Romance Languages, M.A. - Spanish Accelerated Pathway

For further information:RomanceLanguageGrad@southernct.edu

Master of Arts Degree in Romance Languages - Spanish

The M.A. in Romance Languages - Spanish (Concentration: Accelerated Pathway) provides high-achieving students with an opportunity to finish their graduate degree in one year following successful completion of the B.A. in Spanish 7-12 (Concentration: M.A. Accelerated Pathway) at Southern Connecticut State University.  This program provides students with advanced training for those who plan to complete their graduate studies in literature, language, literary and cultural theory at the master's level, and for those who anticipate continuing graduate work up to the doctoral degree. The program is tailored to the needs of those who wish:

• To teach these languages at the elementary, middle school, or high school levels;
• To teach these languages at the college level;
• To work in related fields, such as foreign service, other government service, private industry, translation and interpreting, librarianship, etc.

The program consists of 24 credits including 18 credits of elective coursework and 6 credits designated for capstone experiences, including the Comprehensive Examination option, Thesis option, or Special Project option.

APPLICATION DEADLINE

Undergraduate Students at Southern Connecticut State University are encouraged to apply for graduate admission no later than the spring semester of their senior year in collaboration with a faculty advisor in the World Languages and Literatures department. All materials should be submitted to the Office of Graduate Admissions the Friday prior to the start of spring break. Students will select the M.A. in Romance Languages - Spanish and the Accelerated Pathway concentration.  Please consult the admission requirements below and within the Admission section of the graduate catalog for more information.

ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Students interested in applying for admissions to the  M.A. in Romance Languages (Concentration: Spanish Accelerated Pathway) should apply online through the Office of Graduate Admissions website: www.southernct.edu/gradadmissions.  Candidates seeking admission are expected to have completed their bachelor's degree requirements and attained a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (out of 4.0).  Students will be granted early acceptance to the School of Graduate and Professional Studies through the Office of Graduate Admissions, which is conditional upon meeting the GPA requirements and those listed below.  In accordance with the Admission Policy of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies, the following are the minimum requirements for admission:

• B.S. in Spanish 7-12 (Concentration: M.A. Accelerated Pathway) undergraduate degree from Southern Connecticut State University.
• A minimum TOEFL score of 600 indicating demonstrated proficiency in Spanish at the Advanced Low level.
• A letter of intent in English to explain the candidate's background, reasons for enrolling in the program and areas of interest.
• Two letters of recommendation.

Program Sequence-24 Credits

As sequencing changes, it is highly recommended that students meet with their program advisor to finalize a list of requirements for graduation.

Students must earn a "B" or better in each course.  

B.S. to M.A. Accelerated Pathway
7 credits of graduate coursework will be completed within the B.S. in Spanish 7-12 (Concentration: M.A. Accelerated Pathway) and the student will have 24 credits of graduate coursework remaining.

WLL 581 — Introduction to Graduate Studies in Romance Languages - 3 credits
To be taken as the first course in the program.
WLL 582 — Culture of Expression - 4 credits
Prerequisite is WLL 581

Electives: Six courses from a specific language concentration (18 credits):

Students must take at least one course from each of the four categories.

Category I: Premodern Spain to the Era of the Discoveries and Exploration
SPA 533 — Early Encounters: Culture and Literature of the Colonization of Latin America - 3 credits
SPA 560 — Literature and Culture of Al Andalus - 3 credits
SPA 561 — Women Healers, Messengers, and Intermediaries - 3 credits

Category II: Baroque and neo-Classical Literature and Cultures
SPA 521 — The Picaresque Literary Tradition - 3 credits
SPA 528 — Cervantes and the Birth of the Modern Narrative and Drama - 3 credits
SPA 567 — The Golden Age Spanish Theater: Texts and Cultural Contexts - 3 credits

Category III: The Emergence of Modern Nations, Post-nationalism, and Border Studies
SPA 525 — Cinema of Transitional Democracies - 3 credits
SPA 548 — Modernism in Spanish America and Spain - 3 credits

Category IV: Recent Trends in Hispanic Studies: Hispanic Pluralisms
SPA 516 — Gabriel Garcia Márquez Seminar on One Hundred Years of Solitude - 3 credits
SPA 531 — Literature and Cinema in Latin America - 3 credits
SPA 562 — Arts and Activism in Latin American Social Movements - 3 credits
SPA 563 — Ghosts in Latin American Literary and Cultural Studies - 3 credits
SPA 564 — Dictatorship and Performance in the Southern Cone - 3 credits
SPA 565 — Caribbean Women's Historical Fictions - 3 credits
SPA 566 — Literature of the Caribbean Diaspora - 3 credits

In addition, students are required to choose one of three options for a two-semester sequence Capstone course (6 credits)

Thesis Option

Permits the analysis of a substantial applied topic in the selected area of concentration. In the first semester, the student works with an adviser to write a proposal, which must be passed by the Graduate Committee and the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies. The student is expected to complete the thesis by the end of the second semester and thesis completion requires the approval of the thesis adviser, a second reader (a member of the Graduate Committee) and the Dean of the School of Graduate and Professional Studies.

WLL 590 — Writing the Thesis Proposal - 3 credits
WLL 591 — Writing the Thesis: Prerequisite is WLL 590 - 3 credits

Special Project Option

The special project involves the integration and application of discipline-specific knowledge, concepts, theories and skills in the development of a tangible product (a.k.a., deliverable), accompanied by a proposal and a written report describing the process and results of the product's development.

WLL 592 — Special Project I - 3 credits
WLL 593 — Special Project II: Prerequisite is WLL 592 - 3 credits

Comprehensive Exam Option

The comprehensive examination is designed by the graduate faculty to rigorously assess the student's mastery and synthesis of knowledge garnered during coursework. Students work individually with an adviser in selecting and researching themes from the Master 's Reading List provided by the individual language section.

WLL 594 — Comprehensive Exam Seminar I - 3 credits
WLL 595 — Comprehensive Exam Seminar II: Prerequisite is WLL 594 - 3 credits