Requirements for PhD in French, Italian, or Spanish
Courses
Students in the French, Italian and Spanish programs are expected to take a minimum of 14 courses beyond the MA degree; 10 must be literature courses in their language of specialization. They must also take three RLLT seminars (Romance Philology [RLLT 30200], Theory of Literature [RLLT 31600], Foreign Language Acquisition and Teaching [RLLT 38800]), and 1 elective. These courses must be taken for a letter grade (B or better) and are normally spread over 6 quarters. They should be completed before taking the oral exam.
Most of the required RLLT seminars are offered only every other year, so it is prudent to take them at the earliest opportunity. If conducted in English, other RLLT courses must be approved by the advisor if they are to count towards the 10 required literature courses. Also note that Foreign Language Acquisition and Teaching (RLLT 38800) must be taken before applying for a lecturer position (usually after 3 years), even for students with prior teaching experience or other pedagogical training.
Students are encouraged to take additional courses—in this or other departments—that may be useful in their program of study; these may be audited or taken pass/fail. Students are also encouraged to participate in graduate student workshops throughout the Humanities and Social Sciences divisions as a means of furthering their studies.
Language Requirements
Besides competency in English and their language of specialization, students must demonstrate reading proficiency in a second Romance language and a research language relevant to the student's field of study, to be selected in consultation with their graduate advisor.
Students may fulfill the second Romance language requirement by receiving a grade of B or better in a graduate literature course, or by taking a 3-quarter language course sequence and receiving a grade of B+ or higher in each course of the sequence. Alternatively, they may choose to take a departmental reading exam from a text, generally in the student’s area of research, chosen by the student in consultation with the RL&L faculty member who will administer the exam. The professor selects a passage of 500-600 words to be translated into English within 2 hours. A dictionary may be used, and students can use a computer (Mac or PC) or handwrite the exam. Students wishing to take the departmental reading exam must e-mail, at least 3 weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination, the Department Secretary to reserve a room and finalize other logistics.
Students may fulfill the research language requirement by taking a special German language course (GRMN 33300) for graduate students, or by taking a 3-quarter language course sequence in the research language of choice. In both cases a grade of B+ or higher is needed to satisfy the requirement.
Examinations
First Year Exam: During eighth week of spring quarter of their first PhD year, students will take a written examination (up to 3-hours long) meant to evaluate their critical skills. Students will be asked to interpret a short passage of 1 or 2 pages taken from a book that belongs to the PhD book list. This list of 4 or 5 texts will be announced at the beginning of each academic year. A dictionary may be used, and students can use a computer (Mac or PC) or handwrite the exam.
Oral Exam: During tenth week of spring quarter of their second PhD year or, at the latest, in autumn quarter of their third PhD year, students will take an oral exam based on the PhD reading list. Students will select, in consultation with their adviser, about 60 books from the list. This selection must reflect all periods and genres. (Students who wish to work in 2 language areas must consult the PhD advisers for both languages to determine the scope and emphasis of the pertinent reading lists.) The oral exam will consist of brief presentations on 2 or 3 topics related to the reading list, each followed by questions from the faculty. The duration of the exam should not exceed 2 hours.
After obtaining their adviser’s approval students must e-mail, at least 3 weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination, the Department Secretary to reserve a room and finalize other logistics.
Dissertation Proposal and Colloquium
Before spring quarter of their third PhD year, students are expected to have completed their coursework and language requirements, passed the oral PhD exam, and selected a dissertation director. In consultation with their dissertation director, students formulate a dissertation topic, plan the stages of its development, and select a dissertation committee that includes a second and third reader.
In spring quarter of their third PhD year, students prepare and submit a dissertation proposal to their director and the committee. The proposal should explain the nature of the thesis, the state of the scholarship, and the methodology to be followed; it should include an outline of chapters, a table of contents, and a bibliography of relevant works.
After the dissertation committee has agreed that the proposal is in presentable shape, the student should submit this working draft to the Department Coordinator along with a date and time, agreed upon by the dissertation committee, for the colloquium. The Department Coordinator will submit the student’s dissertation proposal and colloquium request at the next scheduled RL&L faculty meeting for approval. Once the request is approved, the student will work with the Department Secretary to reserve a room for the colloquium.
At the colloquium (circa 1 hour in length), to which all RL&L faculty will be invited, the student will present the proposal and receive general feedback, suggestions for improvement, etc. The student will also be tested on the principal original texts in the field, knowledge of secondary bibliography, and a grasp of the scholarship relevant to the field. After the colloquium, the dissertation director will notify the Department Coordinator of the colloquium results.
The student should prepare the final version of the proposal using the suggestions given at the colloquium and then submit the final version to the Department Coordinator for approval at the next RL&L faculty meeting. If approved, a formal request for admission to candidacy is made by the department to the Humanities Dean of Students. Admission to candidacy is noted on the student’s university transcript. This date must be at least 8 months before the degree is conferred.
Conduct of Dissertation Work
Once students begin writing their dissertation, they are required to meet at least once a quarter with the dissertation director and once a year with the dissertation committee in order to review the student’s progress. The readers on the committee must receive all major stages of the work, from the general outline to the final drafts. They will inform the director of their reactions at each stage.
Students should keep in mind the availability of the research materials they wish to use since residence abroad will add both time and expense to the dissertation work. There is no specified
length for the dissertation, although 250 pages is reasonable and can usually be completed in 2 to 3 years of concentrated work.
Students who do not complete the dissertation within 10 years may be given additional requirements to fulfill or may be given a timetable within which work must be completed.
Dissertation Defense
Once the director and readers have approved the dissertation's final form, students will work with the Department Secretary to reserve a room for the dissertation defense. It is the student’s responsibility to confirm the date and time with the dissertation committee prior to requesting a room. Two copies of the abstract in English and 1 copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Department Coordinator at least 3 weeks before the date of the defense. The Department Coordinator then submits a request for a Dean’s Representative from outside the department to attend the defense; suggestions for a representative are welcome.
Convocation Deadlines
To receive a degree, you must submit an online degree application through cMore. The application must be submitted no later than 5pm CST on Friday of the first week of the quarter in which you intend to receive your degree. There are no exceptions! In addition to submitting the online degree application, doctoral candidates must register in the quarter in which they plan to graduate, including summer quarter.
The deadline for electronic submission of the final approved copy of your dissertation, as well as any required paperwork, to the university’s Dissertation Office is Wednesday of the eighth week of the quarter in which you will receive your degree (seventh week in summer quarter). Be sure to allow enough time after the defense date to make any requested corrections. Details concerning the preparation and submission of the final text of the dissertation may be obtained from Room 100-B of Regenstein Library or at www.lib.uchicago.edu/e/phd.
Advisers
Students should consult with their graduate adviser on every aspect of course registration, examinations, and all scholarly and practical matters concerning their PhD work. The advisers for 2009-2010 are Daniel Desormeaux and Thomas Pavel (French), Rebecca West (Italian), and Armando Maggi (Spanish).