hours in Portuguese at 400-level or above.
  • 12 hours of Hispanic/Southwest/Portuguese Literature AND/OR Hispanic/Southwest/Portuguese Linguistics.
  • 6 hours of electives or thesis.
  • All Portuguese course work must be at the PORT 400-level or above. Spanish course work must be at the 500-level or above with the exception of SPAN *423 (Cervantes’ Quijote) and SPAN *438 (Mexican Literature).

Spanish or Portuguese Language Requirement

  • Research at the graduate and professional levels is enhanced by the mastery of several languages. Students are advised to consider their professional research goals in selecting a language to fulfill the department’s requirement.
  • All M.A. Spanish or Portuguese candidates must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to one year of university-level study in one language apart from English and the student’s language of major study. This proficiency is normally demonstrated by completing in consultation with the department graduate advisor a second-semester or above numbered language course with a grade of B or better. This requirement can be met through course work done as part of the B.A.

Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese

The Department offers a Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese, with a concentration in one of the following fields: Literature or Linguistics.

Degree Description

The Ph.D. in Spanish and Portuguese at the University of New Mexico requires a minimum of 63 hours of graduate courses (not including dissertation hours), which may include up to 30 hours of M.A. coursework. The degree consists of a departmental concentration and twelve additional hours in a supporting field; a double concentration may be taken in lieu of the coursework in the supporting field, with 48 hours of post-M.A. coursework required (total hours required, including M.A. = 78). All coursework in Spanish must be at the 500- or 600-level, with the exception of Mexican Literature (SPAN *438), and Cervantes’ Quijote (SPAN *423).

1. Departmental Concentration. The two concentrations are Literature and Linguistics. The concentrations require a minimum of 24 hours. The concentration in Literature will consist of a group of courses in a genre (narrative, poetry, theater) and a period (Medieval, Renaissance/Golden Age/Colonial, 18th and 19th Centuries, 20th Century). In addition to the 24 hours in the concentration an additional 12 hours in a supporting field is required.

2. Required Courses. Either SPAN 542 (History of the Spanish Language) or PORT 561 (History of the Portuguese Language) is required of linguistics majors; SPAN 601 (Literary Theory) is required of the literature concentration. In addition 6 hours of Portuguese at the *400-level or above is required of the literature concentration.

3. Language Requirement*. Research at the graduate and professional levels is enhanced by the mastery of several languages. Students are advised to consider their professional research goals in selecting a language to fulfill the department’s requirement. Due to the linguistic similarities between Spanish and Portuguese as well as the strong cultural links between Spanish America and Brazil, coursework in Portuguese is strongly encouraged by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to two years of university-level study in a language apart from English and the student’s language of major study. This proficiency is normally demonstrated by completing, in consultation with the department graduate advisor, a fourth-semester or above numbered language course with a grade of B or better. Alternately, the student may complete the requirement by demonstrating proficiency equivalent to one year of university-level study in two foreign languages, by completing second semester or above numbered language courses in both languages with a grade of B or better. This requirement can be met through coursework done as part of the B.A. and/or M.A.

4. Comprehensive Examination. The doctoral examination encompasses both the concentration and the coursework in the supporting field and a reading list developed by the candidate in consultation with his or her Chair of Committee on Studies. The examination consists of three parts:
a. A 72-hour written examination.
b. An assigned research essay in the student’s concentration developed in collaboration with the Committee on Studies. The research question is generally geared to prepare the student to work on the projected dissertation topic. The student will have two weeks to complete the essay.
c. A comprehensive oral examination to be scheduled within two weeks after the conclusion of the written examination.

5. Ph.D. Dissertation. Follow the information and requirements specified by Graduate Studies in the University of New Mexico Catalog. A dissertation proposal should be presented to the Dissertation Committee within six weeks of passing the comprehensive examination and must be officially approved by the end of the semester following the semester in which the exams where taken. An approved copy of the dissertation proposal must be turned in to the departmental office.

