MAT Course descriptions  

The courses, conducted entirely in Spanish, are divided into three separate curricular areas. We offer a course in each area per semester. Classes are held once a week in the evenings.

No matter whether you are enrolled in MAT or MAT- Education program, you take each semester a balance of pedagogy, literature, and linguistics courses. All courses allow you to apply what you learn to your teaching.

Teaching & Pedagogy

These courses provide you with the theoretical foundations of effective course and curriculum design. Each class has a practical component, and students are encouraged to create original instructional materials.

  • Methods of Spanish Instruction
  • Media and Technology in Spanish Language Instruction
  • Curriculum Design
  • Testing and Classroom Assessment
  • Using Spanish as a Means of Instruction

Literature & Culture

These courses provide you with a solid understanding of the complexity of Hispanic culture, history, and art through the discussion of important literary texts. Texts are studied within the context of: 1) the broader scope of the history of Spanish and Latin American literature; 2) the cultural/historical experience of Hispanic peoples and their complex societies; 3) critical, theoretical perspectives for the analysis of literary works.

  • Topics in Latin American Literature
  • Topics in Peninsular Literature
  • Topics in Chicano/US Literature
  • Hispanic Theater

Linguistics

The courses in this area offer students the theoretical foundations for improving their linguistic knowledge of the Spanish language.

  • Structures of Modern Spanish
  • Phonetics and Phonology of Spanish
  • Sociolinguistics and Dialectology in the Spanish Classroom
  • The Acquisition of Spanish
See that NAU catalogue for descriptions of our regular and education program courses.

Capstone Project

Individual project supervised by a faculty member. 

MAT - Education students complete student teaching instead.

Comprehensive Written Exams

In a written comprehensive examination, students completing the Master of Arts in Teaching Spanish will demonstrate advanced, professional-level proficiencies in the three areas of curricular focus and their application to the language classroom.

MAT - Education students complete student teaching instead.