DEPARTMENT OF SPANISH AND PORTUGUESE
322 Humanities
Hall; (949) 824-6901
Jacobo Sefamí, Acting Department Chair
Faculty
Ana María Amár Sánchez, Ph.D. Universidad de Buenos Aires (Argentina), Associate Professor of Spanish (Latin American literature, mass culture studies and critical theory)
Luis F. Avilés, Ph.D. Brown University, Associate Professor of Spanish (Golden Age literature and critical theory)
Juan Bruce-Novoa, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Professor of Spanish (Latin American and Chicano literatures)
Anne J. Cruz, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor Emerita of Spanish (Golden Age Spanish and comparative literature)
Ana Paula Ferreira, Ph.D. New York University, Professor of Portuguese and Comparative Literature (Portuguese and Brazilian literatures, women's studies, and critical theory)
Lucía Guerra-Cunningham, Ph.D. University of Kansas, Professor of Spanish (Latin American literature, literary theory, and women's studies)
Michelle M. Hamilton, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Assistant Professor of Spanish (medieval Spain, including Hebrew and Arabic literature of al-Andalus)
Ivette N. Hernández-Torres, Ph.D. Brown University, Associate Professor of Spanish (colonial literature and Caribbean literature)
Juergen Kempff, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara, Lecturer with Security of Employment and Language Curriculum Director (theoretical and applied linguistics, Spanish as a foreign language, technology and instruction)
Horacio Legrás, Ph.D. Duke University, Assistant Professor of Spanish (Latin American literature and culture)
Seymour Menton, Ph.D. New York University, Research Professor of Spanish and Portuguese (Latin American novel and short story)
Alejandro Morales, Ph.D. Rutgers University, Professor of Spanish and Chicano/Latino Studies (Latin American and Chicano literature, film studies, creative writing)
Gonzalo Navajas, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Professor of Spanish (eighteenth- through twentieth-century Spanish literature; film and visual arts; aesthetics and contemporary cultures)
Héctor Orjuela, Ph.D. University of Kansas, Professor Emeritus of Spanish (Latin American literature, poetry and essay)
Julian Palley, Ph.D. University of New Mexico, Professor Emeritus of Spanish (modern Spanish literature)
Jill Robbins, Ph.D. University of Kansas, Associate Dean of the School of Humanities and Associate Professor of Spanish (contemporary Spanish literature, gender theory, and cultural studies)
Armin Schwegler, Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley, Professor of Spanish (history of Spanish, dialectology, historical linguistics, typology, Creoles)
Jacobo Sefamí, Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin, Acting Department Chair of Spanish and Portuguese and Professor of Spanish (Latin American literature, contemporary poetry)
Dayle Seidenspinner-Núñez, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor Emerita of Spanish (medieval Spanish and comparative literature)
Juan Villegas, Ph.D. Universidad de Chile, Research Professor of Spanish (literary theory, modern Spanish literature, Latin American theatre and poetry)
Zidia Webb, M.A. Michigan State University, Lecturer with Security of Employment Emerita, Spanish and Portuguese
The main objectives of the program in Spanish and Portuguese are to develop competence in the ability to understand, speak, read, and write Spanish and Portuguese, and to provide through the knowledge of these two languages an understanding and appreciation of their literatures and cultures.
Spanish Placement
To enroll in Spanish 1A or any Spanish course through the 2C (or 5) level: Students without previous background in Spanish must take a copy of their high school transcript to the Humanities Undergraduate Counseling Office in 143 Humanities Instructional Building (HIB), open daily 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m., to activate their eligibility to enroll in Spanish 1A. Any student with a previous course (or courses) in Spanish from another college or university who wants to enroll in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 5 course at UCI, must take a copy of their college transcripts to the Humanities Undergraduate Counseling Office in order to receive authorization to enroll in the next course. Students who graduated from a high school in a Spanish-speaking country, or who graduated from a Spanish Academy, must take a copy of their transcripts to the Spanish Department in 322 Humanities Hall to determine where they should be placed.