Spanish or Portuguese Ph.D. Language Requirement

Research at the graduate and professional levels is enhanced by the mastery of several languages. Students are advised to consider their professional research goals in selecting a language to fulfill the department’s requirement.

All Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate proficiency equivalent to two years of university-level study in a language apart from English and the student’s language of major study. This proficiency is normally demonstrated by completing in consultation with the department graduate advisor a fourth-semester or above numbered language course with a grade of B or better. Alternately, the student may complete the requirement by demonstrating proficiency equivalent to one year of university-level study in two foreign languages, by completing second semester or above numbered language courses in both languages with a grade of B or better. This requirement can be met through course work done as part of the B.A. and/or M.A.

The Portuguese language, as well as Brazilian literature and culture, share many similarities with the Spanish language and Spanish American literatures and cultures. Coursework in Portuguese will enhance students’ understanding and appreciation of both languages and of the literatures and cultures of Latin America.

Detailed information for all these graduate degrees may be obtained from the Department Web pages at http://www.unm.edu/~spanport/.

Courses in Spanish (SPAN) are categorized in content areas.  The category for each course appears in parenthesis at the end of the course description according to the following legend:

Language (L); Linguistics, Philosophy, and Methodology (LPM); Literature (LT); Peninsular Literature (PL); Spanish American Literature (SA); Southwest Hispanic Studies (SH).

Courses

SPAN 101. Elementary Spanish I. (3)


SPAN 102. Elementary Spanish II. (3)


SPAN 103-104. Elementary Spanish Conversation I–Elementary Spanish Conversation II. (1, 1)


SPAN 111. Elementary SHL I. (3)


SPAN 112. Elementary SHL II. (3)


SPAN 200. Intermediate Spanish Abroad. (3)


SPAN 201. Intermediate Spanish I. (3)


SPAN 202. Intermediate Spanish II. (3)


SPAN 203. Spanish Conversation. (3)


SPAN 211. Intermediate SHL I. (3)


SPAN 212. Intermediate SHL II. (3)


SPAN 275. Accelerated Beginning Spanish. (6)


SPAN 276. Accelerated Intermediate Spanish. (6)


SPAN 301. Topics in Hispanic Culture and Language. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 302. Developing Spanish Writing Skills. (3)


SPAN 307. Introduction to Hispanic Literature. (3)


SPAN 324. Spanish Literature in Translation. (3)


SPAN **350. Spanish Phonetics. (3)


SPAN 351. Introduction to Spanish Linguistics. (3)


SPAN **352. Advanced Grammar. (3)


SPAN 370. Survey of Chicano Literature. (3)


SPAN 371. Spanish of the Southwest. (3)


SPAN 375. Southwestern Hispanic Folklore. (3)


SPAN 377. Southwestern Hispanic Folk Ballads and Songs. (3)


SPAN **395. Spanish Reading for Graduate Students I. (3)


SPAN **396. Spanish Reading for Graduate Students II. (3)


SPAN **411. Survey of Spanish Peninsular Literature I. (3)


SPAN **412. Survey of Spanish Peninsular Literature II. (3)


SPAN *423. Cervantes: The Quijote. (3)


SPAN **429. Topics in Spanish Peninsular Culture and Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN **430. Spanish American Short Story. (3)


SPAN **431. Spanish American Literature Survey I. (3)


SPAN **432. Spanish American Literature Survey II. (3)


SPAN **433. Modern Spanish American Poetry. (3)


SPAN **435. Modern Spanish American Fiction. (3)


SPAN *438. Mexican Literature. (3)


SPAN **439. Topics in Spanish American Culture and Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 449. Topics in Hispanic Linguistics. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN *450. Spanish Mysticism. (3)


SPAN **479. Topics in Southwest Folklore/Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 497. Undergraduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


SPAN 498. Reading and Research for Honors. (3)


SPAN 499. Honors Essay. (3)


SPAN 502. Proseminar: Research and Critical Methodology. (3)


SPAN 504. Seminar in Ibero-American Studies. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 515. Spanish Medieval Paleography. (3)


SPAN 519. Medieval Literature. (3)


SPAN 520. Seminar in the Spanish Peninsular Picaresque Novel. (3)


SPAN 522. Seminar in Spanish Peninsular Poetry. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 523. Renaissance and Baroque Poetry. (3)


SPAN 526. Seminar in Twentieth-Century Spanish Peninsular Theater. (3)


SPAN 529. Spanish Peninsular Post-War Novel. (3)


SPAN 531. The Modernist Movement in Spanish American Poetry. (3)


SPAN 532. Seminar in Twentieth-Century Spanish American Fiction. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 536. Colonial Literature. (3)


SPAN 541. Recent Research on the Teaching of Spanish. (3)


SPAN 542. History of the Spanish Language. (3)


SPAN 545. Spanish Phonology. (3)


SPAN 546. Seminar in Hispanic Sociolinguistics. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 547. Seminar in Southwest Spanish. (3)


SPAN 549. Seminar in the Language of Spain or Spanish America. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 551. Graduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


SPAN 578. Topics in Southwest Hispanic Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 579. Topics in Southwest Culture & Folklore. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 599. Master’s Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)


SPAN 601. Literary Theory. (3)


SPAN 629. Seminar in Spanish Peninsular Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 631. Latin American Vanguard Poetry. (3)


SPAN 633. Spanish American Poetry Since 1950. (3)


SPAN 639. Seminar in Spanish American Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


SPAN 699. Dissertation. (3-12, no limit Δ)


PORT 101. Elementary Portuguese I. (3)


PORT 102. Elementary Portuguese II. (3)


PORT 201-202. Intermediate Portuguese I–Intermediate Portuguese II. (3)


PORT 275. Intensive Beginning Portuguese. (6)


PORT 276. Intensive Intermediate Portuguese. (6)


PORT 277. Intensive Portuguese for Spanish Speakers. (6)


PORT 301. Conversation and Pronunciation. (3)


PORT 311 / 511. Culture and Composition. (3)


PORT 312 / 512. Culture and Conversation. (3)


PORT 335. Brazilian Popular Culture. (3)


PORT 414 / 514. Topics in Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture. (3, no limit Δ)


PORT 416 / 516. Brazilian Cinema. (3)


PORT 417 / 517. Popular Brazilian Music. (3)


PORT 421 / 521. Brazilian Theater. (3)


PORT 457 / 557. Encounters with the New World I. (3)


PORT 458 / 558. Encounters with the New World II. (3)


PORT *461. Topics in Brazilian Literature. (3, no limit Δ)


PORT 497. Undergraduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


PORT 498. Reading and Research for Honors. (3)


PORT 499. Honors Essay or Teaching. (3)


PORT 511 / 311. Culture and Composition. (3)


PORT 512 / 312. Culture and Conversation. (3)


PORT 514 / 414. Topics in Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture. (3, no limit Δ)


PORT 516 / 416. Brazilian Cinema. (3)


PORT 517 / 417. Popular Brazilian Music. (3)


PORT 521 / 421. Brazilian Theater. (3)


PORT 551. Graduate Problems. (1-6 to a maximum of 6 Δ)


PORT 557 / 457. Encounters with the New World I. (3)


PORT 558 / 458. Encounters with the New World II. (3)


PORT 561. History of the Portuguese Language. (3)


PORT 570. Seminar in Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture. (3, no limit Δ)


PORT 599. Master’s Thesis. (1-6, no limit Δ)


PORT 601. Literary Theory. (3)


Course Search:




Keyword Search:

Office of the Registrar

MSC 11 6325
1 University of New Mexico
Albuquerque, NM 87131

Phone: (505) 277-8900
Fax: (505) 277-6809