thesis on spanish

UKnowledge > College of Arts & Sciences > Hispanic Studies > Theses & Dissertations

Theses and Dissertations--Hispanic Studies

Theses/dissertations from 2024 2024.

LA NUEVA ARGUMENTACIÓN DE TWITTER: EL CAMBIO DE PARADIGMA RETÓRICO Y LA INDEPENDENCIA DE CATALUNYA EN TUITS , David Cortes Ferrandez

Theses/Dissertations from 2023 2023

“Thinking Across Bodies”: percepción woolfiana y giro material en la cuentística de Rodoreda, Roig, Alós y Riera , Ana Álvarez Guillén

Mujeres en crisis: posturas divergentes frente al neoliberalismo , Silvia Encinas Caballero

TRUTH IN HORROR: CINEMATIC REPRESENTATIONS OF SOCIAL VIOLENCE IN SPAIN, LATIN AMERICA, AND THE UNITED STATES , Kelly Ferguson

Álvaro Cunqueiro: La existencia fabulada , Patricia Maria Gamboa

MASCULINIDADES INSUBORDINADAS Y SUBVERSIVAS. LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE LA FIGURA DEL GAUCHO REBELDE EN LA LITERATURA RIOPLATENSE A TRAVÉS DE LA REPRESENTACIÓN DE TRES DE SUS TIPOS HUMANOS MÁS CARACTERÍSTICOS: EL CANTOR, EL MATRERO Y EL CAUDILLO , Miguel Angel Martos Maldonado

SEXUALIDAD, AFECTOS Y SOCIEDAD: LAS NO MONOGAMIAS CONSENSUADAS (NMC) EN LA LITERATURA Y EL CINE ESPAÑOL , Sandra Nava Nieto

CATALANES EN EL CAFETAL MEXICANO: EL EXILIO HEREDADO DE LA TERCERA GENERACIÓN A TRAVÉS DE LA TRILOGÍA LA GUERRA PERDIDA (2004-2009) DE JORDI SOLER , Adriana Rivera Vargas

FORUM ON “CONQUEST”: PAST-PRESENT POLITICS OF COLONIALITY IN CINEMA ON LATIN AMERICA , Stephen Jakob Turner

Theses/Dissertations from 2022 2022

Mapping Memory: Locational Memory in The First-person Narrative of Three Latinx Writers , Stephanie R. Beasley

Propuestas de autoría y datación en el teatro de Lope de Vega a la luz de la Inteligencia Artificial , Álvaro Cuéllar

LA REPRESENTACIÓN DE LA MASCULINIDAD EN EL PERSONAJE DEL POLICÍA: CINE, TELEVISIÓN Y NOVELA ESPAÑOLA DEL SIGLO XXI , Daniel Fonfría-Perera

Posthuman Ethics in the Science Fiction of Rosa Montero and Rita Indiana , Brittany Frodge

FIRST-PERSON POLITICS: STRATEGIES OF LATIN/X AMERICAN WOMEN TO CHANGE THE NEOLIBERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR EMPOWERMENT AND INCLUSION ONE SHARE, LIKE, SUBSCRIBE AT A TIME , Marlee Northcutt

Queer(ing) Confessions: Representations of Female Non-(Hetero)Normativity in Texts of the Spanish Silver Age (1898-1939) , Alley Santos-Martin

The Fantastic Debate: Religion, Ideology, and National Identity in the Short Fiction of Nineteenth-Century Spain , Morgan Keith Stewart

Theses/Dissertations from 2021 2021

ESTRATEGIAS POPULISTAS: UN ACERCAMIENTO AL DISCURSO POLÍTICO ESPAÑOL DESDE LA LINGÜÍSTICA DE CORPUS , Alicia Juncos Zori

HÍBRIDOS, MONSTRUOS, CÍBORGS Y POSTHUMANOS: LA HIBRIDEZ COMO HERRAMIENTA CIBERPUNK PARA RETOMAR EL CONTROL DE LOS CUERPOS , Naiara Porras Rentero

VIDAS PRECARIAS: CRISIS ECONÓMICA DE 2008 EN EL CINE Y LA LITERATURA ESPAÑOLAS , Abraham Prades-Mengibar

Theses/Dissertations from 2020 2020

EL BILDUNGSROMAN FEMENINO MExICANO: NUEVAS PERSPECTIVAS DE LA NOVELA DE FORMACIÓN FEMENINA FRONTERIZA , Yorki Junior Encalada Egúsquiza

DE ALCALÁ DE HENARES A CIUDAD DE MÉXICO: CIUDADES, UNIVERSIDADES Y PRESERVACIÓN DEL PATRIMONO HISTÓRICO , Juan Fernandez Cantero

Terminal Youth: The Failure Narrative of the Dysfunctional Family as the Non-Viability of Capitalist Economic Liberalism in Contemporary Latin American Film , Sharrah Lane

COMPLEX ECOLOGIES AND UNRULY BODIES IN ROSA MONTERO’S SPECULATIVE FICTION , Kiersty Lemon-Rogers

Theses/Dissertations from 2019 2019

ENCUENTRO CON LA PRECARIEDAD: LA REAPARICIÓN DEL GITANO EN EL CINE DOCUMENTAL ESPAÑOL DE LA CRISIS DE 2008 , María Julia de León Hernández

POÉTICAS MINIMALISTAS DE LA CIUDAD CONTEMPORÁNEA: IRIBARREN, MÍNGUEZ Y DEL VAL , David Delgado López

Advanced Search

• Notify me via email or RSS

Browse by Author

• Collections
• Disciplines

Author Corner

• Submit Research

New Title Here

Below. --> connect.

• Law Library
• Special Collections
• Copyright Resource Center
• Graduate School
• Scholars@UK

• We’d like your feedback

Home | About | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement

Privacy Copyright

University of Kentucky ®

An Equal Opportunity University Accreditation Directory Email Privacy Policy Accessibility Disclosures

• Sustainability

Hispanic Studies

The senior thesis is the capstone of the major in Hispanic Studies. Typically this is a major research paper of approximately 40 pages written in Spanish, depending on the topic and treatment necessary.  Alternatively, a student may present a translation of a literary text accompanied by an analytical that clearly explicates the approach and relevance of the project in Spanish.

In researching and writing your thesis project, you will bring the knowledge and skills learned in your coursework in the Department of Hispanic Studies  to bear on the topic of your choosing. Your thesis project should be broad enough to offer a reflection of your studies in Hispanic languages, literatures, and culture s, yet concentrated enough to engage extensively and intensively with a single topic. The identification of a potential topic should begin as early as possible in order to give your ideas time to develop.

