Submitted Fall, 2004
Direct Measurements
The one graduate student in Spanish that completed her program in Summer 2004 was able to more than reach all of the expected levels indicated in the Direct Measurement Plan: a) During her oral and written Comprehensive Exams she demonstrated a high level of oral and written proficiency in her native language Spanish, as well as acceptable levels in English. b) In her written exam essay on contemporary Spanish film directors she showed her knowledge of and appreciation for the twentieth century culture of Spain in general, as well as for Spanish film in particular. c) In her exam essay for comparative grammar she showed a detailed knowledge of Spanish and English grammar (in particular, with regard to the passive voice in both languages). Likewise in her responses to the questions for translation and interpretation, she displayed her broad knowledge of the two languages. d) As part of the written exam, she wrote essays on three areas of literature: Spanish Literature I, Contemporary Latin Literature and Hispanic Film. Her essay for the latter was particularly well written and well organized, and it showed considerable sophistication. The other essays were weaker in organization, but she illustrated during the oral exam that she understood how they might have been improved. e) As an example of her research work, she presented a paper from her film course on an important Spanish director, Carlos Saura. This paper in Spanish was thoughtful, well written and well organized. Also it clearly delineated the trajectory of his work. f) In her responses to the questions for language acquisition and methodology, she demonstrated a general and specific understanding of these areas. During her oral exam , when asked, she was able to expand upon her written answers. Thus, not only did she do very well on her Comprehensive Examination, but she also satisfied all of our graduate assessment criteria.
Indirect Measurements
For the Graduate Student Survey, which she filled out after receiving her diploma, she, being a native speaker of Spanish, quite naturally rated her Speaking, Writing and Cultural Fluency to be at the highest level (Native-like). Likewise, she found her knowledge of grammar and of literature to be Superior. Only in the area of language acquisition and foreign language teaching methods did she rate herself as being merely Advanced.