Funding

The duties and responsibilities of a graduate instructor (GI) in the department consist of a combination of teaching, training, and departmental services. The basic teaching assignments are two undergraduate level courses per year. The training consists of a one-week orientation workshop conducted prior to the beginning of classes each fall semester by the director of language programs (DLP) and meetings throughout the year. Further training occurs during meetings with the DLP throughout the year.

GIs must also successfully complete SPPT 5999: The Teaching of College-Level Spanish: Theory and Practice. Service includes things such as administrating proficiency tests, working in the tutor lab, and performing other tasks in support of the department’s program of language instruction. All of these activities combined average 20 hours per week over the semester which is equivalent to a 50% appointment. Graduate Instructor benefits include a nine-month stipend, tuition waiver for full-time registration (6-14 credits), and eligibility for health insurance through the Graduate Assistant Health Insurance Plan.

Appointment Dates

Academic year appointments generally run from mid-August until mid-May. Since students are being paid during this time, they are expected to be local and available during the dates of their appointments. Students may be required to attend events at the end of the year (such as the annual evaluations) even after their classes have ended, and should, therefore, be available.

The Spanish Writing Center is dedicated to helping Spanish students become better communicators by engaging students in the process of crafting a written essay. The center's objective is to empower students with strategies for writing in Spanish through a process of organizing, drafting, and revising their analytical ideas. We aspire to unite students who desire to be proficient and creative writers in a community with instructors and faculty. Every semester, one graduate student is assigned to staff the writing center. For more information, visit the Spanish Writing Center page.

Hispanic Issues

A refereed scholarly series devoted to the study of Hispanic and Lusophone cultures--including literary criticism and historiography, Hispanic cultural studies, human rights, Hispanic linguistics, and other areas of inquiry. Each publication stresses collaborative research, drawing on a network of scholars from the United States and abroad. One graduate student in the spring semester is awarded an Editorial Research Assistantship to work on the publication. More info can be found on the Hispanic Issues site.

Research Assistantships are frequently available with individual faculty working on specific projects.

As students progress in the department, they may have opportunities for Graduate Instructorships and Research Assistantships in other departments such as CARLA, Global Studies, the Center fo Premodern Studies, and Human Rights. Students work with their advisor to determine the appropriate opening.
 

Our internal fellowship and award opportunities include:

• First Year Summer Fellowship
  Guaranteed for all incoming students after completing their first year
• Competitive Summer Fellowships
  Summer research/writing funding
• Research Semesters
  Full semester stipend, plus tuition and health coverage
• Research & Conference Travel Awards
• Career Development Awards

Our students have been successful at securing University Fellowships and Awards including but not limited to:

Doctoral Dissertation Fellowship

Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowship

Hella Mears Fellowship

Consortium for the Study of the Premodern World Dissertation Fellowship

Diversity of Views & Experience Fellowship (DOVE)

Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change (ICGC) Fellowships

Thesis Research Travel Grant

Less Common Taught Languages (LCTL) Teacher Scholarship

Graduate Student Teaching Award. Council of Graduate Students,

Center for Advanced Research on Language Acquisition (CARLA) Fellowship, 

UMN Social Science Research Council Interdisciplinary Dissertation Proposal Development Program

Foreign Language & Area Studies (FLAS) Fellowship from UMN, Institute for Global Studies;

Interdisciplinary Center for the Study of Global Change, Interdisciplinary Doctoral Fellowships

The Proficiency Assessment for Curricular Enhancement (PACE) project Conference Funding

Council of Graduate Students Travel Grant

Council of Graduate Students Intellectual Community Building Grant

Diversity Predoctoral Teaching Fellowships

Graduate Students have also received these outside awards:

Fulbright Fellowship

Coca-Cola Grant: Activity Initiative

AATSP Conference Attendee Travel Stipend for Graduate Students

Charles Fillmore Fellowship 

P.E.O. Scholar Award