Spanish & Portuguese v. Comp Lit & Film

[amo305]

Hey guys!

Hopefully someone can help me out with this. I'm currently researching PhD programs in Spanish & Portuguese (or Romance Languages, as the case may be), since my main interest is postmodern Spanish American lit. However, I am also really interested in the relationship between film and literature (and film in general), so I've been looking at Comparative Literature programs as well. So far I know that Yale has a concentration in Film Studies, as does Cornell, which can be done in conjunction with either Comp Lit or Spanish. Aside from those two schools however, I haven't been able to find any other programs that would allow me to combine both things.

Considering that my interest is mainly Spanish American Lit (especially detective fiction, which I wrote about in my senior thesis), would you recommend I apply to Spanish & Port programs? Or should I search for Comp Lit programs that allow me to take classes in the school's Spanish department? Also, if anyone knows of any literature programs that either have a film component or can be combined with film studies, please let me know.

A little background info:

Graduated May 2010 from NYU. B.A. Latin American Studies (Highest Honors), Spanish & Port Honors program (senior thesis, High honors).

Will be moving to Madrid in September for a year to gain teaching experience, and will also be doing a master's there in Estudios Literarios (basically comp lit, mostly to pick up literary theory classes that I didn't take in college).

I don't mean to sound overly confident (trust me, I'm not at all!) but the only thing I'm really nervous about in regards to the application is my lack of published material. Aside from that I think I have a fair chance of getting admitted somewhere.

Any suggestions are welcome!

[rising_star]

How prepared are you to do graduate-level work in a language besides Spanish? That will affect whether or not it makes sense for you to apply to comp lit programs. At a glance, it seems like your interests will be well served in a Spanish & Portuguese department.

[Origin=Goal]

Many, many comp lit programs can accommodate an interest in film studies-- I don't have a list off hand, but I know you can at your alma mater (NYU), for instance, though maybe not in the same official capacity, as at Cornell or Yale.

Also, the Spanish and Portuguese program at my current Uni, UC Davis, is one of the strongest in the country. Based off of my experience with the faculty and grad students, I would strongly recommend considering it; I can verify that there are at lest two professors who specialize in detective fiction (this is actually a rather popular field). I'm actually just beginning Portuguese myself in the fall here.

[titiritero83]

Hi Amo305! You may have made up your mind by now, but my sense is that you would be able to explore your interests fully in a Spanish & Portuguese Department. In my experience, there is a bit more flexibility in selecting a dissertation topic when working from a department that focuses on a specific language. That may seem strange, but let me elaborate. Often, comp lit departments require dissertation topics to cover at least 2 or 3 distinct literary traditions in order to qualify as comp lit. On the other hand, most Spanish & Portuguese departments allow students to write about a subject as specific as a single poem or as broad as a comparative study of detective fiction in, say, the Spanish- and French-speaking worlds. Unless you're having reservations about working in Spanish, I'd say that's the best bet.

[Starlajane]

Iowa (comp lit and film) is the only other program that I can think of off of the top of my head, although it sounds like you are more interested in private schools.

If you want to do the bulk of your work in a particular language, then stick with the language programs vs. the comp lit programs; nearly all lang programs have a film component of their required coursework, as listed on their MA reading lists. You can also specialize in film studies, especially at the PhD level, even if you are in a lang program; you don't need to do comp lit to specialize in film or the r-ship between lit and film.

Moreover, for comp lit, you need to have two (and sometimes even three) foreign languages, and you need to be fluent in one and at least proficient in the second; everything depends on the program but the best case scenario is entering a comp lit program fully fluent in both. Also, as someone else mentioned, for comp lit, everything is in English; you don't need to receive permission to take classes in the Spanish department, as you do that as part of your major--classes (usually) aren't conducted in Spanish (although some are) but all of your readings would be, although you'd write your papers, exams, etc. in English.

I am in a similar situation as you are and I am applying to both lang programs as well as comp lit programs. What is most important is researching each program: look at courses, faculty specializations and reading lists to determine which programs will be able to meet your needs; don't just look at the schools who have degrees or concentrations in film, as you may be overlooking a lot of suitable programs that simply don't advertise your area of interest.

[LispectorBrownVieira]

Hey guys!

Hopefully someone can help me out with this. I'm currently researching PhD programs in Spanish & Portuguese (or Romance Languages, as the case may be), since my main interest is postmodern Spanish American lit. However, I am also really interested in the relationship between film and literature (and film in general), so I've been looking at Comparative Literature programs as well. So far I know that Yale has a concentration in Film Studies, as does Cornell, which can be done in conjunction with either Comp Lit or Spanish. Aside from those two schools however, I haven't been able to find any other programs that would allow me to combine both things.

Considering that my interest is mainly Spanish American Lit (especially detective fiction, which I wrote about in my senior thesis), would you recommend I apply to Spanish & Port programs? Or should I search for Comp Lit programs that allow me to take classes in the school's Spanish department? Also, if anyone knows of any literature programs that either have a film component or can be combined with film studies, please let me know.

A little background info:

Graduated May 2010 from NYU. B.A. Latin American Studies (Highest Honors), Spanish & Port Honors program (senior thesis, High honors).

Will be moving to Madrid in September for a year to gain teaching experience, and will also be doing a master's there in Estudios Literarios (basically comp lit, mostly to pick up literary theory classes that I didn't take in college).

I don't mean to sound overly confident (trust me, I'm not at all!) but the only thing I'm really nervous about in regards to the application is my lack of published material. Aside from that I think I have a fair chance of getting admitted somewhere.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Hey decaf: Most Spanish departments are literature -- focusing on LITERARY studies -- unfortunately if you want to study film in depth, you should look into schools with interdisciplinary PhD programs, like that at brown. (think Gallatin at your former alma mater on crack... ) ...but remember you can always write your dissertation on film and its nexus with literary/cultural studies at most programs in Spanish anyway. Just my 2¢! Good luck!! PS how did you like NYU's department? Im a senior at Columbia and am very disappointed...

Also, anyone else considering Portuguese/Brazilian lit??

[Dff]

Hello!! I have similar interests, I am curious as to which programs you found!

Thanks!