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Introduction
Program Overview
The Graduate Program in Hispanic Studies, a five-year Ph.D. program within the Department of Romance Languages, offers a rigorous professional formation in academic research, writing, and pedagogy. The program prepares students in a range of critical and methodological approaches to the study of literature, culture, and theory in Spain and Latin America. Students may complement their areas of specialization with course work in a second Romance language or in other disciplines such as Comparative Literature, English, History, and Philosophy. Interdisciplinary study is also invited through participation in the many lectures and colloquia sponsored by the various Graduate Groups and affiliated research institutes and centers at Penn. All graduate students have the opportunity to teach undergraduate courses in Spanish language and Hispanic culture, for which they attend extensive teacher training seminars and workshops. Faculty members are committed to enhancing graduate students' preparation for professional life through annual seminars on professional concerns and through comprehensive job placement support. The Department of Romance Languages publishes the Hispanic Review, and graduate students in Hispanic Studies may serve as editorial assistants to the journal.
Graduate Workshop in Hispanic Studies
The Workshop is the official sponsor of all activities undertaken by the Graduate Program in Hispanic Studies. On campus, these activities include a yearly lecture series given by renowned national and international scholars; two to three one-day intensive mini-courses led each year by visiting scholars, who address topics related to their current research; and regularly scheduled seminars to consider issues germane to the discipline of Hispanic Studies.
A principal component of the Workshop is an annual summer program designed to further the academic and professional training of our graduate students. During the summers students prepare for the Qualifying and Field examinations, take language courses and theory workshops, revise papers to produce publishable articles and conduct research trips to complete their dissertation projects. A Paleography workshop is also offered for those students specializing in Medieval, Early Modern and Colonial studies. Students are also introduced to archival research and engage in the study of techniques for handling archival sources.
General Program Requirements
Eighteen courses (students who enter the program with previous graduate work may be eligible to transfer some credits toward the Ph.D.)
- Fulfillment of the program's two language requirements.
- Four semesters of undergraduate teaching, one course per semester
- A qualifying examination
- A research requirement
- A doctoral examination in the student's chosen area of concentration
- A dissertation based on original research in the area of concentration
Admissions and Financial Support
Candidates for admission should have an excellent command of Spanish, a superlative undergraduate record, competitive GRE scores, strong letters of recommendation, and demonstrated skill in academic writing. Applications are accepted only for full-time work in the Ph.D. program beginning in the fall semester. All students admitted to the program receive a five-year Benjamin Franklin Fellowship that includes a stipend, tuition remission, and student health insurance. Students who have finished all pre-dissertation requirements and who no longer receive fellowship support are eligible for a lectureship.
Opportunities for Interdisciplinary Study
Students may complement their studies with up to five courses outside the Hispanic Studies section--for example, in another Romance language, Comparative Literature, English, or History. Certificate programs are also available in the areas of Women's Studies and Urban Studies. The University of Pennsylvania enjoys reciprocal agreements with several other nearby institutions, which allow students to complete a number of courses in them while enrolled in a graduate program at Penn. Additionally, interdisciplinary study is encouraged through participation in the wide range of seminars, lectures, and colloquia sponsored by the various Graduate Groups and affiliated research institutes and centers at Penn, including the Center for Italian Studies and the Latin American and Latino Studies Program. Students and faculty participate in the weekly "History of the Book Seminar," which draws scholars from a wide range of disciplines to discuss the history and materiality of the book. The Graduate Humanities Forum also provides a forum for doctoral students to interact with colleagues from across the disciplines and holds weekly meetings as well as special research seminars, colloquia, and an annual student conference.
Placement
The Department offers guided preparation for students' participation in the academic job market. Students receive advice and feedback on their job application materials (CVs, cover letters, teaching statements, research statements, etc.) and attend an intensive one-day seminar in December that prepares them for the Annual Convention of the MLA. Mock interviews and practice job talks are also arranged. Recent graduates of our program have fared extremely well on the job market, accepting tenure-track positions at some of the best colleges and universities around the country.
The Career Services Office makes every effort to assist students in finding employment and offers a range of services geared toward both academic and nonacademic career options.
Library Resources
The Van Pelt Library, the University's central humanities research collection, is especially rich in the Romance languages areas, with outstanding collections of rare books and manuscripts. The Spanish literature collections, while strong in all areas, have historically been most outstanding in the areas of Medieval and Golden Age literature and include the Rennert Collection in Spanish Golden Age drama. In addition, there are significant collections in other languages and literatures of the Iberian Peninsula: Portuguese, Galician, and Catalan. The Latin American collections include a number of extraordinary special collections, and current collecting reflects the vigorous state of Latin American scholarship on campus.
The Department publishes the prestigious literary journal Hispanic Review. Each year, a number of graduate students in Spanish have the opportunity to work as assistant editors.
The Graduate Romanic Association, the graduate student organization of the Department of Romance Languages, works to enhance the general welfare of graduate students in both intellectual and practical terms. This group helps to organize Department-sponsored lectures and colloquia, organizes an annual graduate student colloquium, and publishes a journal of its proceedings.
Graduate students have the opportunity to live and work as resident advisors at the Gregory House, an undergraduate campus dormitory that is staffed by native speakers, graduate students, and faculty members from participating departments in French, Spanish, Italian, and German. In addition to communal dining for House residents, each floor offers weekly coffee hours for informal conversation, movies, and other social events.
Department Facilities
The Department of Romance Languages occupies the fourth and fifth floors of Williams Hall, with a seminar room for Romance Languages graduate classes, a graduate lounge, and a computer lab, as well as the Cherpack Lounge, where faculty and graduate students meet informally, and where lectures and colloquia sponsored by the Department are held.
For Further Information
Lisbeth Dennis
Graduate Coordinator
University of Pennsylvania
521 Williams Hall
Philadelphia, PA 19104-6305
Telephone: (215) 898-1980
Fax: (215) 898-0933
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