OBJECTIVES
The PhD in Spanish allows graduate students with a primary focus on Literary and Cultural studies or Sociolinguistics in the Spanish-speaking world to develop the specific types of expertise required within these academic and professional fields. The PhD program in Spanish seeks to foster the kinds of comparative and interdisciplinary approaches to the study of Spanish (literatures, cultures, linguistics, etc.) that are sought after by employers within the current academic as well as non-academic job markets.
Applicants holding a BA may be admitted directly to the PhD program. Students holding a BA who are admitted to the Spanish PhD program will receive the MA after successfully completing the customary two years of coursework, MA exams, and thesis project. They will then be prepared to focus on the timely completion of their PhD degree in Spanish while also developing the kinds of interdisciplinary expertise (i.e.: media studies, linguistics, anthropology, history, philosophy, gender and sexuality studies, ethnic studies) that are increasingly valued among PhD graduates within this field.
Academic advisors assigned to the students as they enter the program will give them concrete advice on how to fulfill our program requirements (core courses, electives and second language requirement, among other items). Students completing a PhD in Spanish will have the opportunity to develop expertise in primary and secondary fields based on cohesive themes, disciplinary approaches, and linguistic geographies:
- Language in Contact: Sociolinguistics, Second Language Studies, and/or Language Program Director
- Translation Studies
- Poetics, Genre and Form
- Critical Race and Postcolonial Studies Gender and Queer Studies
- Media Studies (Visual, Material and Digital Cultures)
- Environment, Food Studies, and Green Humanities
- Geographies: Mediterranean Studies, Transatlantic Studies, European Studies, Latin American Studies
With their advisor’s approval and by petition to the Graduate Committee, any graduate student can apply to fulfill a primary or secondary field not represented on this list or in fields outside the department.
- Coursework for the PhD in Spanish allows students to:
- acquire exposure to a broad range of theoretical perspectives and methodological approaches;
- develop expertise in a primary and secondary field;
- broaden and deepen their conception of the PhD Scholarly Project/dissertation;
- acquire exposure to interdisciplinary comparative approaches, transnational connections, and minority languages and cultures;
- join and/or establish professional networks in their chosen discipline(s).
Students who enter the PhD program with no knowledge of a second Romance language are encouraged to start learning one as soon as possible during their graduate studies. The PhD program has five components:
FUNDING
All post-MA work, including the dissertation, is normally completed in three to four years of study. Students entering the UO PhD program with an MA from UO are normally eligible for a maximum of three years of funding after the MA Students entering the UO PhD program with an MA from elsewhere are normally eligible for a maximum of four years of funding. PhD students making satisfactory progress toward the degree are eligible for funding packages in the form of graduate teaching fellowships. Graduate teaching fellowships include stipends for teaching, as well as tuition waivers. Satisfactory progress entails completing all courses taken for credit with a grade of B or better; passing the PhD comprehensive examination; timely submission of an acceptable dissertation prospectus; and regular and timely progress on the dissertation itself.