About the Program
Our program leads to the Ph.D. degree. Courses are coordinated in a system of seminars, study courses, independent study and research projects. In addition, the excellence of Brown's undergraduates allows us to enhance our graduate offerings with courses of mixed undergraduate and graduate enrollments. Graduate classes are small in size, resulting in attention to each student and an individualized plan of studies.
Besides standard courses (in genres, figures, periods, literary theory, teaching methodology, philology), our curriculum has recently included topical courses such as: "Medieval Masterpieces," "Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz in Her Literary Context," "Studies in Spanish Literature of the Golden Age: Fin de Siècle," "The First Fifty Years of New World Historiography," "Garcilaso's Poetics," "Galdós y sus contemporaneos," "Generation of '98: Unamuno, Machado," "Vallejo y sus contemporaneos," "Borges," "Desire in the Spanish Novel," and "The Novisimos Group." Descriptions of the courses currently offered by the department can be seen in the Brown Online Course Announcement.
Two special features characterize our financial aid program for graduate students. First, the policy of the department has been to guarantee support for four years to students whose performance is deemed satisfactory. Second, entering graduate students are not normally expected to act as teaching assistants in their first year; in subsequent years teaching assistantships, teaching fellowships, and proctorships are available (for more information, see: Brown University Graduate School). The department is privileged to possess, through the Kenyon Fund and the Ruth and A. David Kossoff Fund, its own endowment for fellowships, prizes for excellence in teaching, and travel to academic gatherings (see also at Brown: Pembroke Center for Teaching and Research on Women: Graduate Fellowships / Center for Latin American Studies / Mellon Grants).
Specific details of course and language requirements, as well as the Ph.D. reading list, are available by clicking on the links from the main graduate page or from the Director of Graduate Studies, Professor Julio Ortega.
In order to preserve the distinctive character and individualized attention to the students of the Department, our admissions are kept low (approximately 3-5 candidates per year).
For an application to our graduate program, please contact the Graduate School at (401) 863-2600 or E-mail the Hispanic Studies Department. The combination of a solid and innovative curriculum, a dedicated faculty, up-to-date training in teaching methodology (The Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning), and a well-selected student body has given very successful results in placing our graduate students in outstanding universities in the United States and abroad. Our graduate program was ranked first in effectiveness and third in faculty quality in the last national ranking conducted by the National Research Council in Washington.