• Thesis proposal: Second Friday of the semester in which you write the thesis.
• The final draft of the thesis: The Friday of the last week of classes of the semester in which you write your thesis. Please note: no extensions will be granted without penalties.
• Identifying a Topic : From HISP 205 through the 300-level courses, and in off-campus study, you will be introduced to a variety of topics and disciplinary perspectives relevant to the study of cultural productions in the Spanish-speaking world —fundamentally literature, film, and other forms of narrative representation , as well as language. Whether you choose to do a research paper or translation, your topic and approach should showcase what you have learned as a Spanish major at Bates . Upon declaring your Spanish major, you may already have an idea of the topics(s) that interest(s) you. If not, you should think about what grabs and maintains your attention in your coursework, and consult your advisor and other faculty as early as possible. You will have to do some initial research to see if your topic is substantial enough to be the focus of a thesis.
• Selecting an Advisor : Ideally, your thesis advisor has expertise in the topic(s) you are considering. Your advisor will be your most important guide for background information on your topic, sources, and methods. Please note: your thesis advisor may not necessarily be your major academic advisor.
• A preliminary working title
• A thesis statement: This includes not only the articulation of your research question but also a brief description of how you will engage that question.
• A clear and concise outline of the materials to be analyzed (literary texts, other cultural products) or translated.
• A detailed bibliography list: Existing relevant studies and/or pertinent theories.
• Research : The most successful theses build on coursework and are planned well ahead. Theoretical approaches appropriate for your topic and a plan of action can be refined and elaborated in the process of writing the proposal. Ideally, this should take place the semester prior to the one in which you intend to write so that you have enough time to build your knowledge, test your ideas, and frame your topic as an argument.
• Follow the latest edition of the MLA Handbook
• You are writing in Spanish, so you need to be doubly aware of grammar and syntax.  Always revise before submitting written materials.
• Final Submission : You will submit your final thesis to your advisor who will evaluate and assign a grade. Senior theses are due on Friday of the last week of classes during the semester in which you choose to write.

Your thesis will be evaluated in terms of the following criteria: Eighty percent (80%) of the thesis grade will be based on the final product, and 20%, on the process: the amount of work put into developing the topic or identifying the text to be translated, ability to meet deadlines and effort to make noticeable improvements to structure, style, and grammar patterns through revision and editing.

A common department rubric will be used to evaluate theses as well as the analytical essay accompanying translations. Click here to download a copy.

Future Students

Majors and minors, course schedules, request info, application requirements, faculty directory, student profile.

Current and Recent Dissertations

The following Doctoral Dissertations, organized by graduation year, reflect the breadth and depth that characterize the research of our graduate students. Digital access is provided through the  University of California Digital Library , our institutional repository. Additionally, the abstracts of theses and dissertations worldwide are indexed by  ProQuest . 

For Dissertations since 2000, click here .

Dissertations In Progress

Claudio Ramos,  Art in Motion: Uncovering the Transformative Potential of Social Impact Entertainment in the Brazilian Film Sector.  [Advisors: Adriana Bergero & Patricia Lino]

Recent Dissertations – 2012 to 2024

Gabriela Patricia Barrios,  Not Your Perfect Mexican Migrant: Analyzing the Depiction of Migrant Women’s Trauma in Chicanx and Mexican Cultural Production.  [Advisors: Maite Zubiaurre & Sara Poot-Herrera) (June 2024)

Eduardo Kolesov Díaz,   Memorias construidas, traumas colectivos y comunidades destruidas: La manifestación y mitificación de la Guerra Cristera (1926–1929) en Juan Rulfo, Agustín Yáñez y Jesús Goytortúa Santos .   [Advisor: Maarten van Delden] (June 2024)

Madison Raelene Dunlap,  Effect of Autistic-Like Traits on Novel Second Language Phonetic Trait Imitation Ability in Children with Varying Autism Quotient Scores.  [Advisor: Ji Young Kim] (June 2024)

Erin Mauffray,  On the Acquisition and Maintenance of Periphrastic and  Se- Passives in L2 and Heritage Spanish.  [Advisor: Victoria Mateu Martin] (June 2024)

Angelica Belen Waner,  From Roads to Iguanas: Tracing Contemporary Zapotec Literature.  [Advisor: Patricia Arroyo Calderón] (June 2024)

Madison Felman-Panagotacos,  Hagiographies of Maternal Bodies: Corporality, Abortion, and Citizenship  in Argentina. [ Advisor: Adriana Bergero] (June 2023)

Julia Gonzalez Calderon,  Negra memoria: la narrativa policial centroamericana en la era del neoliberalismo.  [Advisor: Patricia Arroyo-Calderon]  (June 2023)

Isaac Gimenez,  Crise autoral e apropriações textuais: Corpo e poesia performativa no Brasil, 1920-2020. [ Advisors: Patricia Lino & Jose Luiz Passos]   (June 2023)

Tania Varela,  Adapting Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso for Iberian Readerships: Jerónimo de Urrea’s Spanish Translation and its Sephardic Adaptation (Oxford, Bodleian Libraries, MS. Canon. Or. 6)  [Advisor: John Dagenais] (June 2023)

João Paulo Temporão Albuquerque, Postcolonial (Mock-)Epic Narratives: Reading Mário de Andrade with Jorge Luis Borges.   [Advisor: Jose Luiz Passos] (March 2022)

Esther Claudio, Historical Memory in Post-Francoist Spanish Graphic Narrative [Advisor: Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2022)

Roxana Colon-Cosm e, “Dezir quiero de Granada, todo quanto he visto en ella”: A Geocritical Approach to Sixteenth Century Iberian pliegos sueltos. [Advisor: John Dagenais] (June 2022)

Audrey Larkin, Lunar Wastelands to Fertile Fields: Representations of the Landscape in Mexican Novels, Illustrations, and Film Adaptations (1899-2019) [Advisor: Maarten van Delden] (June 2022)

Chak Han (Laura) Lee, Modernity in Transition: Roberto Arlt’s Aguafuertes porteñas.   [Advisor: Veronica Cortinez] (March 2022)

Adelmar Ramirez, Ficciones especulares: formas intermediadas de representación y exégesis de la violencia en la literatura contemporánea mexicana y argentina. [Advisors: Adriana Bergero and Jorge Marturano] (June 2022)

Gemma Repiso Puigdelliura, The Development of Cross-linguistic Transfer: The Case of  Word-External Repairs of Empty Onsets in Spanish Heritage Speakers. [Advisor: Ji Young Kim] (June 2022)

Jesus Jose Silveyra, An e-Learning Lesson on the First Commercial Spanish Theaters. A Non-Traditional Dissertation [Advisor: Barbara Fuchs] (Fall 2022)

Carolina Beltran,  Nature, Nation and Animality in the Discourse of Literary Indigenismo: Case Studies in Peru, Mexico & the American Southwest, 1920-1974   .  [Advisor: Efrain Kristal] (March 2021)

Juliana Espinal,  Representaciones de la violencia paramilitar en la Colombia del siglo XXI.  [Advisor: Veronica Cortinez] (June 2021)

Barbara Galindo,  Vidas Huérfanas, Ciudades Torturadas y Derechos Humanos Ecosociales: Representaciones Culturales del Terror Minero en los Andes.  [Advisor: Adriana Bergero] (June 2021)

Jesus Galleres,  Ira, humillación, Deseo De Venganza y Luchas De Prestigio: Un Acercamiento Al Papel De Las Pasiones En Las Novelas políticas De Mario Vargas Llosa y Alonso Cueto Que Tratan épocas Dictatoriales y De insurrección.  [Advisor: Efrain Kristal] (March 2021)

Laura Muñoz Franco,  Communities of Playmaking: Guillén de Castro in the Development of the Comedia.   [Advisor: Barbara Fuchs] (June 2021)

Paula Thomas,  El espacio público y el derecho a la ciudad en el Santiago de Alberto Fuguet.  [Advisor: Veronica Cortinez] (June 2021)

Benjamin Burt,  Cities of Dreams and Despair: Utopia and Dystopia in Contemporary Brazilian Film and Literature.  [Advisors: Randal Johnson and Jose Luiz Passos] (June 2020)

Veronica Garcia Moreno,  España transfigurada en el Magreb: Construcciones identitarias en la literatura sobre la guerra de África de 1859.  [Advisor: Prof. Jesus Torrecilla] (June 2020)

