Spanish 501

Fall 2008

Spanish 501 gives new and continuing M.A. and Ph.D. students in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese an overview and introduction to graduate studies and to the profession. Class sessions are dedicated to introducing graduate students to the variety of professional and academic skills that will hold them in good stead as they progress through there professional careers. The course will introduce students to the types of activities they will undertake as researchers and teachers and will familiarize them with current research on teaching and evaluation as well including the incorporation of web based materials into  classes and your research. The course will  examine how to undertake research, how to document that research properly and how to present it in the form of a research paper or conference presentation. Students enrolled will  also learn the ins and outs of seeking employment including the interviewing process and the production of an academic c.v.

This course will combine some lecturing by the instructor with a seminar format requiring intensive and extensive participation by students working individually, with a partner or in small groups. The class discussions will revolve around three interrelated topics; technology and how to harness it for your own and your students use, mastering the basic skills of research, and issues of professional development and the nature of work in the academy and outside of it. The fact that we will be able to conduct  our class sessions in the College of Humanities Collaborator [The COH Lab, 412 Modern Languages] will  greatly facilitate our work.