Take the next step in your career now.
The accelerated online Master of Arts in Spanish at Worcester State University helps you further develop your understanding of—and appreciation for—the cultures and literatures of Spanish-speaking communities. With online classes, this flexible program is designed for working professionals, allowing you to advance your career at your own pace.
The only university in Central Massachusetts with a graduate program in Spanish, Worcester State offers a diverse array of classes, ranging from the study of language acquisition to the exploration of literatures and cultures of Spain, Latin America, and Latinx communities in the United States. You will demonstrate your mastery of program coursework through the completion of a comprehensive examination in Spanish. Total coursework for the master’s program consists of 10 courses / 30 credits.
While many graduates of this program have continued their studies beyond the master’s level, others have found great success as Spanish instructors in grades K-12. A master’s degree in Spanish from Worcester State may be used toward professional teacher licensure in the United States. Still others contribute their knowledge and skills in the growing field of professional translation and oral interpretation in such sectors as education, health care, law, and technology.
Spring 2024 Courses
SP901 Medical Translation
ENG/SPAN, SPAN/ENG, Online asynchronous
Spring I: January 22 – March 10, 2024
Dr. Ana Pérez-Manrique
This course focuses on building translation competence in the health care setting. Following a workshop design and very hands-on in nature, this course provides guided practice in the translation of actual documents within the bio-medical and medical-legal fields. The first two weeks of the course will serve as an introduction to translation, covering a range of linguistic concepts, basic translation techniques, cultural & linguistic issues, professional ethics and best practices, methods, and resources. It will also introduce the students to the translation process, from the research/documentation stage to the final steps of revision and editing. During the core of the course, weekly translations, reading assignments, and text analysis activities will allow students to familiarize themselves with health/legal text subgenres such as patient education pamphlets, lab results, health certificates, prescriptions, informed consents, or health proxies. Selected readings of the work of leading medical translation scholars will help students detect frequent translation challenges in health texts, develop problem-solving strategies for these issues, and reflect on their translation choices in order to achieve a text in the target language that is both accurate and communicative effective. While no prior translation training/experience is necessary, students must demonstrate an advanced/proficient level in both English and Spanish to successfully complete this course. This on-line class will be conducted in Spanish.
SP901 Staging Social Change: 20th & 21st Century Latin American Theater
Online asynchronous
Spring II: March 18 – May 5, 2024
Dr. Antonio Guijarro-Donadiós
This course explores the historical and aesthetic development of Latin American Theater, focusing upon the particular factors that distinguish this theater from the Western European tradition. Class discussion will be organized around major thematic focal points and discourses such as nation building, immigration, memory, and globalization, to name a few. We will analyze dramatic texts, performances, and critical and theoretical perspectives to engage in the following questions: How does theater create and represent social and political transformation? How might we reevaluate civic responsibility and accountability through the study of the audience? And, finally what are the major innovations in Latin American theater and performance in the 20th & 21st Centuries? This course will be conducted in Spanish.