Both the literature emphasis and the linguistics emphasis of the M.A. in Spanish require 30 semester hours of course work, and culminate in an M.A. Final Examination in the fourth semester. There is no thesis option for the M.A.

Literature Emphasis

Course work requirements
WLLC 5000 Teaching & Learning Languages
1 course in Spanish linguistics
2 courses in Spanish (peninsular) literature
2 courses in Spanish American literature
1 course in literary theory
3 elective courses                                                                                                                

Up to two of the ten courses above two may be taken in in related departments, subject to the approval of the Director of Graduate Studies.

The M.A. also requires the equivalent of one year of college study of any approved second foreign language, which can be satisfied by course work at the University of Iowa or by previous courses at another accredited university. The specific requirements for the degree can be found in the Graduate Program Manual of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Master of Arts Final Examination
The Final Examination for the M.A. in Spanish includes both a written and an oral component. The student chooses three exam areas from the list below. At least one literature area must be in Spanish literature and at least one must be in Spanish American literature. The written portion of the exam consists of a two-hour examination in each of these three areas. The oral examination is typically one week to two weeks after the written examinations and is usually one to one-and-a-half hours in duration. Each exam is conducted by a committee of 3-4 faculty members.

            Exam areas, Hispanic Literatures

            Spanish Peninsular Literature
            Medieval literature
            Renaissance and Baroque literature
            18th and 19th centuries
            20th and 21st centuries

            Spanish American Literature
            Colonial literature
            19th and 20th century poetry
            Narrative and essay: Independence through Modernismo
            Narrative and essay: Avant Garde to the present
            U.S. Latino Literature
            Chicano/a Literature

            Luso-Brazilian Literature

            Latin American Film

More specific information on the procedures and the structure of the M.A. Final Examination can be found in the Graduate Program Manual of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Linguistics Emphasis

Course work requirements
WLLC 5000 Teaching & Learning Languages
1 course in Spanish or Spanish American Literature
2 courses in phonetics/phonology
2 courses in syntax
1 course in language acquisition/applied linguistics
1 course in history of the Spanish language or sociolinguistics/language variation
2 electives

Up to four of the ten courses above may be taken in the Department of Linguistics.

The M.A. also requires the equivalent of one year of college study of any approved second foreign language, which can be satisfied by course work at the University of Iowa or by previous courses at another accredited university. The specific requirements for the degree can be found in the Graduate Program Manual of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.

Master of Arts Final Examination
The Final Examination for the M.A. in Spanish includes both a written and an oral component. The student chooses three exam areas from the list below; at least one of the areas must be either syntax or phonology. Within each area more specific topics are chosen, in consultation with the examining committee. The written portion of the exam consists of a two-hour examination in each of these three areas. The oral examination is typically one week to two weeks after the written examinations and is usually one to one-and-a-half hours in duration. Each exam is conducted by a committee of 3-4 faculty members.

            Exam areas, Hispanic Linguistics
            Spanish phonology: Theory and analysis
            Spanish syntax: Theory and analysis
            Applied linguistics/Pedagogy
            History of the Spanish language
            Language acquisition
            Sociolinguistics

More specific information on the procedures and the structure of the M.A. Final Examination can be found in the Graduate Program Manual of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese.