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.
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Fall I: September 4 – October 22, 2023 Online, asynchronous Dr. Antonio Guijarro-Donadiós
Wanderers, vagabonds, rogues and tricksters: these are characters you will meet in the literature genre known as the picaresque. In this graduate seminar, we will analyze La vida de Lazarillo de Tormes y de sus fortunas y adversidades [The Life of Lazarillo de Tormes, His Fortunes and Adversities], plus a selection of works published at the beginning of the 17th Century from a variety of sociological, mythological and literary perspectives. Picaresque stories are about male and female individuals forced to rely on themselves during times of social upheaval and chaos, characters who have no choice but to take to the road, get by on their wits, dupe others and get duped themselves. These are adventure stories, but they are also stories about human society – only they are told from the margins of society. These (anti)heroes are not the type often remembered in history books; they represent the masses of the ordinary, the poor, the down-and-out and the helpless, caught in history and then forgotten by it. They invite us to laugh at the hypocrisies of their societies. The purpose of this seminar is to read and comment on selected readings of the picaresque tradition, and aims to inspire and assist instructors to experiment with new techniques and integrate new ideas into their teaching. Class will be conducted in Spanish.
Fall II: October 30 – December 17, 2023 Online, asynchronous Dr. Elizabeth Osborne
This course examines the national cinemas of Latin America through a contextual approach. The course focuses on clusters of Latin American films (both feature and documentary) that have intervened in one or more social and cultural debates such as colonization, migration, modernity, tradition, inequality, and national utopias. The course is organized both chronologically and nationally in order to trace how particular aesthetic movements and trends within the region reflect local and global political histories.
Through this approach students will develop their skills in film analysis as they examine the specific role of film in representing, contesting, or defining questions of national, personal, and cultural identity in Latin America. Class discussions and assignments will strive to familiarize students with the primary characteristics of the distinct film aesthetics and the socio-political and cultural contexts in which these works were produced. As we discuss a variety of texts, we will learn about Latin American history, politics, human rights, social activism, race relations, class differences, and gender roles in the formation of individual and collective identities. Class will be conducted in Spanish.
