Doctor of Philosophy
Coursework
A minimum of fourteen courses beyond the M.A. degree are required; they must be taken for a letter grade (B or better) and are normally spread over six quarters; they should be completed before taking the oral exam. RLLT courses, if conducted in English, must be approved by the advisor if they are to count towards the 10 required literature courses. The requirements are as follows:
- 10 Literature courses in the student's respective Romance languages
- 3 RLLT seminars, as follows:
- RLLT 38800: Acquisition and Teaching of Foreign Languages
- RLLT 30200: History of Romance Languages
- RLLT 31600: Theory of Literature
- 1 Elective
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 or "R". Students are also encouraged to participate in graduate student workshops throughout the Humanities and Social Sciences Divisions as a means of furthering their studies.
Note that RLLT 38800, Acquisition and Teaching of Foreign Language, must be taken before applying for a lecturer position (usually after three years), even for students with prior teaching experience or other pedagogical training.
Also note that most RLLT seminars are offered only every other year. It is, therefore, prudent to take them at the earliest opportunity.
Language Requirements
Besides competency in English and their language of specialization, students must demonstrate reading proficiency in two other languages.
- a) Second Romance Language
Students may fulfill this requirement by receiving a grade of B or higher in a graduate literature course in a second Romance language, or by taking a three-quarter language course sequence and receiving a grade of B+ or higher. 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 department faculty member who will administer the exam; the professor selects a passage of 500-600 words to be translated into English within two hours; a dictionary may be used.
- b) A Research Language relevant to the student's field of study, to be selected in consultation with the graduate advisor.
Students who choose to take the reading exam from the University's Test Administration Office must register for the exam (see the Time Schedule for details); a High Pass is needed to satisfy the requirement. The student may also fulfill the requirements by taking special Latin and German languages courses (GRMN 33300) for graduate students, or by taking a three-quarter language course sequence in the research language of choice; in both cases the final grade of B+ or higher is needed to satisfy the requirement. Students must complete language requirements before taking the field exam.
Ph.D. Examination
First Year Exam
During the 8th week of the Spring quarter of the first Ph.D. year, all students will take a written examination (up to 3 hours) meant to evaluate their critical skills. The students will be asked to interpret a short passage of one or two pages taken from a book that belongs to a list of four or five texts. These texts are part of the Ph.D. book list and will be announced at the beginning of each academic year.
Oral Exam
During the 10th week in the Spring quarter of the second Ph.D. year or, at the latest, in the Fall quarter of the third Ph.D. year, students will take an oral exam, based on the Ph.D. reading list. Students will select, in consultation with the graduate advisor, 60 books from the Ph.D. reading list. This selection must reflect all periods and genres. This exam will consist of brief presentations on two or three topics related to the reading list, each followed by questions from the faculty. The duration of the exam should not exceed two hours.
Students who wish to work in two language areas must consult the appropriate Ph.D. advisors for both languages to determine the scope and emphasis of the pertinent reading lists.
After obtaining their advisor's approval to take the exam, students must submit, in writing and at least three weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination, a request to the Chair to take the exam. Once approval is given, the Administrative Assistant will schedule the exam.
Field Exam
By the end of the Winter quarter of the third Ph. D. year, students will take a written field exam in the area of intended dissertation research. The exam usually lasts four hours. The field list is prepared in consultation with the Ph.D. advisor and other professors in the Romance language area of specific interest. Students submit these lists, with their appropriate bibliographies, to the Chair, who places them on the agenda of a regular Department meeting for approval by the entire faculty. (Since these lists are circulated to the faculty prior to the meeting, students should check meeting dates with the Administrative Assistant and be sure to allow sufficient time for this review.) Students are notified in writing of the Department's action.
Selecting and Preparing the Field Exam
#1. The field must constitute an area of specialized work and scholarly investigation. It should comprise the principal original texts in the field, knowledge of secondary bibliography, and a grasp of the scholarship relevant to the field. Preparation for the exam should provide sufficient depth and breadth of knowledge to enable the student to begin writing a dissertation in that field.
#2. Students who wish to work in two language areas must consult with the advisor.
#3. The field must be approved by the Department two months before the proposed examination dates.
Students should be sure to have approval from both their Ph.D. and field advisors before scheduling field exam. Students should then submit, in writing and at least three weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination, a request to the Chair to take the exam. Once approval is given, the Administrative Assistant will arrange for the exams.
If a student fails any of the exams, the date for re-examination will be set by the student's Ph.D. advisor (for the first year and oral exam) or in consultation with the field advisors (for the field exam). At least one quarter must elapse between a failure and a re-examination. In no case is a student permitted to take any part of the Ph.D. examinations (oral or written) more than twice.
The Dissertation
By the Spring quarter of the third Ph.D. year, students are expected to:
- have completed their coursework and language requirements
- have passed the oral and written Ph.D. exams
- have selected a dissertation topic and director
Dissertation Proposal and Colloquium
Students, in consultation with their dissertation director, choose the dissertation topic, plan the stages of its development, and select a dissertation committee that includes a second and a third reader.
In the Spring quarter of the third Ph.D. 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 along with a date or dates for the Colloquium (consult with the dissertation committee about suitable dates). At the Colloquium, to which all RLLT faculty will be invited, the students will present the proposal, and receive general feedback, suggestions for improvement, etc. After the Colloquium (circa 1 hour in length), the student should prepare the final version of the proposal, using the suggestions given at the Colloquium, and then submit the final version for departmental approval.
Once the Department has approved the proposal for defense, a formal request for admission to candidacy is made by the Department to the Dean of Students. Admission to candidacy is noted on the student's University transcript. This date must be at least eight months before the degree is conferred.
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 two-three years of concentrated work.
Students who do not complete the dissertation within ten years may be given additional requirements to fulfill or may be given a timetable within which work must be completed.
Conduct of Dissertation Work
Once students begin writing the 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.
Once the director and readers have approved the dissertation's final form, students schedule their dissertation defense; the Administrative Assistant will help coordinate the details. Two copies of the abstract in English and one clean copy of the dissertation must be submitted to the Department at least three weeks before the date of the defense. The Department submits a request for a Dean's Representative from outside the Department to attend the defense. (Suggestions are welcome.)
Details concerning the preparation of the final text of the dissertation, as well as information regarding deadlines for its submission may be obtained from the Office of Academic Publications in Room 100B of Regenstein Library.
Convocation Deadlines
The deadline to submit an on-line degree application is 5 p.m. CST on Friday of the first week of the quarter in which you intend to receive your degree. This is a University-wide rule for which there are NO exceptions.
The deadline for submitting two final approved copies of the dissertation and their relevant paperwork is Friday of 8th week. Be sure to allow enough time after the defense date to make any requested corrections.
Ph.D. Advisors
Students should consult with their advisors on every aspect of course registration, examinations, and all scholarly and practical matters concerning their Ph.D. work. Ph.D. advisors are Thomas Pavel, French; Rebecca West, Italian; and Agnes Lugo-Ortiz, Spanish.
French
Thomas Pavel
773/702-8485
Italian
Rebecca West
773/702-3477
Renaissance and Early Modern
Thomas Pavel
773/702-8485
Spanish
Agnes Lugo-Ortiz
773/834-1964