Students with previous high school background in Spanish wanting to enroll in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 5 course at UCI for the first time must take the placement test. Eligibility to enroll in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 5 course at UCI will be based on the result of that placement test. Students who have already met the UCI language other than English breadth requirement for graduation with SAT Subject Test scores, International Baccalaureate (IB) scores, or Advanced Placement (AP) examinations, and plan to enroll in a Spanish course at UCI, are still required to take the Spanish placement test. Students cannot earn units or grade points at UCI in courses from which they have been exempted on the basis of IB or AP credit, even if the placement test result recommends enrollment in such a level.
Students currently enrolled in any Spanish 1A through Spanish 2B course at UCI will be eligible to enroll for the next course within the series without having to take the placement test, provided they receive a C or better in the previous course within the series.
Native or near-native speakers who place into Spanish 2C and whose home language is Spanish are encouraged to enroll in Spanish 5, Spanish for Native Speakers, instead.
Placement testing is offered throughout the summer and the academic year. For information about registering for the placement test, contact the Testing Office, 2200 Student Services II; telephone (949) 824-6207; e-mail: testoff@uci.edu; World Wide Web: http://www.testingoffice.uci.edu/plt/.
To enroll in Spanish 10A, 10B, or beyond: An active prerequisite check system is in place for Spanish 10A and 10B. In order to enroll in Spanish 10A a student must have passed Spanish 2C or 5. The prerequisite for Spanish 10B is 10A.
Students who have satisfied the required prerequisite at another college or university, or who graduated from a high school in a Spanish-speaking country, or who graduated from a Spanish Academy must take a copy of their transcript to the Humanities Undergraduate Study Office in order to receive authorization to enroll in the appropriate course.
All courses in Spanish
and Portuguese, unless specifically stated, are taught in the foreign language.
By the end of the first year, students attain mastery of the basic structure of
the language and ability to converse on everyday topics, as well as to read and
write at an elementary level. In
the second year, emphasis is put on gradually raising the level of the student's
ability to read and write. A third-year two-quarter sequential course stresses composition
and introduces literary analysis. Further, a course in phonetics aims to perfect
pronunciation and presents historical and dialect variants of Spanish. In addition
to giving students a sense of literary history, the introductory courses in literature,
also to be taken in the third year, introduce students to elements of literary research
and writing. The courses in Hispanic culture combine a panoramic overview with a
close look at a specific country or topic, and require a final research project.
Upper-division literature and film courses offer a more detailed analysis of specific
texts and require a final research paper.
Although a major in Portuguese is not offered, advanced literature courses are available. In addition, an undergraduate minor is offered.
The faculty encourages Spanish majors or minors who are serious about improving their Spanish language ability in reading, writing, and speaking to take advantage of opportunities to immerse themselves in the Spanish language by studying in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Spain, or other Spanish-speaking countries through the Education Abroad Program (EAP) or through the International Opportunities Program (IOP). Programs are available for the summer, one quarter, one semester, or one year. While studying abroad, students can continue to make progress toward their UCI degree. See the Center for International Education section of the Catalogue or an academic counselor for additional information.
REQUIREMENTS FOR THE BACHELOR'S DEGREE
University Requirements: See pages 59-64.
School Requirements: See page 254.
Foreign Language Placement and Progression: See page 253.
Departmental Requirements for the Major
Spanish 2C (or Spanish 5, for native speakers) or the equivalent is a prerequisite to Spanish 10A. Spanish 10A is a prerequisite to Spanish 10B and to major requirements. Students may take 10B concurrently with 100-level Spanish grammar or linguistics courses. Students must, however, complete 10B before taking upper-division literature courses.
Students must choose one or both of the following emphases:
Language and Culture: Spanish 10A-B; 15*; 100A or 100B; 100C or 100D; 100E; 107; 110A or 110B or 110C; 113A; 113B; and five additional upper-division courses, three of which must be taught in Spanish.