Natassia Hott,  Rethinking Sterotypes: Representations of Gender in Brazilian Comedies of the Post-Remotada.     [Advisor: Prof. Randal Johnson] (June 2020)

Alexandra Lawn,  The Varying Roles of Morphosyntax in Memory and Sentence Processing: Retrieval and Encoding Interference in Brazilian Portuguese.   [Advisors: Carlos Quicoli and Jesse Harris] (June 2020)

Maria Teresa Monroe,  Indocumentados en tránsito: Representaciones contemporáneas de precariedad, muerte y resistencia.  [Advisor: Marten van Delden] (June 2020)

Renee Rivera,  Masculinities at Work: Men, Masculinities, and Employment in the Spanish Popular Comedies of the Late-Francoist and Transition Eras.  [Advisor: Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2020)

Lourdes Arevalo,  Dos o tres cosas sobre la novela de la violencia y las violencias en Colombia.  [Advisor: Prof. Veronica Cortinez] (March 2019)

Maricela Becerra,  “2 de octubre no se olvida”: la (pos)memorialización de Tlatelolco 68  [Advisor: Prof. Maarten van Delden] (June 2019)

Kristal Bivona,  Transitional Justice in Post-Dictatorship South American Film.  [Advisors: Prof. Randal Johnson and Adriana Bergero] (June 2019)

Francesca Gambini,  La producción cultural del Perú ante la comisión de la verdad y reconciliación.  [Advisor: Prof. Veronica Cortinez] (June 2019)

Jennifer Monti,  Imagining Cuba: Emigration, Tourism, and Imperialist Nostalgia in the Work of Spanish Women Writers and Photographers (1992-2015).  [Advisor: Prof. Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2019)

Cristian Yanai Bermudez,  Black Mexico’s Sites of Struggles across Borders: The Problem of the Color Line . [Advisor: Prof. Hector Calderon] (June 2018)

Franny Brogan,  Signs of our Times: Language Contact and Attitudes in the Linguistic Landscape of Southeast Los Angeles  [Advisors: Carlos Quicoli and Norma Mendoza-Denton] (June 2018)

Paul Cella,  Contemporary Republicanism in Spain: Dialogues with Liberalism and the Left . [Advisor: Prof. Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2018)

Adrian Collado,  Caricaturas del otro: contra-representaciones satíricas de la inmigración en la literatura y la cultura visual Española contemporánea (1993-2017).  [Advisor: Prof. Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2018)

Daniel Cooper,  The Roots of Transformation: Octavio Paz and the Radical Americanist Awakening of Pablo Neruda.  [Advisor: Prof. Maarten van Delden] (June 2018)

Nitzaira Delgado-Garcia,  Historiografía y ficción: la construcción del discurso en la estoria de España (NS7586) de Alfonso X . [Advisor: Prof. John Dagenais] (June 2018)

Armando Guerrero,  The Mexican Diaspora: On constructing and Negotiating Mexicanidad in México City.  [Advisor: Prof. Carlos Quicoli] (June 2018)

Payton Phillips,  Imperial Occlusions: Mestizaje and Marian Mechanisms in Early Modern Andalucía and the Andes.  [Advisor: Prof. Barbara Fuchs] (June 2018)

Alejandro Ramirez-Mendez,  Trans-Urban Narratives: Literary Cartographies and Global Cities in the Urban Imagination of Mexico and the U.S. .  [Advisor: Prof. Hector Calderon] (June 2018)

Rafael Ramirez Mendoza,  Transformar el mundo, cambiar la vida: el surrealismo en el Perú y los proyectos de renovación sociocultural de Jose Carlos Mariategui, Xavier Abril, y Cesar Moro. .  [Advisor: Prof. Efrain Kristal] (August 2018)

Jyeun Son,  Acquisition of Spanish Intonation by Native Korean Speakers . [Advisors: Prof. Carlos Quicoli and Sun-Ah Jun] (June 2018)

Ezequiel Trautenberg,  A Porous Cinema: Cosmopolitanism and Cinephilia in Chilean Art Film (2005-2015).   [Advisor: Prof. Veronica Cortinez] (June 2018)

Elizabeth Warren,  The Aesthetic of the Grotesque in Post-Franco Spain .    [Advisor: Prof. Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2018)

Mariska Bolyanatz,  Plural Production and Perception in Santiago Spanish  [Advisors: Profs. Ji Young Kim and Norma Mendoza-Denton] (June 2017)

Isaura Contreras,  El diario de escritor en la literatura latinoamericana del siglo XX  [Advisor: Prof. Maarten van Delden] (June 2017)

Jhonni Carr,  Signs of Our Times: Language Contact and Attitudes in the Linguistic Landscape of Southeast Los Angeles  [Advisor: Prof. Carlos Quicoli] (June 2017)

Wendy Kurtz,  Mass Graves and Remembering through Ritual: Historical Memory in Contemporary Peninsular Literature, Documentary Film, and Digital Culture  [Advisor: Prof. Maite Zubiaurre] (June 2017)

Magdalena Matuskova,  Cuban Cinema in a Global Context: The Impact of Eastern European Cinema on the Cuban Film Industry in the 1960s  [Advisor: Prof. Jorge Marturano] (June 2017)

David Ramirez Prieto,  José Lezama Lima y las redes intelectuales antimodernas: escritores, revistas, editoriales  (1920-1956) [Advisor: Prof. Jorge Marturano] (June 2017)

Cheri Robinson,  Representations of Transnational Violence: Children in Contemporary Latin American Film, Literature, and Drawings  [Advisor: Prof. Adriana Bergero] (May 2017)

Maria Gabriela Venegas,  La novela del Ecuador desde el espacio anfibio de la ciudad portuaria y su relación con el liberalismo ecuatoriano: tres casos representativos entre 1855 y 1944  [Advisor: Prof. Efrain Kristal] (March 2017)

Daniel Whitesell,  Debates ideológicos y estilísticos en torno a la Revolución Cubana, 1963-1966  [Advisor: Prof. Maarten van Delden] (June 2017)

Inês Cordeiro da Silva Dias, Film and Politics in the Lusophone World (1960s— 1970s) [Advisor: Prof. Randal Johnson] (June 2016)

Julio P. García, Ignacio Padilla, México, y el legado de la tradición literaria latinoamericana (1985-2015). [Advisor: Prof. Maarten van Delden] (June 2016)

Willivaldo Delgadillo, Fabulando Juárez: Marcos de guerra, memoria y los foros por venir. [Advisor: Prof. Maarten van Delden] (June 2016)

Audrey A. Harris, De lo más lindo y de lo más pobre: Transnational Borges and Sandra Cisneros. [Advisor: Prof. Héctor Calderón] (June 2016)

Isabel Gomez,  Reciprocity in Literary Translation: Gift Exchange Theory and Translation Praxis in Brazil and Mexico (1968-2015) [Advisors: Profs. Efraín Kristal and José Luiz Passos]

Bryan Kirschen,  Judeo-Spanish Encounters Modern Spanish: Language Contact and Diglosia among the Sephardim of Los Angeles and New York City. [Advisors: Profs. Claudia Parodi and A. Carlos Quicoli] (June 2015)

Ian Romain,  A Phase Approach to Spanish Object Clitics . [Advisor: Profs. Claudia Parodi and A. Carlos Quicoli] (April 2015)

Juan Jesús Payán,  La magia postergada: género fantástico e identidad nacional en la España del XIX. [Advisor: Prof. Jesús Torrecilla] (May 2015)

Eilene Jamie Powell,  Hurts so good: representation of sadomasochism in Spnaish novels (1883-2012) [Advisors: Profs. Jesús Torrecilla and Silvia Bermudez] (May 2015)

Luiz Santos,  Literatura da Bagunça: a carnavalização nos romances da contracultura brasileira [Advisor: Prof. Randal Johnson] (March 2015)

Sandra Ruiz, Escrito con Tinta Roja: The Mexicana Feminist Detective in the Fiction of Maria Elvira Bermudez, Myriam Laurini, and Patricia Valladres. [Advisor: Prof. Héctor Calderón] (September 2014)

Armando Enrique Cerpa, Cifrado gótico en Santa Evita de Tomás Eloy Martínez y Una casa vacía de Carlos Cerda: espacios subterráneos, espectros e insepultos de las dictaduras. [Advisor: Prof. Adriana J. Bergero] (June 2014)

Carolyn González, Las Insometidas de la Ciudad de México: The Novel of Prostitution in Antonia Mora, Sara Sefchovich, and Cristina Rivera Garza. [Advisor: Prof. Héctor Calderón] (June 2014)

Belén MacGregor Villarreal, Dialect Contact among Spanish-Speaking Children in Los Angeles. [Advisor: Profs. Claudia Parodi] (June 2014)

Chase Wesley Raymond, On the Sequential Negotiation of Identity in Spanish-Language Discourse: Mobilizing Linguistic Resources in the Service of Social Action. [Advisor: Prof. Claudia Parodi and John Heritage] (Winter 2014)

Vanessa Marie Fernández, A Transatlantic Dialogue: Argentina, Mexico, Spain, and the Literary Magazines that Bridged the Atlantic (1920-1930). [Advisor: Profs. Maarten van Delden and Michelle Clayton] (Summer 2013)

Yeon Mi Lee, De milongas a la Casa Rosada: contribuciones y representaciones de la mujer en la industria del espectáculo popular argentino (1930-1950). [Advisor: Prof. Adriana J. Bergero] (Spring 2013)

Luis Francisco Cuesta Muniz, El estadio y la palabra: deporte y literatura en la Edad de Plata. [Advisor: Profs. Maite Zubiaurre and Roberta L. Johnson] (Spring 2013)

Bethany Renee Beyer, Performable Nations: Music and Literature in Late Nineteenth- and Early Twentieth-Century Cuba, Brazil, and the United States. [Advisor: Prof. Elizabeth Marchant] (Spring 2013)

Eli Lee Carter, Luiz Fernando Carvalho: An Auteur of Brazilian Television. [Advisor: Prof. Randal Johnson] (Spring 2013) Brenda Liz Ortiz-Loyola, En busca de la solidaridad: feminismo y nación en el Caribe hispano, 1880-1940. [Advisor: Profs. Roberta L. Johnson and Jorge Marturano] (Spring 2013)

Polina Vasiliev, The Initial State for Californian English Learners of Spanish and Portuguese Vowels. [Advisor: Prof. A. Carlos Quicoli] (Spring 2013)

Joanna Dávila, Sexualidad, género y sociedad en la literatura del Caribe hispanohablante (1950-2000). [Advisor: Prof. Jorge Marturano] (Spring 2013)

Edward Chauca, El lugar de la locura: La construcción de la nación desde lo insano en la narrativa peruana. [Advisor: Prof. Efraín Kristal] (Fall 2012)

Alvaro Molina, Sacred, Epic and Picaresque: Violence and Genre in Cervantes. [Advisor: Profs. Efraín Kristal and Teófilo Ruiz] (Summer 2012)

Bryan David Green, Forging an Ascetic Planet: Jesuit Lives and Virtues on the Mission Frontier of Eighteenth-Century New Spain. [Advisor: Prof. Anna H. More] (Summer 2012)

Argelia Andrade, Segmental and Intonational Evidence for a Los Angeles Chicano Spanish Vernacular. [Advisor: Profs. Claudia Parodi and A. Carlos Quicoli] (Spring 2012)

Jamie Diane Fudacz, The Decadent City: Urban Space in Latin American Dirty Realist Fiction. [Advisor: Profs. Jorge Marturano and Maarten van Delden] (Spring 2012)

María Covadonga Lamar Prieto, El español de California en el XIX. [Advisor: Prof. Claudia Parodi] (Spring 2012)

Claudia Villegas-Silva, Tecnologías en escena: Del teatro multimedia al teatro cibernético en España y las Américas. [Advisor: Prof. Verónica Cortínez] (Spring 2012)

Oriel María Siu, Novelas de la diáspora centroamericana y la colonialidad del poder: Hacia una aproximación de-colonial al estudio de las literaturas centroamericanas. [Advisor: Prof. Héctor Calderón] (Spring 2012)

You are using an outdated browser. Please upgrade your browser or activate Google Chrome Frame to improve your experience.

52 Spanish Essay Phrases for Your AP Exam

In order to do well on the AP Spanish exam’s   free-response  section, you must be able to write a persuasive essay based on three Spanish-language sources.

Here we’ve put together a list of 52 vocabulary words and essays phrases that will come in handy for making and supporting arguments in your AP Spanish essays.

Handy Essay Phrases for Writing a Strong Spanish AP Composition

Starting your essay, agreeing and disagreeing, stating an opinion, supporting an opinion, contrasting (or comparing), transitional phrases, changing topics, concluding your essay, how to prepare for the ap spanish essay, what are the details of the ap spanish essay, and one more thing….

Download: This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you can take anywhere. Click here to get a copy. (Download)

Para empezar – To begin with

Hoy en día – Nowadays…

Hoy en día, las personas están en Internet hasta ocho horas por día. (Nowadays, people are on the Internet up to eight hours per day.)

A manera de introducción – We can start by saying…

Como punto de partida – As a starting point

Al principio – At the beginning… 

• Thousands of learner friendly videos (especially beginners)
• Handpicked, organized, and annotated by FluentU's experts
• Integrated into courses for beginners

En primer lugar  – To start… 

Empecemos por considerar – Let’s begin by considering…

Estoy de acuerdo/No estoy de acuerdo — I agree/I disagree

Estoy de acuerdo con lo que dice el autor. (I agree with what the author says.)

No estoy de acuerdo con la idea principal de la fuente número dos . (I disagree with the main idea of source number two.)

En mi opinión — In my opinion

En mi opinión, los jóvenes deberían comer más sano. (In my opinion, young people should eat healthier.)

La verdad es   — The truth is

La verdad es que todavía hay mucha desigualdad en los Estados Unidos . (The truth is there is still a lot of inequality in the United States.)

• Interactive subtitles: click any word to see detailed examples and explanations
• Slow down or loop the tricky parts
• Show or hide subtitles
• Review words with our powerful learning engine

Es verdad  — It’s true

Es verdad que las redes sociales pueden ser peligrosas . (It’s true that social media can be dangerous.)

Es falso   —   It’s false

Hay gente que dice que las redes sociales son peligrosas, pero esto es falso . (There are people who say that social media is dangerous, but this is false.)

Me parece/No me parece   —   It seems to me/It doesn’t seem to me

Me parece bien que los niños asistan a colegios bilingües . (I think it’s a good idea that children attend bilingual schools.)

No me parece bien que los niños asistan a colegios bilingües . (I don’t think it’s a good idea that children attend bilingual schools.)

Remember that since me parece implies an opinion or emotion, you must conjugate the verb in the subjunctive tense.

