Program Overview
The PhD program in Modern Languages & Literatures focuses on literary history, textual analysis, and interpretation theory. Students typically complete the program in five years, with four years of graduate coursework followed by a year of research in the student's area of specialization. In addition to their major language, candidates must demonstrate proficiency in one or two other languages. All graduate students are required to complete four years of teaching experience at the undergraduate level as part of their professional preparation.
Program Outline
Degree Overview:
To be accepted into the Ph.D. program, students must demonstrate by an exceptionally strong academic record that they are capable of advanced study in literature. The student will normally take two to three years of graduate courses and devote the fourth year to study and research in the country on which the student’s study concentrates. The well-prepared student can expect to receive the Ph.D. after five years of study. The graduate program in Modern Languages and Literatures emphasizes work in three complementary areas: literary history, close textual analysis, and theory of interpretation. By way of preparing students in a variety of critical schools, the faculty and the visiting professors offer training in the different disciplines pertaining to critical theory, including philosophy, theory of language, psychoanalytic theory, intellectual history, and cultural anthropology.
Assessment:
In addition to the major language, the Ph.D. candidate must demonstrate proficiency in one or two other languages besides English, depending on the specialization. After this period, normally in the third year, the student will take examinations which, if completed successfully, will lead to candidacy for the Ph.D.
Teaching:
All graduate students are expected to do four years of apprentice teaching of elementary and intermediate level undergraduate courses as part of their professional preparation. The amount of classroom teaching required is usually three to four hours a week.
Other:
The Department encourages and expects graduates student to do research abroad during their program of study. Italian graduate students can take advantage of a wealth of formal and informal contacts with Italian scholars, archives, and institutes. After presenting a research proposal to their advisor, with the approval of that advisor and the head of section, students may elect to go abroad for a semester or the entire academic year in order to conduct research essential to their dissertation. The department has a number of fellowships for graduate students. Students are admitted for five years, fully funded, subject to annual review to assure satisfactory progress. In addition, stipends (equivalent to that year’s teaching fellowship) are available for study abroad during the third or fourth year. Fourth- and fifth-year graduate students may also compete for Dean’s Teaching Fellowships, which provide opportunities for the design and teaching of undergraduate courses in literature, cultural studies, or intellectual history. Graduate students conducting research in Italian studies compete each year for two Charles S. Singleton Travel Grants for study in Italy. This program is administered by the department and is open to graduate students from other departments.
