University of Minnesota
Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies
spanport@umn.edu
612-625-5858


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Graduate Programs

Hispanic and Lusophone Literatures, Cultures, and Linguistics

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese Studies at the University of Minnesota has a strong tradition of fostering socio-historical perspectives in the study of culture. We emphasize global Hispanic and Lusophone studies while being attentive to the legacy of colonialisms that continue to inform regional and national histories as well as the multidimensional relationships between language and culture.

Our faculty are committed to comparative and interdisciplinary studies and they engage a variety of contemporary theoretical approaches with strengths in postcolonial theory, feminisms, critical race theory, queer theory, human rights, and theories of globalization.

The Hispanic Linguistics program emphasizes the study of language in its contexts with a focus on interdisciplinary approaches to language contact, phonology, pragmatics, second language acquisition, sociolinguistics, and syntax.

Our program offers graduate students the chance to develop research projects by working closely with faculty and by participating in departmental workshops with both faculty and fellow graduate students. Our students typically go on to be leaders in the field in tenure track positions at research institutions and at distinguished liberal arts colleges around the country. Please visit our Ph.D. Graduates web page for a list of former PhDs in Spanish and Portuguese at the University of Minnesota.

Applications and Deadlines

Please visit our Applying page for more information.

APPLICATION DEADLINE: DECEMEBER 15

Degrees & Concentrations

We offer Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees with concentration in three areas:

  • Hispanic literatures and cultures
  • Lusophone literatures and cultures
  • Hispanic linguistics

The close integration of these three areas of literature and culture—Spanish Peninsular, Latin American, and Lusophone literature and cultures—makes this department unique in the United States.

Graduate students may also take courses in related departments and programs, among them:

Departmental Publications

Our department sponsors several renowned publications such as Hispanic Issues and Studies in Hispanic and Lusophone Linguistics. Faculty organize major international conferences and symposia, some on a regular basis such as the State of Ibero-American Studies Theater.

Library Resources

The library collection at the University of Minnesota, one of the largest in the nation, provides strong research support. Of particular interest is the prestigious James Ford Bell Library's collection of rare books, maps, and manuscripts documenting the overseas expansion of early modern Europe. The Tretter GLBT collection is one of the nation's largest, and is international in scope, including substantial holdings in Spanish and Portuguese.

Institutional Partners

Our department has strong institutional ties with important research communities across campus such as:

Financial Support for Graduate Students at Minnesota

All graduate students accepted into the program are eligible for support in the form of a nine-month graduate instructorship which includes:

Incoming and continuing students may be nominated by the department for University-wide fellowships available at the University of Minnesota.

Department Affiliations

Our Department has institutional ties with important departments, programs and centers across campus, among them:

Contact Information

News & Information

  • John Trimble: "Acquiring variable L2 Spanish intonation in a study abroad context"

    Hispanic Linguistics Ph.D. Candidate John Trimble will be presenting his doctoral dissertation research Acquiring variable L2 Spanish intonation in a study abroad context. His dissertation follows the L2 (second language) Spanish intonation and social interactions of study abroad participants as they spend a semester in the Venezuelan Andes, a dialect of Spanish known for its distinct absolute interrogative intonation. This public presentation will be part of John's doctoral final exam.

    Friday, June 7th
    11:00 a.m.
    Folwell 120
    Free of charge. Everyone welcome.

     (Continue Reading)

  • Spanish & Portuguese Research Group (SPRG) Forum

    sprg-sm.jpgFriday, May 17th
    Folwell 317
    3:00 to 5:00pm

    Portuguese Studies Assistant Professor Sophia Beal will present "Walking All over Brasília: Cultural Texts of the Capital from the 1970s to 2000s" for the final SPRG forum of the academic year. Please join us!

     (Continue Reading)

  • John Trevathan: "Beyond the Niche: Ecological Cultural Production in the Iberian Peninsula"

    TrevathanHispanic Literatures & Cultures Ph.D. Candidate John Trevathan will be presenting his doctoral dissertation research Beyond the Niche: Ecological Cultural Production in the Iberian Peninsula. His dissertation comparatively analyzes regional representations of landscapes in film, poetry, novels, painting and art installations in order to re-think the place of nature in the discourses of Iberian cultural identity. This public presentation will be part of John's doctoral final exam.

    Thursday, May 16th
    12:30 p.m.
    Folwell 121
    Free of charge. Everyone welcome.

     (Continue Reading)

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