Spanish Language Teaching, MA

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The Master of Arts in Spanish Language Teaching offers the opportunity for middle school, high school, and community college Spanish teachers to complete a master’s degree over the course of three summers. The program is offered through the SOU Summer Language Institute for Spanish teachers at SOU’s sister institution, the Universidad de Guanajuato in Guanajuato, Mexico.

Each summer, teachers can earn a total of 16 to 18 credits in two three-week sessions. Completion of the master’s degree program requires a total of 48 credits. Up to 6 graduate credits may be transferred from other institutions.

Requirements for Master of Arts in Spanish Language Teaching

Complete 48 credits in graduate-level Summer Language Institute courses. Up to 6 credits of coursework may be accepted from other institutions:

Core Courses (19 credits total):

FL 511 - Second Language Acquisition Theory and Practice 3 credits
FL 512 - Teaching for Proficiency: Methods and Strategies 3 credits
FL 513 - Foreign Language Assessment: Principles and Strategies 3 credits
FL 514 - Action Research 3 credits
FL 515 - Technology in the Classroom 3 credits
SPAN 503 - Thesis 1 to 9 credits (3 credits minimum required)
SPAN 504 - Action Research Presentation 1 credit
Note: Students take the FL 514 Action Research class during the second summer. While working on their Action Research Project during the following year, they must enroll for 1 credit per term of SPAN 503 Thesis. During the final summer, they must register for 1 credit of SPAN 504 Action Research Presentation in order to present their Action Research project. Students who do not finish the Action Research project must register for 1 credit of SPAN 503 Thesis each term they continue working on the project until it is completed.

Language and Culture Content Courses

(3 credits each - 15-18 credits total)

SPAN 520 - Topics in Spanish or Latin American Film 3 credits
SPAN 525 - Topics in Contemporary Hispanic Literature and Society 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 532 - Communicative Grammar 3 credits
SPAN 541 - Topics in Hispanic Culture 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 581 - Topics in Theoretical and Applied Spanish Linguistics 3 to 4 credits
SPAN 582 - Topics in Writing and Translation 3 to 4 credits

Pedagogy Companion Course

(2 credits - 10-12 credits total)

SPAN 516 - Topics in Spanish Language Pedagogy 2 credits

One-Credit Electives

(No more than four credits from this section may count towards graduation. Students who are accepted into the program with IH oral proficiency are required to take these classes each session until they test at the AL level.)

SPAN 510 - Advanced Spanish Conversation 1 credit (May be taken for credit up to 3 times)
SPAN 511 - Advanced Spanish Grammar 1 credit (May be taken for credit up to 3 times)

Total Credits: 48

Admission

Master’s candidates must be currently teaching Spanish at the middle school, high school, or community college level and must have taught for at least one year prior to applying. They must submit a resumé, two letters of recommendation that address their teaching and language experience, a statement of their educational philosophy, and a copy of an ACTFL certified oral proficiency interview rating of at least Intermediate High. Application materials are available at sou.edu/summerlanguageinstitute/apply.

Classes

Coursework is broken down into five 3-credit core courses (FL) that are taught in English and seven to ten language/culture courses taught in the target language (SPAN). Summer Language Institute courses are available as space allows to non-master’s-seeking students who may want additional coursework to improve their teaching skills, language proficiency, or cultural understanding or who may need additional graduate-level coursework to maintain or renew their certification. Students completing their Master’s degree must also take SPAN 503 Thesis for 1 credit each term while working on their Action Research project (minimum of 3 credits) and SPAN 504 Action Research Presentation to present their project.