Hispania (journal)
Encyclopedia
Hispania is a peer-reviewed
academic journal
and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
. It is published quarterly by the AATSP and covers Spanish
and Portuguese
literature
, linguistics
, and pedagogy
. Hispania contains three major sections: literature, linguistics, and pedagogy, with a fourth section devoted solely to book and media reviews, which are subdivided into Pan-Hispanic/Luso-Brazilian Literary and Cultural Studies, linguistics, language, media, and fiction and film.
, Aurelio M. Espinosa (Stanford University
). In the outline, Espinosa defined the journal's chief aim as "the betterment of the teaching of Spanish in our schools and colleges". Accordingly, Hispanias original subtitle was "A Journal Devoted to the Interests of Teachers of Spanish," which reflected the earnest pedagogic tone and content of its first volumes. In keeping with his vision of the journal's purpose, Espinosa published more pedagogical material than any of his successors: fully 64 percent of the articles in the nine volumes he edited were pedagogical in nature.
Alfred Coester succeeded Espinosa as editor, a position he held for the next 14 years. During his tenure the journal grew significantly in scope and readership, adding new sections, such as the "Professional Literature" section devoted to reviewing pedagogical articles and books. In 1941, a report of the Committee on General Policies led to a revision of Hispanias scope by recommending among others that its "contents should strike a balance between material of interest to secondary teachers and articles primarily of interest to university members". Further revisions called for more articles on Spanish in elementary schools, on relations with Hispanic America, and on attitudes of personal educators toward the teaching of Spanish and Portuguese.
Henry Grattan Doyle succeeded Coester in 1942. Doyle had been editor of the Modern Language Journal for four years before he became editor of Hispania. Doyle instituted the anonymous peer review process that is still in place today. He also increased the number of articles dealing with Luso-Brazilian languages and literatures. Other additions Doyle made to the editorial process included assigning books for review and ceasing to accept unsolicited reviews.
The post World War II
era was ushered in with a new editor, Donald Walsh, in 1949. Walsh is considered by many, including his successor, Robert Mead Jr., to have developed Hispania into the modern language journal it is today. Walsh broke with the previous editors' focus on pedagogy by broadening Hispanias scope, diversifying its contents, adding new sections, soliciting contributions from colleagues known for their expertise, and making sure that every issue of the journal had something of practical use and pedagogical value to both the K-12 teacher and the graduate
-level professor. Walsh also instituted the change to a two-column format, which saved the journal space and money. He retired from the editorship in 1957.
Robert Meade, Jr. (University of Connecticut
) became interim editor in 1958, having already served since 1953 as an associate editor. Meade reiterated the message that articles must be broad enough in scope to interest the more than 5,000 members, nearly half of whom taught in secondary school
s. Meade served during a time of rapid growth within the profession due to increased interest in foreign language study as well as increased funding through the National Defense Education Act
(instituted to keep pace with the former USSR in mathematics, science, and foreign languages). Meade's editorial leadership increased the number of literary articles published in order to rectify an imbalance between the various sections.
Seymour Menton (University of Kansas
) succeeded Meade in 1963. During his three-year tenure as editor, Menton also strove to rectify an imbalance in the journal's article ratio by calling for more literary contributions from members. He created a second book review section that focused on reviewing books of scholarly and literary interest, as opposed to the original one, which focused on textbook reviews.
Irving P. Rothberg, who had edited the book review section for nearly nine years prior, succeeded Menton in 1966 and served until 1974. He was in turn succeeded by Donald W. Bleznick, who instituted the inclusion of an editorial policy in each number of Hispania outlining what the journal would and would not accept for publication, a move intended to reduce the number of unwanted submissions. Bleznick managed the journal during one of its most trying times, after a fire destroyed its printing facility in Appleton, Wisconsin
in May 1979. He oversaw the reconstruction of the journal and found it a new publisher in time to have it in print again by 1980.
Theodore A. Sackett became editor in 1984 and directed the journal through most the 1980s. Sackett added "Pedagogy" as a special section in Hispania in order to address the changing face of the classroom that resulted from the advent of computers and the new concern for communicative competence. He was succeeded by Estelle Irizarry in 1993. During her editorship, Hispania became the first journal in the humanities to digitalize and produce a CD
of articles dating from its inception in 1917 through 1990, a project for which members volunteered to prepare issues or volumes. Irizarry also improved efficiency and reduced decision time. Under her tenure, the journal was awarded second place for the "Phoenix Award for Significant Editorial Achievement" from the Council of Editors of Learned Journals in 1995.
Janet Pérez assumed the editorship in 2000. Her final term ended in 2009. The end of her editorship coincided with her induction as a permanent member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language at a ceremony at the Instituto Cervantes
in New York City
.
