322 Humanities Hall; (714) 824-6901
Juan Bruce-Novoa, Department Chair
Faculty
Richard Barrutia, Ph.D. University of Texas, Professor Emeritus of Spanish (applied linguistics, bilingualism and English as a second language)
Juan Bruce-Novoa, Ph.D. University of Colorado, Chair of the Department and Professor of Spanish (Latin American and Chicano literatures)
Anne J. Cruz, Ph.D. Stanford University, Associate Professor of Spanish (Golden Age Spanish and comparative literature)
Ana Paula Ferreira, Ph.D. New York University, Associate Professor of Portuguese (Portuguese, Brazilian, and Lusophone African literatures)
Lucía Guerra-Cunningham, Ph.D. University of Kansas, Professor of Spanish (Latin American literature, literary theory, and women's studies)
María Herrera-Sobek, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Professor of Spanish (Latin American and Chicano folklore, bilingualism)
Juergen Kempff, Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara, Lecturer and Language Curriculum Director (second language acquisition, applied linguistics, Spanish as a foreign language)
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 (Latin American and Chicano literature, film studies)
Gonzalo Navajas, Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles, Professor of Spanish (nineteenth- and twentieth-century Spanish literature and critical theory)
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)
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, Director of Latin American Studies and Assistant Professor of Spanish (Latin American literature, contemporary poetry)
Dayle Seidenspinner-Núñez, Ph.D. Stanford University, Professor 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 Emerita in 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 literature and culture.
Students are placed in Spanish courses according to their years of previous study. In general, one year of high school Spanish is equated with one quarter of UCI work. Thus, students with one, two, three, and four years of high school Spanish will enroll in Spanish 1B, 1C, 2A, and 2B, respectively. Exceptions to this placement formula must be approved by the appropriate course director. Students with transfer credit for college-level Spanish may not repeat those courses for credit.
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 on 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 introduction to literary analysis. Further, a course in phonetics perfects pronunciation and presents historical and dialect variants of Spanish. The introductory courses in literature, also in the third year, emphasize the analysis and appreciation of complete literary works rather than the study of many short selections of innumerable authors in an anthology. The courses in Hispanic civilization combine a panoramic overview with a close look at a specific country or topic.
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 through EAP, 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.
University Requirements: See pages 5761.
School Requirements: See page 190.
Departmental Requirements for the Major
Spanish 2C or Spanish 5 is a prerequisite to major requirements. Spanish 10A is a prerequisite to Spanish 10B. Spanish 10B is either a prerequisite or a corequisite for the Spanish 100AE series.
Core: Spanish 10A-B; Spanish 100A or 100B; Spanish 100C or 100D; Spanish 100E; Spanish 110A, 110B, or 110C (students in the bilingualism track must take 110C); Spanish 113A. In addition, the student must choose one or more of the following emphases:
Literature and Culture: Six upper-division courses in literature, two of which may be in culture, film, and/or creative writing, plus two additional courses in the Spanish 100AE series (therefore, the entire 100AE series must be completed). NOTE: two courses in the Spanish 100AE series must be completed before enrolling in upper-division literature courses numbered above 100. Students may not enroll in more than two of the 100 series courses per quarter.
Linguistics: Linguistics 3, Spanish 113B, plus any three courses selected from: Linguistics 154, 169, 170 and Spanish 187, 201, 202, 205 (students are encouraged to take no more than one of the Spanish 200 series courses; if at all possible, this course should be taken in their senior year). In addition, students must take two additional upper-division Spanish linguistics or general linguistics courses (general linguistics courses are offered by the Department of Linguistics). Students may double major in Spanish and Linguistics but may not count the same course for both majors.
Bilingualism: Spanish 15, 107, 113B, 142 (previously Spanish 134), 105 (previously 100A), 106A or 106B (previously Spanish 100B and 115, respectively), 114, and one additional upper-division Spanish literature course.
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.
Departmental Requirements for the Portuguese Minor
Prerequisite: Portuguese 1C or the equivalent. Requirements: Seven upper-division courses: Portuguese 140A-B, 141, 142, 143, 144, 145. (These are offered on a two-year cycle.)
Residence Requirement for the Minor: At least four upper-division courses required for the minor must be completed successfully at UCI.
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 Graduate School of Management, 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 emphasis in bilingualism is very useful for many of the fields described above.
The Career and Life Planning Center provides services to UCI students and alumni including career counseling, information about job opportunities, a career library, and workshops on resume preparation, job search, and interview techniques. See the Career and Life Planning Center section for additional information.
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 winter and spring quarters and produce a publication for the Hispanic Studies Series published by Juan De La Cuesta. Program participants have included Professor Elias L. Rivers (1991) from the State University of New York at Stonybrook, one of the most important American scholars in Spanish Golden Age literature; Alfonso Sastre (1992), the most prestigious Spanish playwright and intellectual; Professor Hernan Vidal (1993) from the University of Minnesota, a well-known theorist and scholar in Latin American literature and culture; Professor John Kronik (1994) from Cornell University, a renowned scholar of modern Spanish literature; and Professor José Agustín (1995), a leading Mexican novelist and cultural critic.
