We believe in the close mentoring and careful training of a select number of future scholars and teachers. This means that our students receive the personal attention that is essential for success in a highly competitive profession, and which is not usually available in larger programs elsewhere. The small size of our graduate seminars creates a learning environment that is both intellectually stimulating and supportive. We provide financial support through Teaching Assistanships and Graduate Assistanships, in addition to funding for participation in scholarly conferences. Students can also benefit from training in language pedagogy, professional development workshops, and a year-long exchange program with the Université de Haute-Savoie (Chambéry) in France. While offering every advantage of a large research institution, our program retains its individual character to ensure a training that is challenging as well as collaborative. Our M.A. graduates have been accepted into strong Ph.D. programs at institutions such as Stanford, Harvard, Berkeley, UCLA, Brown, Rutgers, Duke and the University of Pennsylvania. Recent Ph.D. graduates have obtained full time teaching positions at Princeton, Duke, UTEP, and the University of N. Texas at Denton.