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Joseph Bauman

Joseph Bauman
Teaching Professor of Spanish
Director of Undergraduate Studies

Biography

I completed my undergraduate education right here at Penn State, earning a B.A. in Integrative Arts and a B.A. in Spanish and then worked as a goldsmith for several years before returning to earn my Ph.D. in Spanish Linguistics in 2013. After teaching numerous courses as a graduate student, I took a position as a lecturer to explore my growing passion for teaching.

I now teach a wide range of courses in the Spanish Department and the Program in Linguistics, including Spanish grammar, phonology, and the history of Spanish. My research interests include language variation and historical language change, especially in the evolution of Spanish. I am fascinated by the gradual process of linguistic change, as it illustrates how language is not static; rather it is constantly evolving. In addition, as the Director of Undergraduate Studies for Spanish, I advise students on their course plans and help to prepare Spanish students to study abroad.

Education

Ph.D., Spanish Linguistics, Penn Stae

Courses Regularly Taught

300 Level

3 Credits

Fall 2026 Semester

Spanish
SPAN 316 Building words and sentences in Spanish
Building words and sentences in Spanish" is an introduction to the study of Spanish morphology and syntax. In linguistics, morphology is the study of the morphemes (e.g. affixes, words, roots) of language and how they combine together to form words. Syntax is the study of how words combine together to form phrases and sentences. Because this course is for Spanish majors and minors, the focus in this course is on the structure of words, phrases, and sentences in Spanish, how Spanish compares to other languages, and how morphology and syntax vary across Spanish dialects. Special focus will be made on explaining the kinds of errors typical of English-speaking learners of Spanish as a second language, and a primary goal of the course is for students to improve their proficiency in using Spanish morphosyntax. The course is taught in Spanish.

Prerequisite

SPAN 215


Class Times

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 9:05 a.m–9:55 a.m.


Bachelor of Arts

Social and Behavioral Sciences


400 Level

3 Credits

SPAN 497-001 Living, breathing language
There are more than 7,000 languages spoken in the world today. How did human language first develop and where did all those different languages come from? How are they all different? How are they similar? What happens when they die? What happens when a language like Spanish comes into contact with other varieties? This course will explore linguistic diversity and historical change through the lens of evolutionary biology. Using examples from Spanish and recent scientific evidence, we will learn how language can be metaphorically characterized as a living, growing, changing organism.

Class Times

Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 12:20 p.m.-1:10 p.m.