(Yo) pienso que   —   I think that

• Learn words in the context of sentences
• Swipe left or right to see more examples from other videos
• Go beyond just a superficial understanding

Yo pienso que no hay nada más importante que la familia . (I think that there is nothing more important than family.)

(Yo) creo que  — I believe that

Yo creo que todos los adolescentes deberían aprender a tocar un instrumento . (I believe that all adolescents should learn to play an instrument.)

The following phrases all have the same structure: Es  + adjective +  que .

This structure is similar to the English “It’s [adjective] that…” and is great for expressing and supporting opinions in a strong and confident manner. Here are some phrases that are especially useful when making and defending claims in a persuasive essay:

Es evidente que   —   It’s evident that

Es claro que   —   It’s clear that

Es cierto que  —   It’s certain that

Es obvio que   — It’s obvious that

• FluentU builds you up, so you can build sentences on your own
• Start with multiple-choice questions and advance through sentence building to producing your own output
• Go from understanding to speaking in a natural progression.

Es importante que  — It’s important that

Es necesario que   — It’s necessary that

Es probable que   —   It’s probable that

Es dudoso que  — It’s doubtful that

For some of these phrases, the verb following the word que must be conjugated in the indicative, while others require the subjunctive . A good rule of thumb is that when implying that something is certain, use the indicative. When expressing doubt or expressing some other emotion, use the subjunctive.

On this list, evidente, claro, cierto  and obvio use indicative verbs, and importante, necesario, probable  and dudoso use subjunctive verbs.

Es cierto que nuestro clima está cambiando . (It is certain that our climate is changing.)

Es importante que la gente sepa hablar más de un idioma . (It’s important that people know how to speak more than one language.)

These words will help you refer to your three sources, which contain information that will help you support your argument. This section also contains transition words to connect one part of your argument to the next.

• Images, examples, video examples, and tips
• Covering all the tricky edge cases, eg.: phrases, idioms, collocations, and separable verbs
• No reliance on volunteers or open source dictionaries
• 100,000+ hours spent by FluentU's team to create and maintain

Según   — According to  

Según el autor… (according to the author…)

La fuente  —   The source

Según la fuente numero 1… (According to source number one…)

El tema   —   The theme/topic

Esto es un tema muy importante. (This is a very important topic.)

Mostrar   —   To show

La fuente muestra la importancia de la diversidad. (The source shows the importance of diversity.)

Remember, mostrar is an o-ue stem-changing verb—pay attention to conjugation!

Demostrar   —   To demonstrate

La tabla demuestra que muchos jóvenes en España juegan al fútbol. (The table demonstrates that many youths in Spain play football.)

Demostrar is also an o-ue stem changing verb. Luckily for you, it follows the exact same conjugation rules as mostrar !

Indicar   —   To indicate

La tabla indica que hay muchas familias pobres en ese barrio. (The table indicates that there are many poor families in that neighborhood.)

Apoyar   —   To support

Estos datos apoyan la idea de que el clima está cambiando. (This data supports the idea that the climate is changing)

Sin duda   — Without a doubt

Sin duda, el cambio climático es el problema más grave que enfrenta nuestra planeta. (Without a doubt, climate change is the most serious problem that our planet faces.)

Por otra parte   — On the other hand

Es importante que la economía crezca, pero por otra parte, tenemos que cuidar el medio ambiente. (It’s important that the economy grows, but on the other hand, we have to care for the environment.)

Aunque   — Even though/Although

Aunque is followed by an indicative verb when the outcome is known, but a subjunctive verb when the outcome is speculative.

Aunque cuesta mucho dinero, tenemos que buscar una solución. (Even though it costs a lot of money, we have to search for a solution.)

Aunque cueste mucho dinero, tenemos que buscar una solución . (Even though it may cost a lot of money, we have to search for a solution.)

Al igual que  —   Just like

Al igual que en los años 40, hoy en día hay mucha gente que no quiere ayudar a los refugiados de guerra . (Just like in the 40s, today there are many people who don’t want to help war refugees.)

Tanto… como… — … as well as…

Fill in this phrase with two nouns to emphasize that you’re talking equally about two different things.

Tanto chicos como chicas deberían aprender a cocinar, limpiar, coser y cuidar a los bebés. (Boys as well as girls ought to learn how to cook, clean, sew and care for babies.)  

Sino   —   But rather

Remember that Spanish has two translations for the English word “but.” The word sino is like the English phrase “but rather,” used to introduce an alternative.

En comparación  —   In comparison

En comparación, la fuente número 2 indica que hay más obesidad en Estados Unidos que en España . (In comparison, source number 2 indicates that there is more obesity in the United States than in Spain.)

Leer no es una pérdida de tiempo, sino una manera de aprender y de conocer otras culturas . (Reading isn’t a waste of time, but rather a way to learn and understand other cultures.)

Además  — Additionally

This word is usually seen at the beginning of a sentence, and it’s useful for transitioning from one idea or argument to another.

Además, es evidente que la tecnología nos ayuda mucho. (Additionally, it’s evident that technology helps us a lot.)

Sin embargo   —   However

This is another good transition word. In your essay, you may want to present an alternate argument and then explain why you disagree with it. Sin embargo is very helpful for this.

Obviamente, estudiar es muy importante. Sin embargo, es necesario que los adolescentes tengan tiempo para jugar con sus amigos . (Obviously, studying is very important. However, it’s necessary that teenagers have time to play with their friends.)

Por lo cual   —   For this reason/That’s why/Which is why

This phrase is used in the middle of a sentence to connect ideas.

La Amazonía tiene un alto nivel de biodiversidad, por lo cual la conservación de esta región debe ser una prioridad.  (The Amazon has a high level of biodiversity, which is why the conservation of this region must be a priority.)

Sobre un tema relacionado — On a related topic

Sobre un tema relacionado con la inteligencia artificial, se están llevando a cabo investigaciones para mejorar la capacidad de aprendizaje de los algoritmos de machine learning.  (Regarding a topic related to artificial intelligence, research is being conducted to enhance the learning capacity of machine learning algorithms.)

Cuando se trata de –  When it comes to

Relacionado con esta idea — Related to this idea

Una idea similar es — A similar idea is

Una idea similar es utilizar la realidad virtual como herramienta educativa para mejorar la experiencia de aprendizaje de los estudiantes. (A similar idea is to use virtual reality as an educational tool to enhance the learning experience of students.)

Ahora estoy pasando a  — Now moving onto

In your final paragraph, you’ll want to provide a summary of your main argument and your main supporting points. You can use the following helpful phrases:

En conclusión   —   In conclusion

En resumen   —   In summary

En fin   —   Finally

En conclusión,/En resumen,/En fin, las tres fuentes muestran que la contaminación del aire es un problema muy grave para todo el mundo . (In summary, the three sources show that air pollution is a very serious problem for the whole world.)

After summarizing your essay, you’ll want to restate your main argument in a succinct, strongly-worded sentence. Start with these phrases:

Por estas razones   —   For these reasons

Por eso  — That is why

Así que   —   Therefore

Entonces  — So

Por estas razones,/Por eso,/Así que/Entonces, afirmo que los adolescentes no deberían usar las redes sociales. (For these reasons, I affirm that teenagers should not use social media.)

In many ways, preparing for the free-response section is the same as preparing for the rest of the AP exam.

It involves studying grammar and vocabulary, and it also means immersing yourself in the Spanish language as much as possible.

There are also some targeted ways to practice for the free-response section.

