Although the publisher of this Handbook has made every reasonable effort to attain factual accuracy herein, no responsibility is assumed for editorial, clerical, or printing errors or for error occasioned by honest mistake. All information contained in this Handbook is subject to change by the appropriate officials of The University of Alabama without prior notice. Although this Handbook intends to reflect any current policies or rules of the Graduate School of The University of Alabama and of the Graduate Programs of the Department of Modern Languages and Classics referred to or incorporated herein, users are cautioned that changes or additions to policies or rules may have become effective since the publication of this material. In the event of such a conflict, the current statements of Graduate School policy contained in the official minutes and manual of rules, bylaws, and guidelines shall prevail.
The University of Alabama, the flagship institution of higher learning in the state of Alabama, opened its doors to students in 1831. Since that time, the University has grown into a major teaching, research, and service institution enrolling approximately 20,000 students annually, including 3,500 graduate students. The beautiful University campus comprises over 850 acres in the heart of historic Tuscaloosa, the economic and cultural hub of West Alabama. The University community enjoys a wide range of amenities. Artistic and cultural activities include frequent presentations and performances sponsored by the University's nationally recognised programs in music, theatre, dance, art, and creative writing. The University sponsors an array of lectures, symposia, colloquia, and other forms of intellectual enrichment. The University boasts superb recreational facilities to help students maintain individual fitness and frequently hosts nationally prominent intercollegiate sporting events.
Situated on the banks of the
Black Warrior River, Tuscaloosa is an inviting city of tree-lined streets,
friendly people, and a temperate climate. Tuscaloosa and the surrounding
metropolitan area, having a combined population of over 100,000, is
the hub of West Alabama, where diverse legacies and traditions weave
a rich cultural fabric. In and around Tuscaloosa are ancient Indian
mounds, countless examples of antebellum architecture, Civil War reenactments,
Indian gatherings, civil rights monuments and museums, and festivals
devoted to traditional blues, gospel, and bluegrass as well as to contemporary
music and to the best of Southern arts, crafts, and foods. Tuscaloosa
is about a four-hour drive from Atlanta, New Orleans, Memphis, Nashville,
the Gulf Coast, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Alabama’s largest
city, Birmingham, is only an hour away. The cost of living in
Tuscaloosa is currently more affordable than in many other cities of
comparable size. A variety of housing options are available to
graduate students on and off-campus.
Mission Statement: Department
of Modern Languages and Classics
The following statement outlines
the mission of the Department on the undergraduate and graduate levels.
Our mission is to provide our students with the intercultural competence necessary for the global society of the 21st century .We intend to instill in our students informed and critical perspectives regarding other cultures and also our own. We are committed to providing this training to our students within a department equipped with the best facilities and technology available, staffed by teachers and scholars with international experience and expertise. Specifically, our mission is:
To offer majors a program aimed at advanced language proficiency and
significant exposure to the literature and culture of the country/ies studied; to foster double majors, e.g., language/business;
To offer in-depth training in language, literature, linguistics, cultural studies, and theory to graduate students at the MA and Ph.D. levels;
To offer basic instruction in modern and classical languages to all students in fulfillment of core curriculum requirements;
To train minors in the use of modern and classical languages by offering a minimum of three years of classes in the language(s);
To offer reading proficiency courses in various languages for graduate students in other programs;
To participate with other departments within and outside of the College of Arts and Sciences in offering interdisciplinary studies programs, especially in (a) area studies and period studies, (b) world literature and comparative literature, (c) language pedagogy, (d) linguistics, (e) film studies, and (f) international honors programs;
To contribute to increased internationalization by sponsoring appropriate campus events, helping students study abroad, and attracting international students;
To provide services to the community, including sponsoring and organizing a wide variety of educational and social events related to languages and culture, for example: foreign films, conferences and symposia, Foreign Language Day, state-wide language club conventions, etc.;
To serve the community and the state as the principal institution offering expert training in modern and classical languages, to train students to teach modern and classical languages in schools, colleges and universities throughout the state, to promote research in literature, linguistics, cultural and interdisciplinary studies, and to offer the greatest pool of expertise in modern and classical studies in the state of Alabama;
The
Department of Modern Languages and Classics affirms its commitment to
the promotion of scholarly research leading to the development of new
knowledge and to the enhanced standing of the University.
Application Procedure
A person holding a bachelor's
degree from a regionally accredited institution (or the equivalent for
an international applicant) is eligible for consideration for admission
to the Graduate School of The University of Alabama. Application may
be made to a maximum of two graduate degree programs at a time. To apply,
two official transcripts showing a combined total of 100 semester hours
or 150 quarter hours completed must be sent, at the applicant's request,
directly from the registrar of each post-secondary institution attended,
including The University of Alabama. International students must have
TOEFL scores sent directly from the testing service. Scores must
be less than five years old. The department does not require the
GRE or MAT but students who choose to take one of those examinations,
and are able to score highly, may be eligible for enhanced scholarship
support.
Three letters of recommendation
with original signatures should be submitted on forms provided by the
Graduate School, mailed by the references. Each applicant must have
a letter of reference from at least one of his or her professors in
(a) his or her undergraduate major, or (b) the proposed field of graduate
study, if any courses have been taken in either area within the last
five years. Faxed materials are not acceptable. Additionally,
students must submit a sample of their scholarly writing in the target
language. The sample should be 5-8 double spaced pages long.
New students who were born after January 1957 are required to provide proof of immunization against measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) before being officially admitted. Also, new students are encouraged to complete a medical history form, which
may be obtained from The University
of Alabama, Russell Student Health Center, Box 870360, Tuscaloosa, AL
35487-0360.
To ensure adequate time for
review, domestic applications must be completed at least six weeks before
the desired date of registration. There are different deadlines
for foreign students residing in the US and for foreign students residing
abroad. Requirements and deadlines for submitting applications
are subject to change; applicants should review the specific instructions
on the application forms for current requirements and deadlines.
Questions regarding resident
and nonresident status should be directed to Mrs. Joyce McClain in Academic
Records, Box 870134, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0134; telephone (205) 348-4886.
Application Fees
A nonrefundable fee of $25
must accompany each new application for admission before it will be
processed. After admission, no fee will be assessed for subsequent applications
requesting a change of program area, change of degree objective within
the program of study, or change of status from a non-degree to a degree
program. If a student applies but does not enroll within 12 months of
the requested entrance date, a new application and an accompanying nonrefundable
$25 fee must be submitted.
Number of Applications
Application may be made to
up to two programs at a time. If a student applies to two programs,
he or she must submit two separate and complete sets of application
materials (applicant data sheet, statement of purpose, letters of recommendation,
transcripts) and two application fees. Each set of application materials
must clearly identify the program to which the applicant is applying.
Obtaining Application Materials
Application materials may be
obtained from The University of Alabama, Graduate School, Box 870118,
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118; telephone (205) 348-5921; fax (205) 348-0400.
Materials may also be obtained in the following manner:
Application material for
U.S. Citizens or Permanent Residents.
Application material for
International Applicants.
Graduate School Optional:
Self-Managed Applications
An applicant may choose to collect all required application materials himself or herself and submit them together to the Graduate School Office (with the exception of admissions test scores, which must be sent directly from the test service). The applicant should request official transcripts from all institutions where undergraduate or graduate course work has been completed. The official transcripts should be sent to the applicant in a sealed envelope bearing the institution's return address with the Registrar's signature or stamp across the back flap. The applicant should request that each of the three references send the completed recommendation form directly to the applicant in a sealed envelope, with the reference's signature across the back flap. The applicant should submit:
together and mail all materials
in one large envelope to:
The University of Alabama
Graduate School
P.O. Box 870118
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0118
Self-managed applications allow the applicant himself or herself to ensure that all required materials reach the Graduate School Office by the deadline.
Several forms of support are
available to graduate students in the Department of Modern Languages
and Classics. Prospective students are encouraged to pursue all options
available. The Graduate School maintains an on-line Graduate Student
Financial Assistance Handbook, which should be consulted thoroughly.
It is available at http://www.ua.edu/academic
Within
the Department of Modern Languages and Classics, financial support is
usually available for qualified students in the form of teaching assistantships,
which include a stipend and a waiver of tuition and fees. Recipients
are required to teach introductory or intermediate language courses
or to perform some other service.
For more information, please
write, call or e-mail:
Modern Languages Graduate Programs
University of Alabama
Box 870246
Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0246
phone: (205) 348-5059
fax: (205) 348-2042
The Department of Modern Languages
and Classics offers degree programs leading to the Master of Arts in
German or Romance Languages and to the doctor of philosophy in Romance
Languages, with a variety of options (see below). Some of the graduate
degree programs described below are now undergoing revision and modification.
Contact the departmental graduate director for current information.
Master of Arts in German.
Three concentrations are available:
German Literature.
Plan I (24 hours of coursework and a thesis) or Plan II (30 hours of
coursework, no thesis). In addition to German literature courses,
students must take GN 510 History of the German Language and 3 hours
of Middle High German. With the approval of the German graduate
adviser, 6 hours of graduate work in a related field may be applied
to the degree.
Germanic Philology.
Plan I (24 hours of coursework and a thesis) or Plan II (30 hours of
coursework, no thesis). In addition to philology courses, students
must take 6 hours of German literature. With the approval of the
German graduate adviser, 9 hours of graduate work in a related field
may be applied to the degree. EH 622 Old English may count as
a German course for candidates in the concentration.
German Studies.
Plan II only (30 hours of coursework, no thesis). Students must
take 15 hours of German literature/culture and philology courses, 3
hours in German history, and one 3-hour interdisciplinary seminar.
With the approval of the German graduate adviser, 9 hours of graduate
work in a related field may be applied to the degree.
German MA Comprehensive
Examinations: Upon completing coursework for any of the three concentrations
in German, a student must pass a comprehensive examination based on
the coursework and on a core reading list. All students are expected
to show acquaintance with the Age of Goethe, either by taking GN 525
or by choosing the Age of Goethe as a period of examination; they may,
of course, do both. No later than two months before taking the
examination, the student must submit written notice of intent to be
examined.
A student who chooses to write
a thesis will defend it orally.
German Literature Exam
Part I: Reading List (Students answer two questions from a choice of three or four)
Part II: History of the Language/Linguistics (Students answer one question from a choice of two or three) and Reading List (Students answer one question from a choice of two or three)
Part III: Special Topics in Literature (Students answer two questions from a choice of three or four)
Part IV: Oral Exam (Addresses
Reading List, Special Topics, and Written Exams)
Germanic Philology Exam
Part I: Applied Linguistics (Students answer two items from a choice of three or four). Items are typically based on coursework.
Part II: General Linguistics (Students answer one item from a choice of two or three) and German Literature (Students answer one item from a choice of two). Items are typically based on coursework.
Part III: Germanic Linguistics: Synchronic and Diachronic (Students answer two items from a choice of three or four). Items are typically based on coursework and the Philology Reading List.
Part IV: Oral Exam (Primarily
addresses coursework and written exams, but also includes Philology
Reading List.
German Studies Exam
Part I: Reading List (Students answer two questions from a choice of three or four).
Part II: Linguistics (Students answer one question from a choice of two or three) and German Studies Special Topics (Students answer one question from a choice of two or three)
Part III: German Studies Special Topics (Students answer two questions from a choice of three or four)
Part IV: Oral Exam (Addresses
Reading List, Special Topics, and written exams)
General Exam Structure
Masters of Arts in Romance Languages. A single program incorporates a variety of options:
French option. Two tracks are available. For both tracks of the French option, all new graduate teaching assistants must take FR 512 Practicum in Applied Linguistics.
Standard Program. Plan
I (24 hours of coursework and a thesis) or Plan II (30 hours of coursework,
no thesis). The curriculum is versatile, depending on student interest
and course availability. Requirements include success on comprehensive
written and oral exams before granting of the degree. The written exam
is based on the coursework. The oral exam involves the construction
of an oral presentation in French on an appropriate topic chosen by
the French faculty.
French MA comprehensive exam for standard program: Students must notify their advisor in writing at the outset of the semester in which they wish to be examined. Once constituted, the MA comprehensive exam committee will meet, will look at the student course work, and will formulate three possible topics for the student’s written portion of the comprehensive examination. On exam day, the student will select one topic from among the three proposed and treat his/her selection in a comprehensive manner, citing a broad range of specific examples from the material studied during his/her coursework. The topics are general in nature. Students must work out their own approach to the topic, defining the terms in which they wish to treat it and determining the parameters of their discussion. The topic is not intended to have a particular predetermined answer. However, the answer must demonstrate clarity of thought and logical progression of ideas. Students may compose their essay either in French or English.
The completed essay will be evaluated by the examining committee, and will be judged on the basis of its intellectual coherence, organizational integrity, accuracy of detail, and completeness. Producing a satisfactory essay will allow the student to proceed to the oral portion of the examination. A description of the oral exam procedure follows.
For the oral portion of the exam, the same examining committee will formulate one topic for the student to research over a 48-hour period. The student will organize a 20-minute oral presentation on that topic. The oral presentation must be in French and will be delivered to the examining committee. Students may bring one 8.5 X 11inch sheet of notes and/or outline to aid them. Students must supply the examining committee with an official list of works consulted during the preparation of the presentation. After the presentation, the examining committee will ask questions related to the contents of the student’s presentation and its various implications within the specific discipline. The questioning period lasts approximately 30 minutes, after which the examining committee will consult and make a formal determination concerning the quality of the student’s intellectual and linguistic performance. The student will be asked to wait during the committee's deliberations. The decision of the committee will be announced to the student immediately after deliberations.
Please
note that no one may sit for the comprehensive examinations with incomplete
grades outstanding. Any petitions for exceptions to this policy must
be made to the Chair who has the sole power to grant or refuse exceptions.
Such petitions will be acted upon with the advice of the graduate director
and the professor(s) of the course(s) in question.
French Applied Linguistics
Track. Plan I (30 hours of coursework and a thesis) or Plan II (36
hours of coursework, no thesis). The applied linguistics track involves
three components: language, linguistics, and applied linguistics. The
language component consists of 21 hours of credit in French language,
literature, and/or culture. The linguistics component is comprised of
a 3-hour descriptive linguistics course (FR 561). The applied linguistics
component consists of 12 hours of coursework in second language acquisition
and pedagogy (FR 512, EN 613) and two of the following: FR 515, EN 610,
EN 612, CIE 577 or other approved courses; descriptions of courses bearing
the EH prefix, see the Department of English section the Graduate
Catalog; for a description of CIE 577, see the "Curriculum
and Instruction" section). Requirements include success on comprehensive
written and oral exams before granting the degree. All exams are based
on coursework.
French and Spanish Applied Linguistics MA Comprehensive Examination:
Credit hours: A total of 36 credit hours of course work are involved, comprising 21 hours in the language component, 3 hours in the linguistics component, and 12 hours in the applied linguistics component. The language component in French may be made up of all elective courses. For the language component in Spanish, a minimum of 12 hours must be in language-specific literature (and these hours must be evenly divided between Peninsular and Latin American literatures). The remaining 9 hours in the language component can be drawn from any combination of language-specific literature, culture and linguistics (either language-specific or Romance-related) courses.
Written examination: Students must notify their advisor in writing at the outset of the semester in which they wish to be examined. There will be three written exam sessions, each session lasting 2 hours. Session I corresponds to the minimum literary component (for Spanish only) of four courses (which is included in the language component). Session II will include the linguistics component (one course required) but will vary in focus, depending upon the elective course work of the particular student. Session III corresponds to the applied linguistics component of four courses. For each session, the student will be given a minimum of three written one-hour questions to choose from and must select two of these to answer. Two provisos must be observed: 1) if the language is Spanish, then, for session I, the student must answer at least one question pertaining to Peninsular literature and one question pertaining to Latin American literature; 2) regardless of the language, for session II, all students must answer at least one linguistics question.
In the following chart, each slot represents 3 hours of credit (one course, under normal circumstances). The written questions may correspond to each course or be a synthesis of more than one course, but there must be at least three questions for each session.
Session I Session II Session III
The written questions must be based on the course work. There is no reading list.
Oral examination: Assuming success on the written exam (as determined below), the student will undergo an oral exam (minimum 1/2 hour, maximum 1 hour). The oral exam will also be based on the course work. The oral exam could focus on questions not answered during the written exam and/or provide faculty with the opportunity to ask
for further explanation, clarification
or expansion of written responses and/or allow for the introduction
of entirely new questions based on the course work. The oral exam may
be conducted partly or wholly in the target language, depending upon
the evaluators present.
Evaluation: Professors
with whom the student has done his/her course work shall form the voting
block for both the written and the oral exam. There will first be an
assessment of the written exam. For voting purposes, the applied linguistics
component (session III) --since it constitutes a minor and borrows substantially
from TESOL courses offered in the English department --will be evaluated
separately from sessions I and II. The student passes sessions by a
majority vote of the evaluators of those two sessions combined. The
student passes session III by a majority vote of the evaluators of session
III. The student must pass both votes before proceeding to the oral
exam. In the event that a positive vote does not prevail for either
sessions I and II (combined) or session III, the student must retake
the failed portion of the written exam and pass it before proceeding
to the oral exam. For the oral exam, all evaluators vote together; the
majority rules. If the student fails the oral exam, he/she may retake
it once.
Spanish option. Two
tracks are available. For both tracks of the Master of Arts in Spanish,
all new graduate teaching assistants must take SP 502: Practicum in
Applied Linguistics.
Standard Program. Plan
I (24 hours of coursework and a thesis) or Plan II (30 hours of coursework,
no thesis). The curriculum centers on Peninsular and Spanish-American
literature. Students are required to take coursework in six different
areas. Other requirements include success on comprehensive written exam
before granting of the degree. The written exam is based on the coursework.
There is no oral exam.
Comprehensive Written exam:
The examination is based on the courses the student has taken during his/her course of study; thus, it is important that the student keep an archive of the course syllabi of every course taken. Should the student for some reason, not take a course in one of the assigned areas, he/she will have to make up for this omission by supplying readings from the existing Reading List for the Master of Arts in Spanish.
The examinations are administered
only in the Spring and Fall terms. In the Fall, the exam is taken in
October. In the Spring, the exam is taken in March. The students must
make a request in writing (via electronic mail or written letter) to
the Graduate Advisor. A student must do this in the semester prior to
taking the examination. For example, should one wish to take the exam
in the Fall semester, he/she should inform the Graduate Advisor in the
Spring semester.
The comprehensive examination in each area will run for one hour in each area. Because students are taking exams in six subject areas, they will have an hour to prepare for the exam followed by an hour to write it. The examination is taken over a period of three days, with a day of rest between each day. A typical sequence for taking the exam would follow this schedule: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday (2 hours each morning and 2 hours each afternoon).
The professor in the area of specialization decides if the student passes his/her examination. In order to pass the exam, a student must pass in five of the six areas.
Should the student fail in more than one area, he/she must repeat the TWO AREAS two weeks later. In this case, the questions will be the same with one or two modifications that the professor may deem necessary for better understanding. Should the student fail in one of these two exams, then number four as mentioned above is applied again. Should the student fail both sections, then he/she has one more opportunity to retake the failed exams. IN THIS CASE, THE STUDENT MUST WAIT TO RETAKE THE EXAMINATION UNTIL THE FOLLOWING SEMESTER.
Should the student fail more than two areas, he/she must repeat the failed areas in the following semester. In this case, it is up to the professor to decide if the examination questions will remain the same or be changed.
The student may retake the failed areas twice.
These requirements are effective
immediately and apply to the students who are currently enrolled in
the Master of Arts Program and for the students who will begin studies
in the Spring of 2005.
Applied Linguistics Track.
Plan I (30 hours of coursework and a thesis) or Plan II (36 hours of
coursework, no thesis). The applied linguistics track involves three
components: language, linguistics, and applied linguistics. The language
component consists of 21 hours of credit in Spanish language, literature,
and culture (a minimum of 6 hours must be in Peninsular literature and
6 hours in Spanish-American literature). The linguistics component is
comprised of a 3-hour descriptive linguistics course (SP 556). The applied
linguistics component consists of 12 hours of coursework in second language
acquisition and pedagogy (SP 502, EN 613, and two of the following:
SP 581, EN 610, EN 612, CIE 517, or other approved courses. For descriptions
of courses bearing the EN prefix, see the Department of English section
of the Graduate Catalog; for a description of CIE 577, see the
“Curriculum and Instruction” section of the Graduate Catalog).
Requirements include success on comprehensive written and oral exams
before granting of the degree. For an explanation of the exam structure,
please see the section on French applied linguistics in this
handbook.
Romance Language option.
Plan I (24-30 hours of coursework
and a thesis) or Plan II (30-36 hours of coursework, no thesis).
The curriculum requires study of French and Spanish, one as major and
the other as minor. The major includes a minimum of 18 hours. The minor
includes a minimum of 12 hours. More than the minimum is recommended
for both the major and the minor. Graduate courses in Italian studies
are also available (see RL prefix in course listing below). Requirements
include success on comprehensive written and oral exams before granting
of the degree. All exams are based on the coursework. All new graduate
teaching assistants must take either FR 512 or SP 502.
Doctor of Philosophy in Romance Languages. Three options are available:
French Option. The curriculum
is centered on French, though up to 12 hours of coursework in a related
discipline is admissible. All new graduate-teaching assistants must
take FR 512. At the conclusion of the coursework, a qualifying examination
must take place before work on the dissertation can begin. The qualifying
examination includes written and oral components. The written examination
is comprised of six sections. 1. Four of the sections pertain
to standard periods of French literature in which the student has had
coursework. 2. The remaining two sections are open and may pertain
to any germane discipline or sub-discipline (for example, French Civilization,
Francophone Literature, Quebecois Literature, Critical Theory, etc.)
as well as linguistics and literatures from other languages. The
oral examination typically lasts from one to two hours.
Spanish Option. The
curriculum is centered on Spanish, though up to 12 hours of coursework
in a related discipline is admissible. All new graduate teaching assistants
must take SP 502. At the conclusion of the coursework,
a qualifying examination must take place before work on the dissertation
can begin. The qualifying examination includes written and oral components.
The written examination is comprised of six sections: 20th
Century Peninsular, 19th Century Peninsular, Golden Age,
20th Century Latin America, Latin America before 1800, and
19th Century Latin America. All written sections must be
passed before the student passes on to the oral exam. Students may retake
a section twice. There must be at least three weeks between first and
second retakes. The third attempt may not be made in the same semester
as the first two. Student passes the oral exam if a)she/he passes the
exam in the major area, and b) she/he passes three (3) of four (4) oral
sections. Sections of the oral exam may be retakes. If a third attempt
is necessary, it must not occur in the same semester as the first two
tries. The student is deemed to have passed the Ph.D. qualifying exams
after successfully passing both the written and oral exams. The Ph.D.
List will be a base, upon which in consultation with the professor in
each area, works may be added according to student’s dissertation
topic. Ph.D. course work will be taken in the following ratio: Option
I: Peninsular Literature (18 credits), Latin American Literature (9),
and SP502; or Option II Latin American Literature (18 credits), Peninsular
(9 credits), and SP502. If the student does not need SP502, these hours
must be used to complement the major area, in both options.
Romance Languages Option.
Candidates for the Romance languages track will be allowed to tailor
their programs individually, with the advice of a graduate faculty committee.
The goal will be to meet the interests and career requirements of the
candidate by utilizing the full resources of the department and of cognate
graduate programs offered by the University. All new graduate teaching
assistants must take either FR 512 or SP 502.
1) All RL Option students must
major in either French or Spanish
2) All RL Option students must have, in addition to the major in French or Spanish, either
a) an 18 hour minor in another discipline or
b) a second major in French or Spanish or
c)
a second, 30 hour concentration in linguistics
3) All RL Option students choosing
the 18 hour minor, must include in their course work for the major (above
and beyond the hours earned for the MA) at least one additional course
in each of the following main fields in their major.
For Spanish:
For French:
4) The 18 hour minor can be
in any field for which a feasible curriculum can be assembled (French,
Spanish, German, Latin American studies, Italian studies, Renaissance
studies, English, TESOL, linguistics, etc.). A “feasible curriculum”
is defined as any curriculum for which appropriate course work at the
University of Alabama is readily available and accessible and for which
the candidate has the commensurate background. Up to 12 of the 18 hours
in the minor may be transferred from previous MA course work conducted
on another campus (this provision is necessary so that the student can
be tested on the minor by UA faculty). The full 18 hours can be transferred
from a previous MA earned at the University of Alabama.
5) Students opting for the
double major in French and Spanish must fulfill all of the requirements
(listed in I.3 above) for both majors and must have a minimum of 30
hours of course work in both majors.
6) A 30 hour, interprogrammatic/interdepartme
7) Note: Some courses can be
used to simultaneously satisfy requirements for both major and the 18
hour minor. For example: A student majoring in French and minoring in
Renaissance Studies, can use a French course on the Renaissance to satisfy
requirements for both the major and the minor. Some courses can be counted
as either part of the major or part of the linguistics concentration,
depending upon the student’s programmatic needs. For example: A student
majoring in Spanish and having a 30 hour linguistics concentration can
count a course on Spanish Linguistics as either part of the major or
part of the linguistics concentration, in order to free up additional
hours in the category that best serves the student’s programmatic
needs. In all cases, a minimum of 60 hours of graduate credit must be
accumulated (54 hours for students with an MA thesis).
The qualifying examination
for the Romance languages option takes the following form:
1) On a date to be determined
in advance by the chair of the exam committee (= prospective dissertation
director) in consultation with the student, after ample prior consultation
with the appropriate graduate advisor, the student will submit to his/her
exam committee a written “pre-prospectus,” that is, a preliminary
version of the prospectus. For all students (other than those having
the 30 hour linguistics concentration), the exam committee, under normal
circumstances, would be composed of all the professors having taught
the required courses for the major(s) (that is, five professors, assuming
all required courses were taught by different professors) and a minimum
of two professors representing the minor. For students pursuing the
30 hour concentration in linguistics, who will likely have been exposed
to a large diversity of professors in different departments, it may
not be feasible to include all the professors on the exam committee.
Nevertheless, the committee should normally have a minimum of
five or
2) On a date to be determined
in advance (as above), the student’s exam committee will submit to
him/her a set of written questions. Each questioner will submit one
question. In cases where the same professor taught more than one of
the required courses figuring in the exam structure, that professor
will submit one question per field. The questions, which may pertain
to the prospectus and/or to any of the course work in either the major
or the minor, may be narrow or broad and may contain multiple parts.
In some cases, a questioner may recommend that the answer to a written
question also involves the revision of aspects of the pre-prospectus.
(For example, a questioner might ask “Compare and contrast the theories
of X and Y,” and then also recommend that the pre-prospectus be revised
to reflect a fuller or more accurate understanding of the implications
of the response to the question.) Any revisions to the pre-prospectus
will be undertaken by the student in consultation with his/her prospective
dissertation director (who is also the chair of the exam committee).
3) The student will have a
specified amount of time to generate written responses to the questions
and a revised version of the pre-prospectus (if any changes were required).
Each of his/her responses should be a minimum of two pages and a maximum
of 3 pages in length (double space, normal margins and font size).
4) Any questioner finding any
answer(s) to his/her question(s) insufficient, must give notice to the
student and to the chair of the exam committee by a date to be formally
specified. There will be one opportunity given to the student to rewrite
answers to questions.
5) Any rewritten answers (and
corresponding revisions to the pre-prospectus, if needed) must be submitted
by a date to be determined in advance.
6) By a certain date to be
determined (if no rewriting was required) or by a later date (if any
rewriting was required), every member of the exam committee will be
provided with a copy of all written answers. The exam committee will
then vote on the acceptability of the written exam (which includes both
the pre-prospectus and the written answers). Every questioner votes
primarily on his/her section of the exam, but may also take into account
overall performance. A professor who is responsible for more than one
field will cast one vote per field. A simple majority rules (a tie vote
is not a majority). If a positive vote fails to achieve
a majority and the student fails the written portion, he/she will have
one further opportunity to retake the written portion at a later date,
to be determined by the exam committee in consultation with the student.
7) If the student passes the
written portion, he/she proceeds to the oral portion of the exam. The
oral portion of the exam will consist of the oral presentation of the
dissertation prospectus (that is, the final revision of the pre-prospectus).
By virtue of present departmental policies, all graduate faculty have
voting privileges when a prospectus is presented. However, policy also
requires that at least three members of the dissertation committee be
present. If the prospectus meets with the approval of the faculty present
and voting, the dissertation committee, composed of readers who find
the prospectus satisfactory and are willing to serve, will sign the
Application for Candidacy which is then delivered to the Graduate School.
If the prospectus is rejected by faculty vote, then a failure on the
exam is reported to the Graduate School. After revisions, one final
attempt at the oral is permitted, at a time to be determined by the
exam committee in consultation with the student.
General Departmental Requirements
for the Ph.D.
In addition to the program-specific
requirements presented above, all doctoral candidates, regardless of
the option selected, must adhere to the following. The minimal
formal coursework required is 60 semester hours, which may include up
to 30 hours of transferred credits earned at another institution.
Students who have completed a master’s thesis, however, need accumulate
only 54 hours of coursework. Once all coursework is completed,
an additional 24 hours of dissertation research are required.
All doctoral candidates must possess reading knowledge of one language
in addition to English, their native language, and their language of
specialization. It is strongly recommended that, before the termination
of studies, all doctoral candidates reside for a period in a country
or location requiring constant interaction in the language of specialization.
Probation.
A graduate student with regular status in a graduate program who drops
below a “B” average (at any time after earning 6 semester hours)
will be placed on probation. While on probation, a student will
not be permitted to apply for admission to candidacy and may not hold
an assistantship without approval of the graduate dean. Probationary
status must be removed by raising the overall average to a “B” or
better during the 12 hours of graduate work immediately following the
period in which the probation was incurred. Failure to do so will
result in the student’s being dropped from the program.
Eligibility for Graduate
Assistantships. Students with regular or conditional admission
status may hold graduate assistantships. Students who have received
academic warnings or with non-degree or provisional language admission
status may not hold graduate assistantships. Conditionally admitted
students whose graduate GPAs fall below 3.0 at any time during their
conditional status will not be allowed to hold graduate teaching assistantships
until such time as the GPA has increase to 3.0 or better.
The Master’s Thesis and
the Doctoral Dissertation
The MA Thesis
If a student chooses to write
a thesis, the first step is to constitute a faculty committee composed
of a director and two others, one of whom must be from outside the Department.
It is the student’s responsibility to ask these committee members
if they will be willing to serve. However, the chosen director should
be consulted for help choosing the other members of the committee.
Once the committee is in place, the student will meet with the director in order to obtain
approval for the topic. It
is best to have a written proposal indicating research objectives, methodology,
a brief survey of the secondary literature and a chapter summary. In
the humanities, the MA thesis does not need to present path breaking
scholarship. An extensive research paper presenting a fresh look at
a problem is admissible. The typical length is 50-75 pages, although
there have been shorter and longer works submitted.
When the thesis is complete, with the approval of the director, there must be a defense in
front of the committee. It is imperative to follow the guidelines set forth in the Graduate
School Manual for writing theses and dissertations. The student should be careful to keep track of Graduate School deadlines for submitting the completed and defended thesis. For example, for a May graduation the thesis must be submitted before Spring Break, usually in late March, which means that a draft should be ready for the director in January or early February so that there will be ample opportunity for the director’s feedback and corrections prior to the final editing. The finished product must be submitted to
the committee two weeks in advance of the defense -- early in March. It is the student’s
responsibility to schedule
the defense. Allowance should be made for at least one week of final
corrections subsequent to the defense and prior to the Graduate School
deadline for submission.
The Doctoral Dissertation
Once the student has completed the written and oral comprehensive examinations, he/she is ready to begin the dissertation. The first order of business is to choose a
research topic and to gain
the approval and support of a potential director. Once the student has
worked out the preliminary details and design of the project, he/she
will want to constitute the dissertation committee, consisting of five
faculty members, at least one of whom is from outside the Department.
It is the student’s responsibility to contact these faculty members
and gain their assent to serve on the committee.
The next phase is the dissertation prospectus, which will be submitted to the committee,
discussed by them in a formal
session with the student, and approved by the departmental faculty (see
below), before the student can proceed with the writing. The prospectus
should include a detailed statement of the purpose and design of the
project. Students need remember that dissertation research must be original,
which means that one cannot limit research to a patchwork of other scholars'
texts, research data, and interpretations. The student must thus state
why the work is original and indicate its potential importance to a
particular field. The next item to cover is a literature review, a survey
of important work by previous scholars related to the thesis topic.
The prospectus must also include an explanation of the theoretical underpinnings
of the student’s work and methodology. Finally, the student will want
to project a chapter-by-chapter summary of the likely future form of
the dissertation. A relatively comprehensive bibliography of primary
and secondary works must be appended, works the student has already
consulted and works he or she plans to read that are relevant.
A dissertation prospectus must
be presented and defended in a public presentation. At least three members
of the dissertation committee must attend the defense; they in turn
sign the application for candidacy after the student has completed a
successful prospectus defense. All members of the faculty who have graduate
status in Modern Languages and Classics may attend a defense and vote
on the acceptability of a prospectus.
The dissertation prospectus
is usually 10-15 pages, the completed dissertation is typically 200-300
pages including bibliography and appendices. Students should obtain
the Graduate School Manual for Students Preparing Theses and Dissertations
in order to comply with Graduate School requirements and keep track
of Graduate School paperwork and deadlines.
Once the dissertation is approved by the director, it is sent to the other members of the
committee, at least two weeks before the defense. For a spring graduation the completed,
defended work must be submitted to the Graduate School before spring break--usually
late March, which means it must be essentially complete by early February in order to
leave adequate time for editing and polishing. The defense should be about ten days to a
week before final submission time in order to allow for corrections suggested at the time
of the defense.
_____1. Students wishing transfer
graduate hours from other programs must initiate the process by filling
out the appropriate forms in the Graduate School office. Transfer requests
should be made during the first academic year of the student’s program
at the University of Alabama. In most cases, the student will be consulted
by the department Graduate Director to determine which courses are transferable,
based on their consent and on the student’s intended program of study.
_____2. Application for candidacy:
for MA, after 12 hours of accumulated credit; for Ph.D., after successful
defense of prospectus.
_____ 3. Drop/Add period of
the semester in which the student plans to graduate: File “Application
for an Advanced Degree” with the Graduate School.
_____ 4. Consult with graduate
advisor to make sure all requirements are fulfilled. (non-thesis MA
students skip to #5)
_____ 5. Early weeks of semester
in which the student plans to graduate: Schedule defense
and book a room.
_____ 6. 10 weeks before date
of graduation: File Title Card with the Graduate School.
_____ 7. When student receives
notice from the Supe Store: reserve cap and gown, if planning
to attend the official ceremony. (non-thesis MA students skip to #11).
_____ 8. No later than two
weeks before defense: Distribute copies of thesis to committee
members.
_____ 8. In good time before
the defense: Prepare 3 copies of the signature page on 100% rag
bond.
______10. At the appointed
time: Defend thesis (student must bring the signature pages with
them!)
_____ 11. ASAP after the defense:
Make corrections to the manuscript, format it to Graduate School specifics,
and hand it in.
_____12. Before commencement:
Receive formal acceptance of the thesis or dissertation from Graduate
School.
_____ 13. Attend commencement.
MA students interested in teaching
who do not plan to pursue employment at a private elementary or secondary
school or at a college or university should talk to advisors in the
College of Education regarding the possibilities of teaching in public
schools. List serves maintained by the American Association of
Teachers of French, German, or Spanish often advertise teaching openings.
Students might consider obtaining a simultaneous degree in TESOL (Department
of English) to broaden their option, especially if they plan on living
and working in other countries. They may also wish to pursue teaching
certification through the College of Education. We recommend that students
who wish to pursue non-teaching careers pursue summer internship possibilities
before graduation. Students may wish to consult the resources
of the Career Center at 330 Ferguson.
Students planning a college
or university career should examine the Job Information List
published quarterly by the Modern Language Association. The
JIL will acquaint students with the kinds of qualifications employers
seek. Increasingly, academic employers are seeking candidates
with a broad background that includes demonstrated scholarly activity,
excellent teaching, experience with technology, and the ability to teach
other languages, if only at the introductory levels. Students
should begin to acquire these skills at the outset of their graduate
training.
With regard to scholarship,
students should become members of professional organizations.
They should attend conferences and deliver papers. Some financial
support from the department and from the Graduate School is available
for this. The yearly conferences of such regional organizations
as the South Atlantic Modern Language Association and the Southeastern
Conference of Linguistics are important venues that are not prohibitively
expensive to attend. An additional regional conference is the
yearly gathering of the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers.
Such conferences also allow students to network with scholars who will
ultimately prove invaluable in supplying advice and letters of recommendation.
Students should also attempt
to publish their scholarly work, as employers increasingly view previous
publications as a prerequisite for hiring. The faculty advisor
can recommend suitable journals. In addition to regular professional
journals, there are a number of journals that specialize in publishing
articles by graduate students.
Graduate students should teach
as many different courses as possible. They should establish a
teaching portfolio, which should contain a statement of teaching philosophy,
methodologies used, syllabi, teaching materials, and student evaluations.
It is useful to invite faculty to classes so that they are in a position
to evaluate the student’s teaching when he or she seeks employment.
The Center for Teaching and Learning can videotape classes and
give the student feedback on their classroom style.
Students should begin to integrate
technology into their teaching. They should familiarize themselves
with the Language Resource Center and the opportunities it presents.
They should participate in workshops presented by the LRC or by other
facilities on campus.
If students are able to teach a foreign language in addition to their language of specialization, they will have an advantage seeking a job. If students know a second foreign language, they should keep working on it. If they do not know one, we recommend that they begin taking courses now.
a. Graduate School Forms
For all forms relating to M.A.
and Doctoral degrees, visit the Graduate School Office or refer to the
following web page: http://www.ua.edu/academic
b. Faculty Profiles
1. Andrew M. Drozd: Associate
Professor of Russian, Ph.D., Indiana. Dr. Drozd came to the University
in 1994. His specialties include 19th-Century Russian literature,
Chernyshevskii, Russian history, Russian folklore, and Czech. In 2001
he published Chernyshevskii’s What Is to be Done?
A Reevaluation.
2. Bruce Edmunds: Associate
Professor of French, Ph.D., Stanford. Dr. Edmunds came to
the University of Alabama in 1989 and has held the rank of associate
professor since 1995. His specialties include 17th
Century French Literature, Descartes, and Pascal.
3. Barbara Fischer:
Associate Professor of German, Ph.D., University of California at San
Diego. Dr. Fischer came to the University of Alabama in
1998. Her specialties include 18th- and 20th-Century
German literature, language and culture, minority discourse, Enlightenment
traditions, and German-Jewish studies. She has published on G.E.
Lessing and Moses Mendelssohn, German Enlightenment, Avant-Garde Art
in Nazi Germany, and George Tabori. In 2000 she published Nathans
Ende? Von Lessing bis Tabori (Goettingen), and in 2005
A Companion to G.E. Lessing (Rochester/Suffolk; edited with Thomas C. Fox).
4. Thomas Fox: Professor
of German, Ph.D., Yale. Dr. Fox came to the University of Alabama
in 1995 and has held the rank of full professor since 1999. His
specialties include 19th- and 20th- Century literature,
women writers, East German literature, and Holocaust studies.
His has published the following books: Louise von Francois
and Die letzte Reckenburgerin: A Feminist Reading (1988);
Entzauberung der Welt: Deutsche Literatur 1300-1500, coedited with
James F. Poag (1989); Border Crossings: An Introduction to East German
Prose (1992); Stated Memory: East Germany and the Holocaust
(1999); A Companion to G.E. Lessing
(2005; edited with Barbara Fischer).
5. Barbara Godorecci:
Associate Professor of Italian, Ph.D., New York University. Dr.
Godorecci came to the University of Alabama in 1990 and has held the
rank of Associate Professor since 1995. Her specialties include
Medieval and Renaissance literature, Boccaccio, Petrarch, and Machiavelli.
In 1993 she published After Machiavelli: "Re-Writing" and
the "Hermeneutic Attitude."
6. Maurizio Godorecci:
Associate Professor of Italian, Ph.D., New York University. Dr.
Godorecci was appointed assistant professor in 1995 and has held the
rank of associate professor since 1999. His specialties include
Medieval literature, Dante, Vico, modern and contemporary poetry, film,
and critical theory. His books include: The Empty Set: Five
Essays on Twentieth Century Italian Literature. (1985); Ombre
e Corpi di F. Romani (1993); and a book of poetry Poena (1999).
7. Constance Janiga-Perkins:
Associate Professor of Latin American Literature and Portuguese, Ph.D.,
Indiana. Dr. Janiga-Perkins came to the University of Alabama
in 1987 and has held the rank of associate professor since 1993.
Her specialties include Spanish America, colonial texts of Latin-America
including Brazil, linguistic approaches to literature, semiotics, international
approaches to the colonization of Brazil, and Latin American film.
8. Rasma Lazda-Cazers: Assistant
Professor of German, Ph.D., University of Minnesota.
Dr. Lazda came to the University of Alabama in 2002 as an Assistant
Professor of German. Her teaching and research specialties include medieval
German literature and reception of medieval literature today.
9. Douglas J. Lightfoot:
Language Program Director of German and French, UCLA. Dr. Lightfoot
came to the University of Alabama in 2001 as an Assistant Professor
of German and French Linguistics. His teaching and research specialties
include historical linguistics, foreign language teaching methodology,
and grammaticalization. He has published “Ein Beitrag von Grammatikalisierung
zur Wortbildung der deutschen Sprache: Vorteile der Theorie in Bezug
auf deutsche Ableitungsprozesse” in Internationale Tendenzen der Syntaktik,
Semantik und Pragmatik, and has a contribution titled “Gestalt Derivation
in German” to appear in the edited volume Grammatikalisierung im Deutschen.
These works deal with linguistic theory and the cognitive processes
involved in the historical development of derivational suffixes.
10. Elaine Martin:
Associate Professor of German, Ph.D., Indiana. Dr. Martin
came to the University of Alabama in 1982 and has held the rank of associate
professor since 1991. Her specialties include Women filmmakers,
Romanticism, postwar German and French literature and art, and Fascisms.
She is currently writing a book about women's autobiographical writings
on the Nazi era.
11. Carmen K. Mayer-Robin:
Assistant Professor of French, University of Oregon. Dr. Mayer-Robin
came to the University of Alabama in Fall 2002 as an Assistant Professor
of French. Her teaching and research specialties include nineteenth-century
French literature, cultural history in France since 1789, nineteenth-century
art and iconography, and French cinema and literature. Her publications
include articles on Zola, Baudelaire, Merimee, De Quincey, and Huysmans.
Dr. Mayer-Robin has a book in progress on consumption, cultural anxieties,
and the limitations of science and reason in late nineteenth-century
French narrative, provisionally titled “Problems with Progress”.
12. Michael D. Picone:
Professor of French and Linguistics, Docteur ès lettres, Université
de Paris-Sorbonne. Dr. Picone came to the University of
Alabama in 1988 and has held the rank of full professor since 1999.
His specialties include linguistics, phonology, lexicology, dialectology,
language in contact, North American varieties of French, translation,
commercial French, Francophone Louisiana, and Francophone Africa.
In 1996 he published Anglicisms, Neologisms and Dynamic French.
He has published a variety of articles on Francophone Louisiana and
language contact phenomena. With funding from NEH and NSF, he co-organized
the milestone Language Variety in the South symposium, held at UA in
April 2004.
13. Michael Schnepf:
Professor of Spanish, Ph.D., Indiana. Dr. Schnepf came to
the University of Alabama in 1985 and has held the rank of full professor
since 2000. His specialties include 19th -Century Spanish
Peninsular literature, particularly drama, novel, and short story. He
has published numerous articles on Galdós.
14. Kirk Summers:
Associate Professor of Classics, Ph.D., Illinois. Dr. Summers
came to the University of Alabama in 1995. His specialties include
Roman religion, philosophical literature (especially Cicero and Lucretius),
the epigrammatic tradition, Medieval Latin, and Neo-Latin literature
of the Renaissance. His book, A View from the Palatine:
The Iuvenilia of Theodore de Beze,
15. Aida Toledo: Assistant
Professor of Spanish, Ph.D., University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Toledo came
to the University of Alabama in 2001 as an Assistant Professor of Spanish.
Her teaching and research specialties include Latin American Literature
and Culture. She is the editor of: En
la Mansa Oscuridad Blanca de la Cumbre (1999), womens’ essays
about Miguel Angel Asturias work; has published Vocación de Herejes
(2002) work about Latin American writers from the Postmodern Era as
Clarice Lispector, Mempo Giardinelli and José Agustín; she recently
published an article in Spain, about Miguel Angel Asturias Theather,
Archives Collection (ALLCA XX): "Amores
sin cabeza: ritualidad, ambigüedad y desenmascaramiento”; she is presently the editor of:
Desde la zona abierta: Artículos críticos sobre la obra de Ana María
Rodas (2004).
16. Tatiana Tsakirpoulou-Summers:
Assistant Professor of Classics, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Dr. Tatiana Tsakiropoulou-Summers came
to the University of Alabama in 2002 as an Assistant Professor of Classics.
Her teaching and research specialties include Roman poetry (Golden Age),
Classical tradition and Neo-Latin poetry in the Renaissance, Epicureanism
from antiquity through the Renaissance, myth and archetypal theory,
and women’s life in antiquity. She has published articles on Horace,
Lucretius, Polignac’s Anti-Lucretius, Hildegard of Bingen,
and myth theory. She is currently working on a book on “Lucretius’
Readers in the Renaissance.”
17.Rosita E. Villagómez:
Assistant Professor of Spanish, Florida State University. Dr. Villagómez
came to the University of Alabama in 2005 as an Assistant Professor of
Spanish. Her teaching and research includes 19th Century Latin American
and Caribbean literature, and postcolonial theories of race, ethnicity,
and nationalism.
18. William Worden: Assistant
Professor of Spanish, Brown University. Dr. Worden came to the
University of Alabama in 2002 as an Assistant Professor of Spanish.
His teaching and research specialties include Spanish Golden Age literature
with a particular emphasis on the development of the novel. He
has published on the work of Cervantes.
19. Metka Zupancic: Associate Professor of French, Ph.D., Zagreb, Croatia. Dr. Zupancic came to the University of Alabama in 2000. Her specialties include 19th- and 20th-Century French prose, poetry and theater. She has additional interests in mythical criticism, psychology, the history of ideas, feminism, arts and spirituality, comparative literature, literature and the fine arts, Eastern spirituality, and Slovenia and the former Yugoslavia. Among her many publications she has co-edited Le Mal dans l'imaginaire littéraire français (1850-1950); contributed the chapters "L'Optique globalisante: le Mal en perspective, chez Claude Simon," in Imaginaires du Mal; "Orphée à œuvre: polyphonie textuelle, musique scripturale dans Les Géorgiques de Claude Simon," in Recherches sur l'imaginaire; and "Mythes et utopies: approches féministes," in Récit et connaissance.Two volumes under her direction are titled Hermes and Aphrodite Encounters (2004) and Death, Language, Thought: On Gerard Bucher's L'imagination de l'origine (2005).
c. Courses Offered
French (FR)
FR 501 Reading Proficiency in French I. Three hours, no credit awarded.
Introduction to French grammar and vocabulary, with emphasis on developing basic reading and translation skills.
FR 502 Reading Proficiency in French II. Three hours, no credit awarded.
Prerequisite: FR 501 or permission of the instructor.
Continued study of grammar and vocabulary, with emphasis on further developing reading and translation skills.
FR 511 Research Methodology. Three hours.
Basic research tools and techniques. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
FR 512 Practicum: Applied Linguistics. Three hours.
The analysis and various practical applications of selected teaching techniques. Lightfoot.
FR 515 Topics in Second Language Acquisition. Three hours. Same as SP 581.
Topics vary. Analysis of major issues, theories, research findings and their implications for teaching. Examples: second language reading, classroom language acquisition. May be repeated for credit. Lightfoot.
FR 521 Pronunciation and Phonetics. Three hours.
Introduction to phonetic theory and corrective phonetics through auditory discrimination exercises and contrastive analysis; emphasis on mastery of oral skills. Picone, Zupancic.
FR 531 Francophone Africa. Three hours.
Prominent themes of the African experience, seen through the eyes of Francophone authors and cinematographers of the Maghreb, sub-Saharan Africa, and the immigration; dialect variations and sociolinguistic configurations. Picone.
FR 533 Topics in French Culture and Civilization. Three hours.
Study of French artistic heritage and development of social and political institutions. May be repeated for credit. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
FR 545 17th-Century French Literature I. Three hours.
Prose writings of the 17th century, including but not limited to the philosophical works of Descartes and Pascal and the novels of Madame de Lafayette. Edmunds.
FR 546 17th-Century French Literature II. Three hours.
Verse writings of the 17th century, including but not limited to the pre-classical poets (such as Saint-Amant and de Viau) and the dramatic works in verse (such as the plays of Corneille, Moliere, and Racine). Edmunds.
FR 547 Special Topics in 18th-Century French Literature. Three hours.
A selection of the important texts of the period. Lectures and discussion. May be repeated for credit.
FR 548 18th Century: The Philosophe Movement. Three hours.
Intellectual prose of the Enlightenment. Lectures and discussion.
FR 551 19th-Century French Novel. Three hours.
Close readings of the novel alongside studies in Romanticism, realism, naturalism, symbolism, and Décadence. Novelists, works, and movements privileged will vary, but generally include combinations of the following: Chateaubriand, Mme de Stael, Stendhal, Balzac, Hugo, Sand, Flaubert, Zola, Huysmans. May be repeated for credit. Mayer-Robin.
FR 552 Special Topics in 19th-Century French Literature. Three hours.
Readings in poetry, theatre, and prose, either genre-specific or in combination, generally focusing on the first or latter half of the century in order to consider movements in literary thought. May be repeated for credit. Mayer-Robin.
FR 553 20th-Century French Novel. Three hours.
Major novelists of the period and their works. Reading and discussion of complete texts; lectures and reports. Zupancic.
FR 554 Special Topics in 20th-Century French Literature. Three hours.
Major trends in 20th-century French poetry, theatre, essays, and history of ideas. Lectures and reports. Zupancic.
FR 555 Québécois Literature and Culture. Three hours.
A study of the history, culture, and literature of Québec and French Canada, with emphasis on the modern period. Zupancic.
FR 561 French Linguistics. Three hours.
Linguistic theory applied to the analysis and description of French phonological, morphological, syntactic, and lexical systems. Tendencies of change in contemporary French. Dialect areas. Picone.
FR 563 French-English Translation. Three hours.
Study of the problems of translation and of translation theories addressing them. Picone, Zupancic.
FR 564 French Language and Literature of the Middle Ages: Beginnings. Three hours.
Old French language and literature will be studied through major works of the period 1000-1250. Staff.
FR 565 French Language and Literature of the Middle Ages: 1250-1500. Three hours.
Middle French language and literature will be studied through major works of the period 1250-1500. Staff.
FR 590 Directed Readings/Directed Study. Three hours.
Subject matter varies. May be repeated for credit. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
FR 598 Nonthesis Research. Variable credit.
FR 599 Thesis Research. Variable credit.
May be repeated for a total of 6 hours. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
FR 643 Poetry of the French Renaissance. Three hours.
Major poets of the Renaissance, with emphasis on Marot, Sceve, Louise Labé, du Bellay, Ronsard. Staff.
FR 644 Narratives of the French Renaissance. Three hours.
A study of major works, including Rabelais and Montaigne. Staff.
FR 670 Graduate Seminar. Three hours.
Subject may be in French literature, linguistics, civilization, or a combination. Examples: Proust, French lexicology, Francophone Louisiana, French cinema. May be repeated for credit. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
FR 680 Special Topics. Variable credit.
Directed reading and/or research on varying subjects. May be repeated for credit. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
FR 699
Dissertation Research. May be repeated for variable credit. Three-hour
minimum. Edmunds, Lightfoot, Mayer-Robin, Picone, Zupancic.
German (GN)
GN 551, GN 552, GN 571, GN
575, and GN 576 may be repeated for credit when the content varies substantially.
A period course (GN 515, GN 520, GN 525, GN 530, GN 535, or GN 540)
may vary in emphasis during different semesters; when this is the case,
students may take the course a second time, but credit for the course
may be applied only once toward the minimum hours required for the degree.
GN 503 German Reading Proficiency
I. Three hours, no credit awarded.
Introduction to German grammar
and vocabulary, with emphasis on developing basic reading and translation
skills. Normally offered first semester of summer school only. This
course not available to German graduate students.
GN 504 German Reading Proficiency
II. Three hours, no credit awarded.
Prerequisite: GN 503 or permission
of the instructor.
Continued study of grammar
and vocabulary, with emphasis on further developing reading and translation
skills. Normally offered second semester of summer school only. This
course not available to German graduate students.
GN 510 History of the German
Language. Three hours.
The relationship to Indo-European and to the other Germanic dialects; linguistic development from the earliest times to the present.
GN 511 Gothic. Three hours.
Development of the Gothic language;
readings from Wulfila's Gothic translation of the Bible.
GN 515 Middle High German Language
and Literature. Three hours.
Introduction to the language
and literature of the Middle High German period.
GN 520 Renaissance and Baroque
Literature. Three hours.
Works from the Renaissance
(including literature from the Reformation and Humanism) and the Baroque
(17th century).
GN 525 Literature of the Age
of Goethe. Three hours.
Includes the German Enlightenment,
Sturm und Drang, Weimar Classicism, and the Romantic movement.
GN 530 Literature of the Age
of Realism. Three hours.
Includes Biedermeier, Junges
Deutschland, Poetic Realism, and Naturalism.
GN 535 Literature of the Early
20th Century. Three hours.
Includes the Jahrhundertwende,
Expressionism, Neue Sachlichkeit, Exilliteratur, and literature
of the Third Reich.
GN 540 Literature after 1945.