Sheri Spaine Long, the former editor of Foreign Language Annals, succeeded Pérez in January 2010. Concurrently, Johns Hopkins University Press
became the publisher of Hispania.
, EBSCOhost
, FRANCIS, Hispanic American Periodicals Index, International Bibliography of Periodical Literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, and Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies.
Peer review
Peer review is a process of self-regulation by a profession or a process of evaluation involving qualified individuals within the relevant field. Peer review methods are employed to maintain standards, improve performance and provide credibility...
academic journal
Academic journal
An academic journal is a peer-reviewed periodical in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as forums for the introduction and presentation for scrutiny of new research, and the critique of existing research...
and the official journal of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
The American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese is a language-specific professional association in the United States that was founded on 29 December 1917 in New York City as the American Association of Teachers of Spanish....
. It is published quarterly by the AATSP and covers Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
and Portuguese
Portuguese language
Portuguese is a Romance language that arose in the medieval Kingdom of Galicia, nowadays Galicia and Northern Portugal. The southern part of the Kingdom of Galicia became independent as the County of Portugal in 1095...
literature
Literature
Literature is the art of written works, and is not bound to published sources...
, linguistics
Linguistics
Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. Linguistics can be broadly broken into three categories or subfields of study: language form, language meaning, and language in context....
, and pedagogy
Pedagogy
Pedagogy is the study of being a teacher or the process of teaching. The term generally refers to strategies of instruction, or a style of instruction....
. Hispania contains three major sections: literature, linguistics, and pedagogy, with a fourth section devoted solely to book and media reviews, which are subdivided into Pan-Hispanic/Luso-Brazilian Literary and Cultural Studies, linguistics, language, media, and fiction and film.
History
The first publication of Hispania dates to the earliest days of the American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese and the first issue featured a summation of the possibilities of the new organization, written by Lawrence Wilkins, as well as an outline of future plans for the journal written by its founding editor in chiefEditor in chief
An editor-in-chief is a publication's primary editor, having final responsibility for the operations and policies. Additionally, the editor-in-chief is held accountable for delegating tasks to staff members as well as keeping up with the time it takes them to complete their task...
, Aurelio M. Espinosa (Stanford University
Stanford University
The Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University or Stanford, is a private research university on an campus located near Palo Alto, California. It is situated in the northwestern Santa Clara Valley on the San Francisco Peninsula, approximately northwest of San...
). In the outline, Espinosa defined the journal's chief aim as "the betterment of the teaching of Spanish in our schools and colleges". Accordingly, Hispanias original subtitle was "A Journal Devoted to the Interests of Teachers of Spanish," which reflected the earnest pedagogic tone and content of its first volumes. In keeping with his vision of the journal's purpose, Espinosa published more pedagogical material than any of his successors: fully 64 percent of the articles in the nine volumes he edited were pedagogical in nature.
Alfred Coester succeeded Espinosa as editor, a position he held for the next 14 years. During his tenure the journal grew significantly in scope and readership, adding new sections, such as the "Professional Literature" section devoted to reviewing pedagogical articles and books. In 1941, a report of the Committee on General Policies led to a revision of Hispanias scope by recommending among others that its "contents should strike a balance between material of interest to secondary teachers and articles primarily of interest to university members". Further revisions called for more articles on Spanish in elementary schools, on relations with Hispanic America, and on attitudes of personal educators toward the teaching of Spanish and Portuguese.
Henry Grattan Doyle succeeded Coester in 1942. Doyle had been editor of the Modern Language Journal for four years before he became editor of Hispania. Doyle instituted the anonymous peer review process that is still in place today. He also increased the number of articles dealing with Luso-Brazilian languages and literatures. Other additions Doyle made to the editorial process included assigning books for review and ceasing to accept unsolicited reviews.
The post World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
era was ushered in with a new editor, Donald Walsh, in 1949. Walsh is considered by many, including his successor, Robert Mead Jr., to have developed Hispania into the modern language journal it is today. Walsh broke with the previous editors' focus on pedagogy by broadening Hispanias scope, diversifying its contents, adding new sections, soliciting contributions from colleagues known for their expertise, and making sure that every issue of the journal had something of practical use and pedagogical value to both the K-12 teacher and the graduate
Postgraduate education
Postgraduate education involves learning and studying for degrees or other qualifications for which a first or Bachelor's degree generally is required, and is normally considered to be part of higher education...
-level professor. Walsh also instituted the change to a two-column format, which saved the journal space and money. He retired from the editorship in 1957.
Robert Meade, Jr. (University of Connecticut
University of Connecticut
The admission rate to the University of Connecticut is about 50% and has been steadily decreasing, with about 28,000 prospective students applying for admission to the freshman class in recent years. Approximately 40,000 prospective students tour the main campus in Storrs annually...
) became interim editor in 1958, having already served since 1953 as an associate editor. Meade reiterated the message that articles must be broad enough in scope to interest the more than 5,000 members, nearly half of whom taught in secondary school
Secondary school
Secondary school is a term used to describe an educational institution where the final stage of schooling, known as secondary education and usually compulsory up to a specified age, takes place...
s. Meade served during a time of rapid growth within the profession due to increased interest in foreign language study as well as increased funding through the National Defense Education Act
National Defense Education Act
The National Defense Education Act , signed into law on September 2, 1958, provided funding to United States education institutions at all levels. The act authorized funding for four years, increasing funding per year: for example, funding increased on eight program titles from 183 million dollars...
(instituted to keep pace with the former USSR in mathematics, science, and foreign languages). Meade's editorial leadership increased the number of literary articles published in order to rectify an imbalance between the various sections.
Seymour Menton (University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
) succeeded Meade in 1963. During his three-year tenure as editor, Menton also strove to rectify an imbalance in the journal's article ratio by calling for more literary contributions from members. He created a second book review section that focused on reviewing books of scholarly and literary interest, as opposed to the original one, which focused on textbook reviews.
Irving P. Rothberg, who had edited the book review section for nearly nine years prior, succeeded Menton in 1966 and served until 1974. He was in turn succeeded by Donald W. Bleznick, who instituted the inclusion of an editorial policy in each number of Hispania outlining what the journal would and would not accept for publication, a move intended to reduce the number of unwanted submissions. Bleznick managed the journal during one of its most trying times, after a fire destroyed its printing facility in Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton, Wisconsin
Appleton is a city in Outagamie, Calumet, and Winnebago Counties in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. It is situated on the Fox River, 30 miles southwest of Green Bay and 100 miles north of Milwaukee. Appleton is the county seat of Outagamie County. The population was 78,086 at the 2010 census...
in May 1979. He oversaw the reconstruction of the journal and found it a new publisher in time to have it in print again by 1980.
Theodore A. Sackett became editor in 1984 and directed the journal through most the 1980s. Sackett added "Pedagogy" as a special section in Hispania in order to address the changing face of the classroom that resulted from the advent of computers and the new concern for communicative competence. He was succeeded by Estelle Irizarry in 1993. During her editorship, Hispania became the first journal in the humanities to digitalize and produce a CD
Compact Disc
The Compact Disc is an optical disc used to store digital data. It was originally developed to store and playback sound recordings exclusively, but later expanded to encompass data storage , write-once audio and data storage , rewritable media , Video Compact Discs , Super Video Compact Discs ,...
of articles dating from its inception in 1917 through 1990, a project for which members volunteered to prepare issues or volumes. Irizarry also improved efficiency and reduced decision time. Under her tenure, the journal was awarded second place for the "Phoenix Award for Significant Editorial Achievement" from the Council of Editors of Learned Journals in 1995.
Janet Pérez assumed the editorship in 2000. Her final term ended in 2009. The end of her editorship coincided with her induction as a permanent member of the North American Academy of the Spanish Language at a ceremony at the Instituto Cervantes
Instituto Cervantes
The Cervantes Institute is a worldwide non-profit organization created by the Spanish government in 1991. It is named after Miguel de Cervantes , the author of Don Quixote and perhaps the most important figure in the history of Spanish literature...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
.
Sheri Spaine Long, the former editor of Foreign Language Annals, succeeded Pérez in January 2010. Concurrently, Johns Hopkins University Press
Johns Hopkins University Press
The Johns Hopkins University Press is the publishing division of the Johns Hopkins University. It was founded in 1878 and holds the distinction of being the oldest continuously running university press in the United States. The Press publishes books, journals, and electronic databases...
became the publisher of Hispania.
Abstracting and indexing
The journal is abstracted and indexed in Current ContentsCurrent Contents
Current Contents is a rapid alerting service database from the Institute for Scientific Information, now part of Thomson Reuters, that is published online and in several different printed subject sections.-History:...
, EBSCOhost
EBSCO Publishing
EBSCO Publishing, headquartered in Ipswich, Massachusetts, is an aggregator of premium full-text content. EBSCO Publishing's core business is providing online databases via EBSCOhost to libraries worldwide. EBSCOhost is used by libraries, schools, academic institutions, medical institutions, and...
, FRANCIS, Hispanic American Periodicals Index, International Bibliography of Periodical Literature in the Humanities and Social Sciences, Linguistics and Language Behavior Abstracts, and Russian Academy of Sciences Bibliographies.
External links
- American Association of Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese
- Hispania at Project MUSEProject MUSEProject MUSE is an online database of current and back issues of peer-reviewed humanities and social sciences journals. It was founded in 1993 by Todd Kelley and Susan Lewis and is a project of the Johns Hopkins University Press and the Milton S. Eisenhower Library. It had support from the Mellon...