All graduate courses in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese are taught in Spanish, unless otherwise indicated in the course description.
The candidate is expected to have the equivalent of the UCI undergraduate major. The student takes a minimum of 11 courses, eight of which must be at the graduate level. Two of the 11 courses must be in linguistics. Spanish 239A, Methods of Literary Criticism, is required of all literature majors. A maximum of two courses may be transferred from another university, but a maximum of five may be accepted from another University of California campus. Proficiency (defined as the equivalent of the level attained at the end of course 2C) in a foreign language other than the major language is required. The comprehensive examination, in part written, in part oral, will be based both on a reading list and the courses taken and will also test students ability to express themselves correctly in Spanish. No thesis is required. The student may choose an emphasis in literature or linguistics. The M.A. requires a minimum of one year in academic residence and must be completed in no more than three years of graduate study. Normally only students who are studying for the Ph.D. are admitted to the graduate program. The comprehensive examination for the M.A. may be accepted as the written portion of the qualifying examination for the Ph.D.
This program is specifically designed to meet the needs of working credentialed teachers, although others may apply. It seeks to provide a group of modern, relevant courses that will enable teachers to keep abreast of recent developments in their field. Applicants should have a B.A. in Spanish and should acquire proficiency in a foreign language other than Spanish. The program consists of 10 courses (eight of which must be at the graduate level) as follows: three courses in Hispanic literature; three courses in Hispanic civilization; three courses in Hispanic linguistics; and one course in Recent Trends in Foreign Language Teaching, to be combined with a curricular research project or a thesis. M.A.T. students are counseled by a faculty member in the Department.
The Department of Spanish and Portuguese offers a Ph.D. degree in Spanish with a specialization in Spanish literature, Spanish-American literature, or Chicano/Latino literature. The program attempts to integrate period and genre studies with work in literary theory, linguistics, and socio-historical studies. Students are advised to take a number of courses outside of the Department. The Department thereby hopes to aid in the formation of Ph.D. candidates who are not narrow specialists but rather scholars acquainted with the various fields that relate to their discipline. The Department is concerned also with the practical aspects of helping its graduates become good teachers.
The minor field can be Spanish literature, Spanish-American literature, Chicano studies, Spanish linguistics, literary theory, comparative literature, or a non-Hispanic literature.
A graduate emphasis in Feminist Studies also is available. Refer to the Women's Studies section of the Catalogue for information.
Language Requirements
A reading knowledge of Portuguese and two other languages relevant to the student's area of specialization is required. Advanced study in one of these languages may be offered in lieu of the reading knowledge of the other. The choice of languages requires Department approval.
Course Requirements
A minimum of 23 courses beyond the B.A. or 12 beyond the M.A. are required: two courses in linguistics, one diachronic and one synchronic; one course in Luso-Brazilian literature; two courses in literary theory (Spanish 239A and one other course from within or outside the Department).
The remaining courses are distributed according to the student's needs and interests. These are determined in consultation with the students' guidance committee, which is comprised of three faculty members who are appointed to recommend the student's program.
A minimum of 12 courses should be taken during the student's residence at UCI as a Ph.D. candidate, even if some of them have been taken in partial fulfillment of a M.A. degree elsewhere. Students are normally encouraged to take more than the minimum number of required courses.
Teaching
Since the overwhelming majority of Ph.D. candidates plan to teach, the Department recognizes its responsibility to train them as teachers. Therefore, all Ph.D. candidates without previous teaching experience are required to teach one course under supervision in each of three quarters at UCI. Candidates are also required to assist in teaching an upper-division course related to their specialization.
Comprehensive Examination
The student is admitted to candidacy by passing, by a majority vote, an oral examination administered by a Candidacy Committee appointed by the Department, on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council. The Candidacy Committee is composed of five members, four of whom are from the Department. The oral examination will be preceded by a written examination consisting of three parts:
1. A four-hour examination on the specialization, which includes questions of (a) a panoramic nature, either synchronic or diachronic, the choice being left to the student; (b) theory of the genre of choice; and (c) the specific emphasis selected by the student.
2. A three-hour examination on the minor field.
3. A three-hour examination on a topic that may cross generic or chronological lines. The student will propose the topic, which is subject to the approval of the guidance committee, and which cannot duplicate substantially any other parts of the examination.
Dissertation
A dissertation topic will be chosen by the candidate and will normally fall within one of the major fields covered by the comprehensive examination.
Three faculty members appointed by the Department Chair, on behalf of the Dean of Graduate Studies and the Graduate Council, constitute the Doctoral Committee which supervises the preparation and completion of the doctoral dissertation. The Doctoral Committee supervises a final examination, the focus of which is the content of the dissertation. Ordinarily, the final examination will not be given after the dissertation is completed, but rather at an appropriate point during its development. Such final examination normally will be given while the graduate student is in residence at UCI. The Doctoral Committee certifies that a completed dissertation is satisfactory through the signatures of the individual Committee members on the title page.