• Do practice exams and read sample essays. The College Board  has posted the full AP exams from the last several years. Try to read the sources and write the essay in the allotted 55 minutes. When you’re done, go back and slowly revise your essay for errors in grammar, spelling and logic. After that, you can also check out the grading rubric provided by the College Board and several sample persuasive essays . Try to compare your essay against the rubric and the samples to see how you can improve your writing.
• Practice summarizing and analyzing Spanish-language sources. Remember all those great resources listed above? Well, it’s not enough to just read or listen to them. The whole point of the presentational essay is to measure your ability to summarize, synthesize and argue. So, after you read or listen to a Spanish-language source, take five minutes to summarize it—on paper. Identify the main argument, and then make a bulleted list of important points. Finally, write a few sentences summarizing your personal opinion.
• Learn targeted vocabulary for talking about opinions and arguments. Is there anything more frustrating than knowing exactly what you want to say, but not having the vocabulary to say it? This article lists many crucial vocabulary words for expressing and supporting opinions in persuasive essays. Using these words and phrases will help make your writing flow more smoothly, and allow you to argue with more credibility.

FluentU takes authentic videos—like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks—and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.

You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app or Android app.

P.S. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month)

Try FluentU for FREE!

You can also find some great info on great news outlets , podcasts , YouTube channels  and blogs —all in Spanish. Even following some Spanish Twitter feeds or listening to Spanish music can be a great way to work a little language practice into your day.

The free-response section of the exam is meant to test your ability to communicate with others in spoken and written Spanish.

There are two essays in the free-response section. The interpersonal essay asks you to respond to an email. The presentational essay  tests how well you can draw information from Spanish-language sources, form an argument and write formally. This second essay is a little less straightforward, so we’ll walk you through it here.

So, how does it work?

The presentational essay is based on three sources . Two of them are written sources and one is an audio source.

These sources can be just about anything: Advertisements, articles, infographics, letters, maps, interviews, radio programs, podcasts and conversations are just some examples of the types of sources you may encounter.

You’ll have about 55 minutes to complete this particular essay. First, you’ll have six minutes to read the prompt and the two written sources, and then you’ll hear the audio source twice. Finally, you’ll have 40 minutes to plan and write your essay.

The essay is graded on the basis of Spanish language skills like reading, listening, writing and grammar—but it’s also based on your general ability to analyze the sources and make a strong, coherent argument.

Of course, learning vocabulary and essay phrases is just one way to prepare for the free-response section.

Remember to expose yourself to as many Spanish-language sources as you can before test day, and don’t forget to think critically about those sources as you read them!

If you've made it this far that means you probably enjoy learning Spanish with engaging material and will then love FluentU .

Other sites use scripted content. FluentU uses a natural approach that helps you ease into the Spanish language and culture over time. You’ll learn Spanish as it’s actually spoken by real people.

FluentU has a wide variety of videos, as you can see here:

FluentU brings native videos within reach with interactive transcripts. You can tap on any word to look it up instantly. Every definition has examples that have been written to help you understand how the word is used. If you see an interesting word you don’t know, you can add it to a vocab list.

Review a complete interactive transcript under the Dialogue tab, and find words and phrases listed under Vocab .

Learn all the vocabulary in any video with FluentU’s robust learning engine. Swipe left or right to see more examples of the word you’re on.

The best part is that FluentU keeps track of the vocabulary that you’re learning, and gives you extra practice with difficult words. It'll even remind you when it’s time to review what you’ve learned. Every learner has a truly personalized experience, even if they’re learning with the same video.

Start using the FluentU website on your computer or tablet or, better yet, download the FluentU app from the iTunes or Google Play store. Click here to take advantage of our current sale! (Expires at the end of this month.)

Enter your e-mail address to get your free PDF!

We hate SPAM and promise to keep your email address safe

• Learning Method
• Spanish Culture
• Spanish Grammar
• Spanish Travel
• Spanish Vocabulary and Expressions
• Study Guide
• Spanish Language Accelerator Program
• Online Courses
• Books / Audiobooks

Spanish Essay Phrases: 40 Useful Phrases for an Impressive Writeup

7  Comments

May 30, 2019

Follow Us Now

Do you need to write a lot of essays in Spanish? If you do, don’t worry. It's about to get a little bit easier for you because here in this article, we’ve listed many useful Spanish essay phrases that you can readily use in your essays.

Feel free to pepper your essays with the words and expressions from this list. It would certainly elevate your essays and impress your teachers. You're welcome!

Get the PDF ( + MP3!)

No time to read now? Then you might opt to get the list in PDF instead. If you sign up to the newsletter, you'll get the list of Spanish essay phrases in PDF format plus free audio files. 

Spanish Essay Phrases

Additional Resources

You can also check out the following resources:

84 Spanish Expressions for Agreeing and Disagreeing

Common Spanish Verbs

Expresiones útiles para escribir en español

Looking for more Spanish phrases? Check out this e-book with audio!

Try to use the essay phrases in Spanish that you learned in this lesson and write a few example sentences in the comments section!

About the author 

Janey is a fan of different languages and studied Spanish, German, Mandarin, and Japanese in college. She has now added French into the mix, though English will always be her first love. She loves reading anything (including product labels).

VERY VERY useful !! Gracias

Amazing! This will definitely help me in tomorrow’s spanish test 🙂

Sounds good

Thanks for the assistance, in learning Spanish.

Amazing article! Very helpful! Also, this website is great for Spanish Beginners.

It’s easy when you put it that way

Session expired

Please log in again. The login page will open in a new tab. After logging in you can close it and return to this page.

St Andrews Research Repository

•   St Andrews Research Repository
• Modern Languages (School of)

Spanish Theses

• Register / Login

By Issue Date Names Titles Subjects Classification Type Funder

Search within this collection:

The Department engages in a lively and communicative approach with a language, spoken by over 500 million people, and the cultures and histories of 21 countries. Specific interests range from socio-linguistics, Golden Age literature, modern and contemporary Spanish as well as Spanish American literature, film studies and history.

For more information please visit the Department of Spanish home page.

This material is presented to ensure timely dissemination of scholarly and technical work. Copyright and all rights therein are retained by authors or by other copyright holders. All persons copying this information are expected to adhere to the terms and constraints invoked by each author's copyright. In most cases, these works may not be reposted without the explicit permission of the copyright holder.

Recent Submissions

The black river plate : race, history, and cultural memory in uruguayan and argentine fiction, 2001-2021 , el dialecto aranes : a study of the speech and way of life of the inhabitants of the central reach of the val d'aran in the province of lerida, taking as its limits the towns of viella and bosost and incorporating the villages of casau, gausach, vilach, mont, montcorbau, betlan, aubert, vila, arros, vilamos, arres, begos, benos, arru, las bordas and la bordeta , la dimensión ética en la obra narrativa de ficción de antonio muñoz molina , mexican women writers 1900-1950 , metaphors of suffering : the representation of the homosexual and the lesbian as social and discursive constructs in spanish peninsular narrative texts, 1970-2000 .

Spanish and Portuguese

Senior Thesis Handbook

Writing in the department of spanish and portuguese, an overview.

