Dec 03, 2024  
2016-2017 Graduate Catalog 
    
2016-2017 Graduate Catalog [NOTE!!!! THIS IS AN ARCHIVED CATALOG. FOR THE CURRENT CATALOG, GO TO CATALOG.NIU.EDU]

Foreign Language and Literatures


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Chair: Katharina Barbe

Graduate Faculty

Katharina Barbe, associate professor, Ph.D., Rice University, chair
Shannon Becker, assistant professor, Ph.D., Purdue University
John R. Bentley, professor, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, assistant chair
Anne L. Birberick, associate professor, Ph.D., University of Virginia
Dennis E. Brain, associate professor, Ph.D., University of Texas at Austin
Jessamine Cooke-Plagwitz, associate professor, Ph.D., Queen’s University, Kingston, Ontario
Mary L. Cozad, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Mandy Faretta-Stutenberg, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Chicago
Frances Jaeger, associate professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Joanna Kot, associate professor, Ph.D., University of Chicago
Karen Lichtman, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Christopher Nissen, professor, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Linda K. Saborio, associate professor, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Matthew B. Smith, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
Francisco Solares-Larrave, associate professor, Ph.D., University of Illinois
Tharaphi Than, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of London
Kanjana H. Thepboriruk, assistant professor, Ph.D., University of Hawaiʻi
Stephen Vilaseca, associate professor, Ph.D., University of Minnesota, Twin Cities

The Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures offers a graduate program leading to the M.A. degree. Students may pursue a specialization in French or Spanish. The program permits selective enhancement of particular skills, such as translation, linguistics, or cultural and literary analysis. The curriculum provides a core experience consisting of courses in linguistics, culture, and literature culminating in a practicum (applied project or internship) or thesis. It also allows for the exploration of related interdisciplinary fields.

After admission to the program, in consultation with the graduate coordinator, each student will select three graduate faculty members who will serve as members of the defense committee. The defense committee will be chaired by a graduate faculty member chosen by the student. Responsibility for approving the student’s program of courses rests with the graduate coordinator, who will also assess any work done at other institutions and grant up to 6 semester hours of transfer credit for graduate work deemed acceptable, subject to subsequent approval by the Graduate School. Student-at-large hours may not exceed 9 semester hours for students pursuing a master’s degree in foreign languages, except in special circumstances with consent of department. The committee will be responsible for the administration of the thesis or practicum and for the supervision of an exit examination to test oral proficiency.

Students seeking admission to the M.A. program in foreign languages should have completed an undergraduate major in French or Spanish or have a demonstrated proficiency at an equivalent level. Students also must possess a practical command of the target language (determined by interview) and be able to follow lectures in it. Admission to the program is on a competitive basis.

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