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19 August 1997
Degrees Offered
Master of Arts
Doctor of Philosophy
The Perry-Castaneda Library is well equipped to serve the needs of graduate students in Spanish and Portuguese. The Benson Latin American Collection is the world's foremost university research collection for Latin American studies. It contains 615,000 volumes related to Latin America.
The several language and computer laboratories furnish excellent opportunities for technical and professional preparation for teaching and research in Romance languages and linguistics. A large collection of tape recordings of dialect materials is also available.
Graduate work in Spanish and Portuguese is divided into the following areas: Portuguese (Luso-Brazilian language and literature), Spanish (Hispanic language and literature), Ibero-Romance philology and linguistics, and, in conjunction with the Department of French and Italian, Romance linguistics.
Admission and Degree Requirements
Master of Arts
The student must hold a bachelor's degree with a major in Spanish or Portuguese or demonstrate equivalent knowledge. A student admitted without this background must acquire it by supplemental reading and coursework before undertaking a regular degree program.
Concentration in Hispanic literature. In this program the student must take at least nine semester hours of Spanish literature and nine semester hours of Spanish American literature. A civilization course may replace one literature course in each of these categories. At least three hours must be taken in each of the following periods: (1) beginnings through fifteenth century; (2) sixteenth and seventeenth centuries; (3) eighteenth and nineteenth centuries; and (4) twentieth century. The student must also take at least three hours in literary theory and two graduate-level linguistics courses from the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.
Concentration in Luso-Brazilian literature. The Master of Arts degree program in Portuguese consists of courses in literature, language, and civilization prescribed by the Portuguese faculty under the coordination of the graduate adviser. Both continental and Brazilian literature must be represented. The courses in civilization may be taken in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese or in another department but must have Luso-Brazilian content. All students must take a course in literary theory.
Concentration in Ibero-Romance philology and linguistics. In this program the student must take twelve semester hours of Hispanic linguistics in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, covering both synchronic and diachronic dimensions; three hours in the Department of Linguistics; six hours of supporting work in related fields; and six hours of graduate-level coursework in Hispanic literature. Courses in supporting work may be taken within the Department of Spanish and Portuguese or in other departments, depending on the student's academic interests.
Concentration in Romance linguistics. This program, offered in conjunction with the Department of French and Italian, consists of coursework in two of four major Romance languages, distributed as follows: (1) introduction to Romance linguistics; (2) four linguistics courses in the first language (Spanish or Portuguese); and (3) three courses in a second language.
All master's degrees in Spanish or Portuguese require a demonstrated proficiency in a second foreign language equivalent to that shown by four semesters of study. Upon completion of required coursework (twenty-seven semester hours in addition to the thesis course, or thirty hours in addition to the report course), the student must pass a written comprehensive examination. Lists of fundamental works in literature or linguistics are provided by the graduate adviser to help the student prepare.
Doctor of Philosophy
Although the PhD is not awarded on the basis of a specific number of courses or hours of credit, twelve courses (thirty-six hours) beyond the master's degree are usually recommended. Depending on the student's academic background, the supervising committee, the graduate adviser, or the Graduate Studies Committee may require additional coursework. Nine of the thirty-six semester hours must be in one or more related fields outside the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, such as other foreign languages, English, history, linguistics, and philosophy.
Concentration in Hispanic literature. The student must take (1) two courses in early Hispanic literature (medieval, Renaissance, golden age); (2) one course in eighteenth-, nineteenth-, or twentieth-century Spanish (Peninsular) literature; (3) one course in nineteenth- or twentieth-century Spanish American literature; (4) two linguistics courses in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, usually including a course in the history of the language; and (5) three courses in supporting work outside the major areas and, if possible, outside the department.
Concentration in Luso-Brazilian literature. The student must take (1) one course in early Portuguese literature (medieval through baroque) or colonial Brazilian literature; (2) one or two courses in nineteenth-century Portuguese/Brazilian literature; (3) one or two courses in twentieth-century Portuguese/Brazilian literature and culture; (4) two courses in linguistics; (5) one course in literary theory; and (6) two courses in supporting work outside the major areas.
Concentration in Ibero-Romance philology and linguistics. The student must take at least twelve courses beyond the master's degree, depending on academic background. The twelve courses must consist of five courses in the main area; three or four in a second area; and three or four in supporting work. The student must choose either Spanish or Portuguese linguistics as the major field of concentration, covering both diachronic and synchronic dimensions. For the second field, the student may choose from the following options: (1) a second Romance language, preferably Portuguese; (2) an area of literary concentration related to the student's linguistic studies; (3) an area that can be fulfilled with courses outside the department, such as applied linguistics, theoretical linguistics, sociolinguistics, or psycholinguistics. Supporting work, intended to broaden the student's theoretical foundation and methodology for work in the fields of concentration, is chosen from appropriate offerings in corresponding departments. A more detailed description of the program is available from the graduate adviser.
Concentration in Romance linguistics. The student must take at least twenty-two courses beyond the Bachelor of Arts degree in the following areas: (1) seventeen courses from among the linguistics offerings in the Department of French and Italian and the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, including a required course in comparative Romance linguistics; (2) five courses of supporting work from appropriate graduate linguistics courses in other departments. Language requirements for this degree are an adequate knowledge of the four major Romance languages, as well as a reading knowledge of German and a basic knowledge of Latin. A detailed description of the program is available from the graduate adviser.
Upon completion of course requirements, all doctoral students must pass a comprehensive examination in order to gain admission to candidacy for the degree. Students concentrating in Hispanic literature and Luso-Brazilian literature must take a written examination based on the general doctoral reading list and an oral examination based on three fields of concentration; the student chooses the three fields for in-depth study in consultation with the graduate adviser and with the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee. Students in Ibero-Romance philology and linguistics and Romance linguistics must take a written comprehensive examination in the areas of concentration prepared by a faculty committee. Before admission to candidacy, the student must have (1) basic knowledge of Latin or Greek; (2) advanced proficiency in a second Romance language; and (3) reading knowledge of another Romance language or of a third foreign language chosen in consultation with the graduate adviser on the basis of the student's research needs. The student may not use his or her native language to fulfill any language requirement.
Campus address: Batts Hall (BAT) 103, Phone (512) 471-4936, Fax
(512) 471-8073
Mailing address: Graduate Program, Department of Spanish and Portuguese, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas 78712
URL: http://www.sp.utexas.edu/
Chapter Four
Graduate Catalog
Contents
Chapter 1: Graduate Study
Chapter 2: Admission and Registration
Chapter 3: Degree Requirements
Chapter 4: Fields of Study
Chapter 5: Members of Graduate Studies Committees
Appendix: Course Abbreviations
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