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese (SPO) offers a liberal arts major designed to give students a thorough grounding in the language, literature, and cultures of Spanish and/or Portuguese speaking countries and societies. Students are encouraged to complement their courses in Spanish or Portuguese with related and varied courses in other literatures, as well as in art history, anthropology, sociology, comparative literature, and other humanities subjects. In addition to serving as the focus for an education in the liberal arts, the SPO major can be the basis for graduate or professional study. In mostly small classes and seminars, allowing extensive student-teacher interaction, students become equipped to take up careers in many walks of life, including journalism, business, law, government, service, and international affairs. In language acquisition courses, students develop the ability to read, write and communicate in Spanish or Portuguese. Content-based instruction enable students to become cultural translators, by promoting knowledge and understanding of societies and cultures in Spanish and Portuguese-speaking countries in Europe, Latin America, Asia and Africa, as well as in diasporic communities and immigrant contexts. In more advanced seminars, often taught in Spanish and/or Portuguese, students engage global perspectives and international issues in greater depth. The senior thesis represents a culmination of this process. Seniors are expected to contribute to a particular field of inquiry, adding to a scholarly conversation by answering a significant question about Spanish or Portuguese languages or cultures in an original way, by reflecting on a substantial body of research, or by crafting an original creative project or translation. The Senior Thesis is normally written in English and should be between 15,000 and 20,000 words.

Goals of the Thesis

A senior thesis should aim to produce a critical study on the literatures, histories, and/or cultures of one or more Spanish and/or Portuguese-speaking areas in the world. Creative writing and translation works are acceptable as long as it they are accompanied by a critical apparatus. In most cases, independent work in SPO combines approaches that incorporate analytical tools associated with literary criticism and cultural studies.

Although each thesis experience is unique, the range of skills developed in the process of writing a senior thesis should serve students well beyond their time at the University. In all cases, senior theses build on what students have learned in the classroom and, ideally, in their experiences studying and/or researching abroad. The independent work serves as a platform through which to accomplish the following objectives:

• Produce well-formulated and informed questions about an aspect of Spanish and/or Portuguese languages and cultures, identifying appropriate and successful strategies to answer them.  
• Practice the art of reading for substance, argument, and nuance. 
• Sharpen the ability to articulate and defend a position, in part by testing hypotheses, considering potential objections, and addressing contradictions. 
• Develop deeper knowledge and understanding of Spanish and Portuguese languages and cultures, as well as the ability to relate the findings of a thesis or Junior Paper to a larger context. 
• Write clearly and persuasively. 
• In the case of creative work, experiment with new forms of expression and put a subject concerning the field of Spanish and Portuguese languages and cultures into broad and relational perspectives. 
• Plunge into the subtlety of a foreign culture through its cultural differences, whether internal or external. 
• Become skillful, confident, and enthusiastic about interacting with different ways of thinking. 

The Process of Writing a Senior Thesis

Brainstorming & advising.

The senior thesis is a major commitment of a student's time and energy, and an important yardstick for choosing a topic is willingness to spend many hours on a particular set of texts or problems. Sometimes, a thesis arises from material covered in class, or in previous research conducted within the context of a final paper or JP. Just as often, topics emerge from experiences abroad, longstanding, or new preoccupations, and conversations with faculty members. Students are encouraged to discuss potential thesis topics as early as possible with faculty members, so that they can develop a successful framework.

Students should select a Senior Thesis adviser by the end of September at the latest. Topics chosen in the past have ranged across the whole field of Spanish and Portuguese studies, and have included literature, politics, music, film, art, philosophy, socio-economic questions, and a variety of other issues. Given all of these possibilities, it is essential for thesis writers to define a topic or set of preoccupations that can be successfully addressed within the time constraints of the thesis calendar. To that end, in a small and intimate department like ours, majors can count on faculty members as a resource. Students are also encouraged to peruse the department’s archive of previous theses, available through the Undergraduate Administrator.

Working with an Advisor

The DUS will help find an advisor who will respond to the student’s main interests and be the most qualified interlocutor.

• Majors meet their advisors as frequently as necessary. Even though there is no formula for an ideal number of meetings, advisors can meet their advisees as often as once a week but, at least, once a month, depending on the needs of the student.
• Majors are expected to develop their own voice and bring their intellectual passion and energy to each meeting. They should be open to their advisors’ suggestions and feedback, and still feel that they “own” their work, and that they have autonomy to determine the direction of their research, in an open and productive relationship with their advisor. The DUS will be available to discuss the student’s progress and main ideas. 
• For majors who opt for a creative thesis or a translation, the presentation of the materials, the structure of the thesis and the meaning of the project will be discussed on a case-by-case basis with the advisor(s) and the DUS. 

Recommended Reference Works (General)

Students can consult their adviser, the Director of Undergraduate Studies, and other faculty members for more project-specific sources, texts, and research methods. The following list of works has generally proved to be helpful.

For All Students

• The MLA Handbook for Writers of Research Papers, Theses, and Dissertations
• MLA International Bibliography (see Databases on University's library web site)
• The Princeton Encyclopedia of Poetics

For Students with a Focus on Spanish

• Moliner, Diccionario del uso del español
• Real Academia Española, Diccionario de la lengua española
• Casares y Sánchez, Diccionario ideológico de la lengua española
• American Heritage Larousse, Spanish Dictionary (Spanish-English, English Spanish)
• Corominas, Breve diccionario etimológico de la lengua castellana
• Real Academia Española, Nueva gramática de la lengua española
• Solé & Solé, Modern Spanish Syntax
• Rafael Lapesa, Historia de la lengua española
• Bosque, REDES. Diccionario combinatorio del español contemporáneo
• Reyes, Cómo escribir bien en español
• Roca and Lipski (ed.), Spanish in the United States
• Juan Luis Alborg, Historia de la literatura española. I: Edad media y renacimiento ; II: Época barroca ; III: Siglo XV III ; IV: El romanticismo
• Jean Franco, An Introduction to Spanish American Literature
• Sylvia Molloy, Las Letras de Borges
• Angel Rama, La ciudad letrada
• J.H. Elliott, Imperial Spain
• Raymond Carr, Spain, 1808 - 1975
• Stanley Stein, The Colonial Heritage of Latin America
• James Lockhart and Stuart Schwartz, Early Latin America
• Cambridge History of Latin America

For Students with a Focus on Portuguese

• Antônio Houaiss, Dicionário da Língua Portuguesa
• Domingos Paschoal Cegalla, Novíssima Gramática da Língua Portuguesa
• António José Saraiva e Óscar Lopes, História da Literatura Portuguesa
• Antonio Candido, Formação da Literatura Brasileira
• Alfredo Bosi, História Concisa da Literatura Brasileira
• Alfredo Bosi, Dialética da Colonização
• Lourenço Dantas Mota (ed.), Introdução ao Brasil: um Banquete no Trópico
• João Cezar de Castro Rocha (ed.), Brasil Nenhum Existe: uma pequena enciclopédia
• Sérgio Buarque de Holanda (ed.), História Geral da Civilização Brasileira
• Fernando Antonio Novais (ed.), História da Vida Privada no Brasil

Writing Center

An important resource on campus is the Writing Center .

Located in Whitman College, the Writing Center offers free one-on-one conferences with experienced fellow writers trained to consult on assignments in any discipline. When working on your JP or thesis, you can schedule 80-minute conferences with a graduate student fellow from Spanish and Portuguese or a related department. When booking an appointment, select the “by field” option, then if desired you may choose an appointment with a graduate student fellow from the Spanish and Portuguese Department. The Writing Center also holds general 50-minute regular conferences seven-days-a-week and drop-in hours Sunday through Thursday evenings.

