The faculty in the Department of Languages and Literatures offer graduate programs leading to the M.A. degree in French, German, and Spanish. Concentrations are available in the following areas:
Students admitted to the Master of Education degree program in Secondary Education may elect foreign languages as the subject matter field. See “Master of Education” for information on the M.Ed. degree.
The faculty also offer a graduate program with a major in Spanish leading to the Ph.D. degree. See “Doctor of Philosophy” for general requirements.
It is recommended, but not required, that students applying for admission to the M.A., M.Ed., or Ph.D. program submit scores on the Graduate Record Examination.
MASTER OF ARTS
Candidates for the M.A. degree should, upon entrance, present the equivalent of an undergraduate major in the language in which the degree is sought. Those who lack this background, but who show strong potential and meet Graduate College admissions requirements, may be admitted to a graduate program on a provisional basis, pending removal of specified deficiencies. These deficiencies must be completed in addition to the regular program of study for the master’s degree.
Students in all graduate programs are expected to maintain a high level of linguistic fluency acceptable to a native speaker. Before acceptance in the program, applicants may be requested to furnish evidence of their proficiency.
The program of study for the M.A. degree includes a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate-level work, as approved by the candidate’s supervisory committee. The program must include a 500-level Bibliography and Research Methods course offered by the department. It is recommended that the course be taken, if possible, in the first semester of the candidate’s graduate career. (Students in the Spanish program [literature concentration] also are required to enroll in SPA 545 Concepts of Literary Criticism.) When approved by the candidate’s supervisory committee, nine hours in another language or in closely related courses may be included in the program.
Students pursuing their graduate studies in a program with a concentration in literature, comparative literature, or linguistics present an acceptable thesis for which six hours of credit are granted.
Students who are primarily interested in teaching on the secondary or community college levels may select, with the approval of the supervisory committee, a program of study with a concentration in language and culture. Students in this program present a thesis for which six hours of credit are granted.
Comprehensive Examinations. All candidates are required to pass a comprehensive written or oral examination designed to evaluate the candidate’s knowledge in the area of specialization. A reading list is provided as a guide to preparation for this examination.
Thesis Requirements. A thesis is required.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination in defense of the thesis is required.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
The Ph.D. degree is offered with a major in Spanish.
Program of Study. The student’s individual program of courses covering the various periods of Spanish and Latin American literature, as well as the historical and political background of both areas, is determined in consultation with the supervisory committee. Specifically required are SPA 500 Bibliography and Research Methods, SPA 540 History of the Spanish Language, and SPA 545 Concepts of Literary Criticism.
At least 15 graduate credits must be earned in the subfield, and the candidate’s program of study in the subfield must be approved by the subfield department. Normally the comprehensive examination on the subfield, administered by the subfield department, must be satisfied before the comprehensive in Spanish. Students are urged to consult the Handbook for Spanish Graduate Students.
Foreign Language Requirements. Each candidate is expected to demonstrate a reading knowledge of two languages other than Spanish. The language requirements must be satisfied before the candidate is eligible to take the comprehensive examination.
Comprehensive Examinations. A written and oral comprehensive examination, designed to ascertain the candidate’s knowledge and orientation in the field of study and competency to proceed with the dissertation, is required at or near the end of course work.
Dissertation Requirements. The candidate must present an acceptable dissertation based on original investigation. The dissertation must represent a significant contribution to knowledge and demonstrate the candidate’s ability to do independent, scholarly research.
Final Examinations. A final oral examination is required. This examination covers the subject matter of the dissertation and appropriate field.
RESEARCH ACTIVITY
Commitment to professional research in the Department of Languages and Literatures is evidenced by the large number of faculty publications and conference papers. Faculty members are engaged in editorial work for scholarly presses and journals. The Bilingual Press is now based at the university. The ASU Library collection has extensive holdings in all the fields of foreign languages. Both faculty and students have access to computer aids for research. In addition, the Center for Latin American Studies coordinates Latin American research programs for faculty and students involved in Latin American research. The Hispanic Research Center focuses on the Spanish-speaking population of the U.S. Faculty in all Romance languages are active in the Arizona Center for Medieval and Renaissance Studies and in the Interdisciplinary Humanities Program.
Specific topics of faculty research are described below.
French. In addition to the presentation of the general range of French and Francophone civilization, language, and literature, faculty members are engaged in research projects on the following topics: interpretation; literary translation; stylistics; critical text and textbook preparation; the chanson de geste; medieval lyric poetry; Renaissance narrative (Rabelais, Marguerite de Navarre); classical aesthetics; the Philosophical Tale; the relationship of 19th-century literature, art, music, and criticism; French opera and the art song; the contemporary novel (Proust, Pinget, Chedid); Romanian authors in France; French African and French Canadian narrative; sociolinguistics and French syntax; 18th-century literature; philosophical approaches to literature and autobiography; French women in literature and art.
German. In addition to general coverage of German literary topics, faculty members are engaged in research on the following topics: literary theory and stylistics, Old Norse, the Baroque novel and drama, the epoch of Goethe and Schiller, Romanticism, Austrian literature, individual figures such as Kleist and Kafka, and women’s role in German literature.
Spanish. In addition to broad coverage of Spanish and Spanish-American literary topics, particular regional emphases lie with the U.S. Southwest, Mexico, the Caribbean, the Andes, and the River Plate. Specific research projects by Spanish faculty members include topics in Chicano literature, literary translation, Hispanic literary bibliography, literary theory, Argentine narrative, contemporary Spanish poetry, Hispanic women writers, Latin American popular culture, prose narrative of the Golden Age, contemporary Spanish and Spanish-American theatre, Hispanic linguistics and bilingualism/sociolinguistics, and various topics in Brazilian literature.
Omnibus Graduate Courses: See omnibus graduate courses that may be offered.
Page last updated:
Visits to this page: