School of Liberal Arts Indianapolis

Chairperson
Professor Larbi Oukada

Departmental E-mail
nnewton@iupui.edu

Departmental URL
www.iupui.edu/~flac

Graduate Faculty
Degree Offered
Program Information
Special Departmental Requirements
Courses

Graduate Faculty

Associate Professors
Marta Anton*, Enrica Ardemagni*, Herbert Brant*, Nancy Newton*

Assistant Professor
Gustavo V. Garcia*

Director of Graduate Studies
Professor Nancy Newton, Cavanaugh Hall 501 F, (317) 274-7342 or 274-3658

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Degree Offered

Master of Arts for Teachers

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Program Information

This graduate program is a collaboration between IUPUI and the University of Salamanca. It leads to the M.A.T. in Spanish, awarded by IUPUI, and to a distinctive international degree entitled Master Interuniversitario Hispano-Norteamericano en la Lengua Espanola y las Culturas Hispanas, awarded by the University of Salamanca. The University of Salamanca has a well-developed curriculum for foreign students who aspire to teach Spanish, and its Cursos para profesores enjoy a high level of academic prestige around the world.

This international course of study has been designed specifically for teachers of Spanish. It provides graduate level course work in the Spanish language, Hispanic cultures, teaching methodology, applied linguistics, and Hispanic art and literature. It provides for the professional development of Spanish teachers through the improvement of their language and teaching skills, and it will enable their career advancement. Graduates of the program will in turn contribute to better teaching of Spanish in Indiana schools, improving the language skills and the cultural awareness of Indiana students.

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Special Departmental Requirements

(See also general University Graduate School requirements.)

Admission Requirements
(1)A bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university, with a minimum grade point average of 3.0 (on a 4.0 grading scale) in the student's undergraduate major, documented by an official transcript. Applicants are expected to have a B.A. in Spanish, but admission is also considered for those who otherwise demonstrate the competency necessary for successful graduate work in Spanish. Students must have knowledge of Spanish phonetics, linguistics, and literary genres and periods. Students with deficiencies may be admitted on a conditional basis until they complete the relevant undergraduate courses in these areas. (2a) Personal statement in Spanish explaining why the applicant wants to pursue this degree. (2b) Tape including applicant's oral sample of 10-15 minutes of spontaneous speech in Spanish. (2c) An essay on some aspect of Spanish culture, literature, linguistics, or pedagogy. (3) Proficiency in the Spanish language, which may be demonstrated by the Basic Diploma in Spanish issued by the Spanish Ministry of Education, Culture and Sport. The official exam determining this proficiency is offered once a year at IUPUI. (4) The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test with a minimum score of 600 in at least one of the three areas. Applicants are encouraged to take the examination by December of the year before admissions. (5) Three letters of recommendation. At least two of these should be from professors. (6) For foreign students, the university requires a minimum TOEFL score of 550. Students who do not achieve this score may be admitted to the university conditionally and may be required to take English as a Second-language courses through the Department of English. While taking these courses they will be allowed to register for a maximum of six credit hours in the M.A.T. in Spanish. Foreign students already in residence in the U.S. may take the placement test in English administered by the IUPUI ESL office instead of the TOEFL exam.

Course Requirements
The degree program consists of 36 credits and requires two July summer programs at the University of Salamanca. The remainder of the course work must be completed in residence at IUPUI. The M.A.T. may be completed in three academic semesters and two summer sessions.

Course Work at IUPUI
(to be completed during the academic year):

Methodology and Applied Linguistics
S513 Introduction to Hispanic Sociolinguistics
S515 Acquisition of Spanish as a Second-language
S517 Methods of Teaching College Spanish

Latin American Culture and Literature
S518 Studies in Latino and Spanish-American Culture
S680 Topics in Contemporary Spanish-American Literature
S519 Practicum in the Teaching of Spanish
S685 M.A.T. Thesis

Course Work at the University of Salamanca
(to be completed in two July sessions):

S521 Teaching Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary

Gramatica del espanol

El componente lexico del espanol

S522 Teaching the Four Language Skills

Las destrezas orales y auditivas

Las destrezas escritas y de lectura

S523 Teaching Spanish Culture

Cultura espanola: Ayer y hoy de Espana en el mundo

Sociedad, politica y economia en la Espana actual

S524 Teaching Contemporary Spanish Literature and the Other Arts

Literatura espanola

Corrientes artisticas en la Espana actual

S525 Spanish Linguistics for Teachers

Evolucion del espanol

El espanol actual: Variedades sociales y geograficas. El espanol en el mundo

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Courses

S513 Introduction to Hispanic Sociolinguistics (3 cr.) P: S320, S426, or instructor's consent. Examines the relationship between language and society in the Spanish-speaking world. Surveys a wide range of topics relevant to Spanish: language as communication, the sociology of language, and linguistic variation. The course is conducted entirely in Spanish.

S515 The Acquisition of Spanish as a Second-language (3 cr.) P: S426, S428, or instructor's consent. Surveys the empirical research conducted on Spanish and investigates how a nonnative linguistic system develops. Course includes four topics: morpheme acquisition studies, interlanguage development, input processing, and Universal Grammar.

S517 Methods of Teaching College Spanish (3 cr.) P: S428 or instructor's consent. Trains graduate students to teach the freshmen and intermediate college courses in Spanish.

S518 Studies in Latino and Spanish-American Culture (3 cr.) Introduction to themes and topics in the study of the cultural phenomena produces in Latin America and among Hispanics in the United States: popular culture, colonialism, the Other, etc.

S519 Practicum in the Teaching of Spanish (2 cr.) P: S517 or instructor's consent. Practical application of the teaching methodology explored in S517 Methods of Teaching College Spanish. Students will undertake teaching projects supervised by a graduate faculty member in Spanish and meet with their mentors to assess their teaching objectives, techniques, materials and outcomes.

S521 Teaching Spanish Grammar and Vocabulary (4 cr.) This course reviews the fundamental issues of Spanish grammar from the perspective of teaching the language to nonnative speakers and analyzes concepts and methods for learning and teaching vocabulary. Teaching strategies will be discussed and classroom materials will be provided.

S522 Teaching the Four Language Skills (3 cr.) This course addresses the four language skills of listening, speaking, reading and writing as methodological issues in the teaching of Spanish to non-native speakers. Specific learning strategies will be discussed and classroom materials will be provided.

S523 Teaching Spanish Culture (3 cr.) This course offers an analysis of cultural themes of daily life in contemporary Spain and an overview of the historical trajectory of the nation. It also provides a complete panorama of the social, political and economic characteristics of contemporary, democratic Spain.

S524 Teaching Contemporary Spanish Literature and the Other Arts (3 cr.) This course introduces tendencies and authors of contemporary Spanish literature and focuses on the analysis of literary texts when used in Spanish classes for nonnatives. It also provides a broad introduction to recent contributions in the fields of Spanish film, theater, painting, architecture, etc.

S525 Spanish Linguistics for Teachers (2 cr.) This course provides an overview of the evolution of Spanish from Latin so that Spanish teachers can better understand and explain numerous aspects of contemporary Spanish to their students. It also provides an overview of geographical and social varieties of Spanish in the world.

S680 Topics in Contemporary Spanish-American Literature (3 cr.) Topics include poetry, drama, short story, novel, essay.

S685 MAT Thesis (1-6 cr.) Students will identify a research theme and develop it under the guidance of a director and a co-director. The topic will be related to the teaching of the Spanish language or to the teaching of an aspect of Hispanic culture.

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