The Ph.D. Program

The Language Requirements

The knowledge of more than one language other than English remains a fundamental tool of the comparatist. A profound knowledge of a language and its cultural context is as much an intellectual endeavor as the study of literary texts or acquisition of theoretical approaches. For this reason, the active mastery of one language other than English and a reading knowledge of two additional languages other than English, whether classical or modern, are required. By a profound knowledge and active mastery we mean that a comparatist should be able to present a formal paper at an academic conference and engage in a discussion without difficulty in that language. This requirement may be met byfiling the Comparative Literature Language Proficiency Form after an interview with a Rutgers professor with the appropriate qualifications. The other two languages are considered reading and research languages. Competency in these two languages may be demonstrated by passing a translation examination offered by the Graduate School or by taking an upper division undergraduate course or graduate course taught in the target language. In addition, primary texts on the PhD reading list must be read in the original language, unless this requirement is waived by the Adviser with the approval of the Graduate Director.

[insert language requirement form here]

Credit Requirements, Transfer of Credits, Incompletes, GPA

Ph.D. students are required to complete 72 credits, of which 48 must be graduate course credits and 24 graduate research credits. No more than 12 credits may be taken in any one semester without permission from the graduate director. 9 credits per semester is considered a full course load. After completing two semesters of study at Rutgers with no incompletes, students may transfer up to a maximum of 9 graduate credits from another institution subject to the approval of the Adviser, Graduate Director and the Graduate School.

The Graduate School allows one year to change an incomplete before it becomes permanent. If incomplete work is not finished by the end of the following semester, the incomplete may become permanent and no credit will be received for the course in question. A hold on registration will be placed on any student who exceeds more than 2 incompletes until all of the required work is completed. Failure to complete the required work by the stipulated deadlines will result in suspension from the program. Students must then reapply to the program to reactivate their status, and readmission will be subject to the approval of the Adviser, Graduate Director and the Graduate School.

Students may take up to six credits of independent study. Only under exceptional circumstances, and with the permission of the graduate director, may this limitation be waived.

Consideration for fellowships and teaching assistantships depends on maintaining a GPA of at least 3.5 and the timely elimination of incompletes.

Course Requirements

Course requirements are not obstacles but signposts along the path toward completion of the PhD (keeping in mind that comparatists often take detours and seldom take shortcuts). The student acquaints him/herself with major trends in literary theory and criticism, acquires a broad knowledge of a single national literature, and establishes profound knowledge of a particular research field. In addition to the fields represented by the departments listed below, graduate work may also be done in Asian Languages and Cultures, and Slavic and East European Languages and Literatures through the doctoral Program in Comparative Literature, although neither department currently has its own graduate program.

• 01:195:501 Theory
• 01:195:502 Comparative Literature: the Discipline and the Profession
• 4 graduate courses in one of the following departments: Classics, English, French, German, Italian, or Spanish & Portuguese.
• An intellectually coherent series of 9 graduate courses, at least 3 of which must be in Comparative Literature (in addition to 01:195:501 and 01:195:502), selected with the approval of the Adviser. These courses form the intellectual foundation of a research project culminating in the dissertation.

Advising

Students in their first semester are advised by the Graduate Director. In the second semester, the student chooses an Adviser, who must be a member of the Core Faculty, in consultation with the Graduate Director. Each semester the Adviser sends a written report on the progress of the student to the Graduate Director. The student may, indeed, must, rely on the advice of other faculty as well. The Adviser's primary task is to see that the student progresses smoothly through the program, meeting all requirements, preparing for exams, and establishing contact with faculty appropriate to his/her interests. Once the student determines the topic of the dissertation s/he may choose a Dissertation Director other than the Adviser.

[insert advisor report form here]

Exams

The Ph.D. qualifying exam may be taken after the completion of coursework and language requirements. The student compiles a reading list of approximately 100 items related to the research field of the dissertation, broadly defined. A Director and three additional Rutgers faculty members approved by the Graduate Director form the exam and dissertation committee, which advises the student in compiling an appropriate list. The exam is comprised of two parts. The first part is a written examination, distributed to the student on a Friday and returned on a Monday. The committee submits three questions, of which the student answers two. All four members of the committee read and evaluate the answers. Within two weeks, the committee meets with the student for the second part, a one-hour oral exam, the purpose of which is to explore questions raised by the written exam, as well as other topics relevant to the reading list but not covered in the written exam.

Prospectus

Within three weeks of the beginning of the following semester after which the exams were taken, the student submits to her/his Dissertation Director and committee a prospectus of 5 pages plus an extensive bibliography. A copy will be submitted to the Graduate office.

Exam and Dissertation Committee

The student selects four faculty members to serve on the exam committee. Three members must be from the Core or Affiliate Faculty of Comparative Literature (on the rare occasion, this may be reduced, with the approval of the Graduate School, with an additional member from among Rutgers faculty outside of Comparative Literature). The dissertation committee includes the members of the exam committee and one additional member from outside the Core or Affiliate Faculty of Comparative Literature. This additional member may be from a university other than Rutgers when appropriate. The dissertation director must be a member of the Core or Affiliate Faculty of Comparative Literature. Upon approval of the prospectus, the student provides his/her Dissertation Director with a writing schedule including an intended termination date. The dissertation defense is the final requirement to be fulfilled before awarding of the Ph.D.

Below is the usual timetable toward completion of the degree for a student who enters with a B.A. Students who come having already completed coursework elsewhere or with outside funding or who spend a year abroad will have somewhat different trajectories.