Three hours.
Literature of the German-speaking
world in the post-World War II era.
GN 551:552 Special Problems
and Directed Readings. Three hours.
Special topics chosen by students
in conference with the instructor.
GN 571 Seminar in Selected
Authors. Three hours.
Students will normally give
reports and write at least one research paper.
GN 575 Seminar in a Literary Genre. Three hours.
Students will normally give
reports and write at least one research paper.
GN 576 Seminar on a Literary
Theme. Three hours.
Students will normally give
reports and write at least one research paper.
GN 599 Thesis Research. Variable
credit.
Romance Languages (RL)
RL 680 Special Topics. Variable
credit.
Topics may be interdisciplinary
(example: critical theory) or language-specific (example: Louisiana Creole).
A three-hour special topics course in Italian or Italian studies is offered
regularly (B. Godorecci, M. Godorecci). Examples: Dante, Petrarch, Boccaccio,
19th-century Italian novel, Vico, Machiavelli, commedia dell'arte.
May be repeated for credit.
Spanish (SP)
SP 501 Bibliography and Electronic
Research Methodology. One hour.
Basic research tools and techniques.
SP 502 Practicum: Applied Linguistics.
Three hours.
In-depth analysis of fundamental concepts in foreign language learning and teaching. Topics include grammar and vocabulary acquisition, classroom discourse,
reading and listening comprehension,
writing and principles of language testing.
SP 503 Reading Proficiency
in Spanish I. Three hours, no credit awarded.
Introduction to Spanish grammar
and vocabulary, with emphasis on developing basic reading and translation
skills.
SP 504 Reading Proficiency
in Spanish II. Three hours, no credit awarded.
Prerequisite: SP 503 or permission
of the instructor.
Continued study of grammar
and vocabulary, with emphasis on further developing reading and translation
skills. Course not available to Spanish graduate students.
SP 515 Spanish-American Colonial
Texts. Three hours.
In-depth study of texts from the colonial period, with emphasis on colonialism and the role of writing in colonization and de-colonization. Readings may vary.
SP 516 19th-Century Spanish-American
Literature I. Three hours.
In-depth study of major literary
works of the period, with emphasis on Romanticism, social Romanticism,
and Romantic realism. Readings may vary. May be repeated for credit.
SP 517 19th-Century Spanish-American
Literature II. Three hours.
In-depth study of major literary
works of the period, with emphasis on naturalism and modernism,
etc.).
SP 518 20th-Century Spanish-American
Novel. Three hours.
A study of the novelistic currents
and selected major novelists from the Mexican Revolution to the present.
SP 519 20th-Century Spanish-American
Poetry. Three hours.
A study of the poetic movements since the Latin American
Avangard to the present, with emphasis on important poets, such
as Norah Lange, Pablo Neruda, Octavio Paz, Nicanor Parra, Hugo Achugar,
Rosario Castellanos, Ana Maria Rodas, Idea Vilarino and others.
SP 520 18th-Century Spanish
Literature. Three hours.
Subject matter varies, but
will consist of some combination of the following areas: poetry, theatre,
and prose works representing the different literary tendencies of the
18th century as well as the ideological issues of the period.
SP 521 19th-Century Spanish
Prose. Three hours.
Reading and discussion of complete
texts representative of the literary movements of the period; lectures
and reports.
SP 522 19th-Century Spanish
Poetry and Theatre. Three hours.
Important dramatists and poets
of the period and their works; lectures and reports.
SP 525 20th-Century Spanish
Literature, Pre-Civil War. Three hours.
Reading and discussion of texts
representative of the literary movements of the period. Lectures, discussions,
and reports.
SP 526 20th-Century Spanish
Literature, Post-Civil War. Three hours.
Reading and discussion of texts
representative of the literary movements of the period. Lectures, discussions,
and reports.
SP 534 Spanish-American Theatre.
Three hours.
A study of the development
of the Spanish-American theatre from its origins to the present, with
emphasis on 20th-century authors such as Florencio Sanchez and Rodolfo
Usigli.
SP 538 Spanish-American Short
Story. Three hours.
A study and theory of the short story with emphasis on 20th/ 21st
century writers such as Jorge Luis Borges, Miguel Angel Asturias, Julio
Cortazar, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Elena Garro, Elena Poniatowska,
Ana Lydia Vega, Clarice Lispector,
Zoe Valdes , Roberto Bolano, Dante Liano, Rodrigo Rey Rosa, and others.
SP 541 Survey of Medieval Spanish
Literature. Three hours.
El Cantar de Mio Cid and other
selected texts. Lecture, discussion, and reports.
SP 556 Introduction to Spanish
Linguistics. Three hours.
Linguistic theory applied to
the analysis of the Spanish language. Topics include phonology, morphology,
syntax, semantics, and language change and variation.
SP 566 Spanish-American Civilization.
Three hours.
Study of Spanish-American cultural
heritage and of the development of social and political institutions.
SP 581 Topics in Second Language
Acquisition. Three hours. Same as FR 515.
Analysis of major issues, theories, research findings, and their implications for teaching. Examples: second language reading, classroom language acquisition. May be
repeated for credit.
SP 584 Spanish Phonetics and
Syntax. Three hours. Emphasis on the development of correct pronunciation
and a more detailed examination of syntactic structure. Dialectal differences.
SP 590 Open Topics. Three hours.
Subject matter varies. May
be repeated for credit.
SP 591 Cervantes. Three hours.
Works of Cervantes. Offered
on demand.
SP 593 16th-Century Peninsular
Literature. Three hours.
Reading and discussion of selected
works.
SP 594 17th-Century Peninsular
Literature. Three hours.
Reading and discussion of selected works of the period.
SP 598 Non-thesis Research.
Variable credit.
SP 599 Thesis Research. Variable
credit. May be repeated for a total of 6 hours.
SP 600 Directed Readings or
Research. May be repeated for variable credit.
SP 689 Seminar in Spanish-American
Literature. Three hours.
Subject matter varies. May
be repeated for credit.
SP 690 Seminar in Spanish Literature.
Three hours.
Subject matter varies. May
be repeated for credit.
SP 699 Dissertation Research.
May be repeated for variable credit.
d. Graduate Reading
Proficiency for Students in Other Departments
There are a number of ways
to become certified as proficient in a particular language. Normally,
a student's home department or program requires the appropriate faculty
from MLC to certify proficiency based upon standards set within each
language section. Most departments and programs recognize two
forms of certification of language proficiency: 1) Successful completion
of two semesters of Reading Proficiency (e.g,: FR 501 or 502, SP 501
or 502, or GN 503 or 504); 2) Success on a language proficiency
exam constructed by the MLC staff and offered only once per semester
(contact MLC secretary to make arrangements). For other methods of proving
language proficiency, the tester/ instructor must submit a signed form
to the school certifying proficiency. Some departments and programs
allow other alternatives for certification of language proficiency.
Students should be careful to consult with graduate advisors from their
home departments before proceeding.
e. Order of Priorities for
Summer Teaching Assignments
Effective date: Summer
2001
A. The highest priority will be given to permanent faculty, followed in order by full-time
temporary staff and by part-time temporary instructors. Preference will be given to
those whose retirement is imminent and to those who have not taught in the previous
summer(s).
B. Graduate students enrolled in a Modern Languages & Classics program may bc
assigned summer teaching after having taught successfully at the same level (1 00 or
200) or higher
during the regular academic term.
The following criteria will
be considered in the ranking of eligible student applicants:
1. Adherence during the regular term to instructional guidelines prescribed by the course
coordinator.
2. No history of frequent absences
from or early dismissal of classes, failure to use the target language,
student complaints, or poor evaluations either by the students or by
the course coordinator (based on class observations).
3. Satisfactory progress toward
completion of the M.A. or Ph.D. degree.
4. Enrollment in summer class(es)
for graduate credit (if offered).
5. All other things being equal, preference will be given to those who did not teach in the
previous summers.