* For non-native speakers only; semi-native and native speakers must substitute another upper-division course in either literature or culture for Spanish 15.
Literature and Culture: Spanish 10A-B; 100A, 100B, 100C, 100D, 100E; 110A or 110B or 110C; 113A; 119; and five upper-division Spanish courses in literature, two of which may be substituted by culture, film, and/or creative writing courses offered by the Department. NOTE: The Spanish 100A-E series must be completed before enrolling in upper-division literature courses numbered above 100.
Residence Requirement for the Major: At least five upper-division courses required for the major must be completed successfully at UCI.
Departmental Requirements for the Spanish Minor
Spanish 2C or 5 (or equivalent) is a prerequisite to minor requirements.
Seven courses in Spanish, including Spanish 10A and 10B and at least four upper-division courses.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: At least four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI. By petition, two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, providing course content is approved in advance by the appropriate department chair.
Departmental Requirements for the Portuguese Minor
Foreign Language Placement and Progression: See page 253.
Prerequisite: Portuguese 1C or the equivalent. Requirements: Portuguese 120A, B, C and four courses from Portuguese 121 and 122.
Residence Requirement for the Minor: At least four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI. By petition, two of the four may be taken through the UC Education Abroad Program, providing course content is approved in advance by the appropriate department chair.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES
Spanish is particularly useful in international business or trade, community or social service, and in foreign service. Spanish majors interested in writing may look to publishing, writing, or editing positions.
Majoring in Spanish is excellent preparation for graduate and professional study in law, medicine, social welfare, library science, business or public administration, education, international relations, journalism, or advanced study in Spanish. An option available to Spanish majors is UCI's 3-2 Program offered by The Paul Merage School of Business, in which students may earn a bachelor's degree in Spanish and a master's degree in Management in five years rather than the usual six.
The UCI Career Center provides services to students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. Visit http://www.career.uci.edu for additional information.
Distinguished Visiting Professors
The Department's Distinguished Visiting Professors program brings students in direct contact with some of the outstanding intellectuals in the field of Spanish, Latin American, and Chicano/United States Latino literatures and cultures. Distinguished visiting professors teach both graduate and undergraduate courses during one or two quarters and give one public lecture. Past program participants have included: Elias J. Rivers (1990-91), State University of New York at Stonybrook, Spanish Golden Age literature; Alfonso Sastre (1991-92), Spanish playwright and intellectual; Hernán Vidal (1992–93), University of Minnesota, Latin American literature and culture; John Kronik (1993–94), Cornell University, modern Spanish literature; José Agustín (1994–96), leading Mexican novelist and cultural critic; Alan D. Deyermond (1997–98), Queen Mary and Westfield College, London, medieval Spanish literature; Noé Jitrik (1999), leading critic in Latin American literature; José Miguel Oviedo (2000), University of Pennsylvania, Latin American literature; Wolfgang Binder (2001), University of Erlangen, Germany, Caribbean and Chicano/U.S. Latino literatures; Paul Julian Smith (2002), University of Cambridge, Spanish and Latin American film and Spanish cultural studies; and Homero Aridjis (2002), Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, author, poet, environmental activist.
All graduate courses in the Department are taught in either Spanish or Portuguese, unless otherwise indicated in the course description.
MASTER OF ARTS IN SPANISH
The Master of Arts degree in Spanish is a two-year program of study designed to expose the beginning graduate student to all periods of peninsular, Latin American, and Chicano/Latino literature and culture. The degree is awarded upon the successful completion of course work and written and oral comprehensive examinations. A minimum of 10 courses must be completed with a letter grade; at least eight of these must be graduate seminars. Required course work includes one course in Theory (239A or B), and one course in Chicano/Latino literatures. Proficiency (defined as the equivalent of completing 2C) in a foreign language other than Spanish is required; it is recommended that master's students take Portuguese as their foreign language, although other languages are accepted. Students may choose a focus in literature, linguistics, or creative writing. Master's candidates must complete a minimum of three quarters of course work in the Department; the maximum time to complete the master's program is two years. Students entering with a bachelor's degree must satisfy the requirements for a master's degree before they proceed toward a Ph.D. This includes the master's level examinations and course work. Normally only students intending to work toward the Ph.D. are admitted to the graduate program.
DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY IN SPANISH
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a Ph.D. degree in Spanish with a specialization in Spanish, Spanish-American, or Chicano/Latino literatures and cultures. The program integrates period and genre studies with work in literary and critical theory, linguistics, sociohistorical studies, and cultural studies. The Department seeks to professionalize its Ph.D. candidates not as narrow specialists but rather as scholars and critics acquainted with a range of fields that relate to and enhance their discipline. Graduate emphases in Comparative Literature, Critical Theory, and Feminist Studies are available; other areas of study (for example, film, history) may be designed with approval from the student's Ph.D. guidance committee. The Department has been traditionally committed to excellence in teaching, both in its own practice and in the formation of its graduates.
Language Requirements
In addition to Spanish and English, all doctoral candidates should have the necessary command of Portuguese to successfully complete a graduate course in Portuguese. An additional foreign language (with proficiency equivalent to the 2C level) is also required; this requirement may be satisfied by examination or course work. The selection of a second foreign language must be approved by the student's guidance committee and is based on the specific research interests and field of study of the candidate.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 20 courses beyond the B.A. or 10 beyond the M.A. are required. One course in linguistics (diachronic or synchronic), and one graduate course in Luso-Brazilian literature are required at the Ph.D. level. Note that these requirements may include course work completed in the master's program; the remaining elective courses are selected with the approval of the student's guidance committee to prepare for the doctoral examination and the dissertation. Students are encouraged to take more than the minimum number of required courses.
A student who transfers into the doctoral program from elsewhere must take a minimum of 10 graduate courses at UCI, of which seven must be in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. With regard to students who enter the Ph.D. program with their master's degree from another institution, the Ph.D. guidance committee will determine the number of courses that will be accepted.
A student may pursue the Ph.D. with an emphasis in Comparative Literature by taking a minimum of five courses in the Comparative Literature program.
The Department offers an emphasis in Critical Theory designed to focus upon theoretical issues considered within the contextual realities of the Iberian Peninsula, Latin America, and U.S. Latino communities. Ph.D. students may earn a certificate in critical theory by taking four courses in theory, one of which should be taken outside the Department. To obtain all necessary application materials and for further information, contact the Emphasis Coordinator.
Teaching
The Department recognizes its responsibility to train all Ph.D. candidates as teachers and requires that all doctoral students with no prior teaching experience complete a minimum of three quarters of language teaching (Spanish 399). Moreover, all doctoral students are encouraged to complete a teaching practicum by co-teaching an upper-division course with a professor and enrolling in Spanish 292, which is graded Satisfactory/Unsatisfactory only.
Qualifying Examination
Upon completion of course work, the Ph.D. student advances to candidacy by passing the written and oral qualifying examinations by unanimous decision. The qualifying examination requires the student to develop two topics in close consultation with the examination committee. One topic must present a critical problem from a historical perspective, while the other may focus on a more specific area within the student's major field of interest. Students are encouraged to incorporate theoretical and interdisciplinary components into the formulation of their topics. A two-hour oral examination that includes discussion of the written examinations is also required. The normal time for advancement to candidacy is four years.
Dissertation
A dissertation topic is chosen by the candidate in consultation with the dissertation director and committee, and normally falls within the major field covered by the qualifying examinations. The candidate presents a study plan to the dissertation committee, which approves the proposal and a preliminary research outline. The student submits drafts of chapters to the dissertation director who corrects and approves the drafts and circulates them to other committee members for commentary. The normal time for completion of the Ph.D. is seven years, and the maximum time permitted is eight years.
