Ph.D. in Spanish/Portuguese

[robthehero]

Hey! 

I'm a rising junior in college. I'm a double major in Political Science and Spanish Literature, currently doing some preliminary research about Ph.D. programs in Hispanic and/or Luso-Brazilian Literature and Cultures. I am interested in 20th-century Latin American literature and the Latin American Boom. I am also interested in 20th-century Brazilian literature, immigration narratives, and representation of race/ethnicity in Latin American literature. Apart from this, I am also interested in Latin American urban music cultures (reggaeton, funk, reggae en Español, dancehall etc.)  

Do you have any suggestions for Ph.D. programs that I can look into that match some of my interests? I am not yet sure which Ph.D. track I am going to pursue yet, so I am open to all suggestions. 

A little bit of background info: I have a 3.60 overall GPA, and my Spanish Literature major GPA is 3.85. I plan on increasing both of those. I am also currently taking a DELE C1 preparation course at a university in Ecuador. I am fluent in Russian, German, and Portuguese, and I am working on my French. 

In terms of grad school applications, what should I focus on? 

Looking forward to your responses. :-) 

[Bleep_Bloop]

On 7/9/2017 at 9:54 PM, robthehero said:

I am interested in 20th-century Latin American literature and the Latin American Boom. I am also interested in 20th-century Brazilian literature, immigration narratives, and representation of race/ethnicity in Latin American literature. Apart from this, I am also interested in Latin American urban music cultures (reggaeton, funk, reggae en Español, dancehall etc.)  

I understand you mention 'preliminary' research, but I feel obligated to give a disclaimer and say that I think it's certainly too early to start thinking about applications at your stage. However, it wouldn't hurt to simply browse the faculty pages at different departments. You can start with some well-regarded ones (NYU, Princeton, Columbia, Penn, Berkeley, Duke, Cornell) and look at publications and current research projects to identify scholars who share your interests. This not only will give you a broader idea of what's going on in the field, but what departments might be a good fit for you in the future. Take some notes, track down books or articles that appeal to you, and read some of them over the summer. 

 

Edit: Just wanted to add that given your interests (which admittedly are very diverse) and your language background, perhaps Comp Lit programs would interest you as well. 

Edited July 13, 2017 by Bleep_Bloop

[xolo]

Your different languages will help you, but if you are interested in Spanish you should be going for C2 certification. It is not that hard! The Cervantes Institute wants you to pass. Spanish Literature is, of course, the traditional route to a PhD in Spanish. You need to eloquently express a research interest that will grab an influential professor's attention. I worked on my writing samples and letter of intent for a year and ran out of time (I'm not that good of a creative writer).

Edited July 23, 2017 by xolo