Independent Work Mentor Programming

Recognizing the challenges of independent work, Independent Work Mentors from the Writing Center prepare workshops and programming to aid juniors and seniors in their research. Students should regularly check the Princeton Undergraduate Research Calendar (PURC) on the website of the Office of Undergraduate Research for upcoming programing and workshops, which cover topics ranging from preparing funding proposals to note taking, and from making an argument to draft review. Independent Work Mentors can help interested juniors and seniors form writing groups as a forum to discuss challenges they are confronting in their work and brainstorm strategies for dealing with various issues.

Research Support

The Office of Undergraduate Research serves to inform, engage, connect, and support currently enrolled undergraduates on matters related to research at Princeton; to enhance independent work through campus-wide initiatives and departmental collaborations; and to promote students' research achievements through research symposia and written and video communications. Their website is the central hub for information about undergraduate research including student-authored research advice on the PCUR blog , departmental Independent Work Guides, funding opportunities, and subscribe to PURC , the central calendar for upcoming events and deadlines.

Firestone Library Collections & Librarians

The Librarian for Latin American, Iberian and Latino Studies, Fernando Acosta-Rodriguez, is always available to offer guidance and suggestions regarding research, and particularly about the exceptional resources in Firestone Library. Princeton holds one of the world’s most impressive collections of Latin American Ephemera as well as manuscripts and papers of outstanding authors like Reinaldo Arenas, Julio Cortázar, Carlos Fuentes, Alejandra Pizarnik, Mario Vargas Llosa, and many others. Students are highly encouraged to explore and work with these materials. Regardless of the types of research that their projects might entail, students always benefit from making appointments with Fernando Acosta-Rodriguez as early as possible in the thesis research process.

Fernando Acosta-Rodriguez Librarian for Latin American, Iberian and Latino Studies [email protected] Firestone Library B14-P Tel.: (609) 258-3193

The Department of Spanish and Portuguese is pleased to offer a number of funding opportunities for undergraduate students. Resources are available to assist majors with the costs of senior thesis research, including travel abroad. The best time to use these funds is during the summer preceding the senior year. Students should discuss their plans with their adviser and/or the Director of Undergraduate Studies.

All applications for funding in support of senior thesis research will go through the Student Activities Funding Engine, or SAFE. Please do not apply directly to the Department of Spanish and Portuguese for funds in support of these activities, but submit an application through SAFE.

Juniors wishing to apply for summer research grants apply in the spring, while seniors may apply in the early fall for funds to conduct research over the fall break or during intersession.

Expectations

Standards and grading.

The final grade will be determined by a consensus between the thesis adviser and a second reader. These general standards are adopted across several of the University’s departments.

A or A- thesis defines a research question, formulates, and advances a clear claim (hypothesis) or set of claims. It gathers, presents, and analyzes evidence in support of its claim(s) while reviewing and engaging the scholarship of others. It assesses critically the strengths and weaknesses of its own logic, evidence, and findings. Finally, it relates its conclusions to a larger context and makes an original contribution to knowledge. An A level thesis is clear, gracefully written, and well organized. It demonstrates that the writer has conducted a close and critical reading of texts and grappled with issues raised in the relevant scholarly literature. Its argument shows intellectual creativity, is sensitive to historical or cultural context, and is supported by a well-chosen variety of specific examples or pieces of evidence.

B+ or B thesis demonstrates many aspects of A level work but falls short of it in either the organization and clarity of its writing, the formulation and presentation of its argument, or the quality of research. Some theses in this category are solid works containing flashes of insight into many of the issues raised in the relevant scholarly literature. Others give evidence of independent thought, but are not entirely clear or convincing in the presentation of their argument.

B- thesis demonstrates command of the research material and understanding of historical or cultural context but provides a less than thorough defense of the writer's independent argument because of weaknesses in writing, argument, organization, or use of evidence.

C+, C, or C- thesis lacks a cogent argument and offers little more than a mere a summary of ideas and information, is insensitive to historical or cultural context, suffers from frequent factual errors, unclear writing, poor organization, or inadequate primary research, or presents some combination of these problems. Whereas the grading standards for written work between A and C are concerned with the presentation of argument and evidence, a thesis that belongs to the D or F categories demonstrates fundamental inadequacies.

D thesis demonstrates serious deficiencies or flaws in the student's command of the research material and construction of a cogent argument.

F thesis fails to demonstrate competence in the research materials or the construction of an argument, and/or is unfinished Above all, an F thesis indicates a student's lack of effort.

Senior Departmental Examination

The senior departmental/comprehensive exam will consist of an oral presentation of the senior thesis. It will be followed by questions from faculty regarding the thesis content and bibliography, as well as questions related to the course work done by the student in the department.

Senior Thesis and Departmental Prizes

Upon nomination by the Faculty, the Department of Spanish and Portuguese awards the following departmental prizes to distinguished students:

• Premio Ángel Rama For excellence by a first-year student or sophomore in advanced Spanish courses.
• Prêmio Machado de Assis For excellence in advanced undergraduate Portuguese courses.
• Premio María Zambrano For an outstanding Junior Paper in the Department.
• Premio Angel G. Loureiro For significant international research and experience for a junior or senior
• Ronald Surtz Prize For best independent work on Early Modern studies by a junior or senior major
• Vicente Llorens Castillo Senior Prize in Spanish For overall academic excellence by a graduating senior.
• Ricardo Piglia Best Senior Thesis

There are additional thesis prizes for which faculty can nominate majors, including:

• Stanley J. Stein Prize in Latin American Studies Kenneth Maxwell Senior Prize in Brazilian Studies Carolyn Drucker Prize in Jewish Studies
• Center for Human Values Senior Thesis Prize
• J. Wells Henderson '43 Senior Thesis Prize in Law and Public Affairs

In preparing their independent work, students should consistently follow the MLA Handbook or The Chicago Manual of Style. More details regarding thesis submission will be sent by memo in March of senior year.

Title page format for a senior thesis (sample):

Thesis Title Your Name Thesis Adviser's Name Submitted to: Princeton University Department of Spanish and Portuguese This Thesis represents my own work in accordance with University regulations.

Senior Thesis Calendar

All papers are due on the date specified. For more details, please refer to the Senior Calendar on the Department of Spanish and Portuguese web site .

• University of Michigan Library
• Research Guides

Spanish Language and Literature

• Dissertations
• Getting Started
• Dictionaries
• Reference Works
• Digital Collections and Libraries
• Web Resources
• Dialnet: Tesis Repository of full text PhD dissertations from some 40 Spanish universities.
• Tesis Doctorales en Red / Tesis Doctorals en Xarxa Repository of full text PhD dissertations from the universities in Catalonia and other autonomous regions in Spain.
• Tesis Doctorales (TESEO) Catalog of PhD dissertations registered by the Spanish Ministry of Education. No full text.
• Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes: Tesis Doctorales Catalog of PhD dissertations written in Spanish at any university in the world. Not comprehensive.

Latin America

• Portal de Tesis Latinoamericanas Full text theses and dissertations from Latin American universities.
• Tesis de UNAM Catalog of dissertations since 1900, some in full text format.

International

• Global Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Search ETDs from more than 200 universities on all continents.
• ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Global This link opens in a new window Descriptions, sometimes with full text, of doctoral dissertations & master theses from US, UK, Canada, Ireland, etc.
• WorldCat Dissertations and Theses This link opens in a new window A subset of WorldCat containing records of dissertations, theses, and published material based on theses; many international titles not included elsewhere.
• Dissertation Reviews Overviews of recently defended, unpublished doctoral dissertations in a wide variety of disciplines across the Humanities and Social Sciences.
• Center for Research Libraries: Dissertations Dissertations from universities outside the U.S. and Canada.