Doctor of Philosophy Degree Program

Qualification

Successful completion of the qualifying procedure enables the student to proceed with preparations for the Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination, beginning with the formation of a guidance committee. The qualifying procedure involves competence in foreign languages and satisfactory performance in required coursework.

Program of Study

•22 credits in Comparative Literature, including
oComp-Lit 698N (Teaching Practicum, 1 credit)
oComp-Lit 752 (3 credits)
oIf you are writing a dissertation in Translation Studies, Comp-Lit 751 (3 credits)

•9 credits of work in languages other than English/your area of specialization (these may include independent studies and/or an adapted Five College course)

•15 credits of electives, which may include
o additional Comparative Literature courses, beyond your 22 Comp Lit credits
o courses taken in other programs or departments
o independent studies (up to a maximum of two ISs may count toward your degree)
o an adapted Five College course

•No more than 1 3-credit course at the 500 level.

In addition to coursework, all students must register for a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 18 dissertation credits.

Also required: successful completion of the comprehensive examinations, prospectus, doctoral dissertation, and doctoral defense.

Comprehensive Examination

Candidates for the Ph.D. take the Comprehensive Examination at the end of their third year of study.

The Comprehensive Examinations consist of three fields; for each, students submit a detailed rationale and reading list of 20-25 primary texts, along with a comparable list of secondary materials. These rationales and reading lists are to be prepared in consultation with the student’s advisor and committee and must be approved by the committee and formally submitted to the GPD 30 days prior to the examination date.

The Comprehensive Examination entails a written and oral component and is graded on a pass/fail basis. In the event that a student fails to pass the exams, the GPD will determine if the student will be allowed to take the exams a second and final time; otherwise, the student will be notified of termination from the program.

Terminal M.A.

Students may be awarded a terminal master’s degree based on their graduate performance. Students must have successfully completed eleven courses or 33-credit hours to be eligible for the terminal M.A.

The Dissertation Prospectus

Students present and defend their Ph.D. prospectus—essentially a plan of the dissertation—within 6 months of the successful completion of their comprehensive examination (i.e. by the end of the 7th semester of graduate study). The prospectus should describe, in 10-15 pages (double-spaced, Times New Roman or equivalent 12-point type, or roughly 3000-4000 words) the aims, method, and scope of the proposed dissertation, including summaries of planned chapters; the accompanying bibliography should not exceed 10 pages.

The Dissertation

The dissertation may deal with any subject in literary history, or with the comparison of texts, in the original languages of works from two or more literatures. A translation dissertation may be proposed, provided that it is prefaced by an extensive introduction, with a level of analysis appropriate to a doctoral dissertation. The introduction should deal with theories and specific problems of the translation.