PhD
- Disciplinary understanding
Students develop familiarity with methods, debates, conventions, and histories of literary studies and of the subfields appropriate to their specializations. Through coursework (seminars and independent studies) and QE preparation, they hone research skills (including critically assessing recent work in the field and developing a core of foundational works relevant to their aims) and writing skills that prepare them to complete an original dissertation.
Students develop competence in a second language relevant to their critical and/or creative work through the progressive stages of the language requirement (GSLP, two seminars in the same language literature, translation exam, incorporation of second-language texts into QE materials). Through coursework, students gain comparative historical and interdisciplinary breadth that helps them situate their work.
- Professional competencies
Students are exposed to the theory and best practices of teaching and learning through the department’s Pedagogy course; this training is reinforced by teaching assistantships. Students develop and define teaching fields through a combination of coursework, independent studies/directed readings, and QE preparation (Teaching Field statement and bibliography). Professional skills are developed through departmental program offerings such as writing practicums, syllabus-preparation and job placement workshops, and mock job talks. Students have the opportunity outside the department to develop skills relevant to non-academic professions, e.g., digital literacies and methods, editing, publishing, curating, performance. They are given opportunities to contribute to scholarly/creative conferences relevant to their specialization, and encouraged to communicate their research in a variety of written forms that may address different publics.
MA
- Disciplinary understanding
Students develop familiarity with methods, debates, conventions, and histories of literary studies and of the subfields appropriate to their specializations. Through coursework (seminars and independent studies) and MA thesis preparation, they hone research skills (including critically assessing recent work in the field and developing a core of foundational works relevant to their aims) and writing skills that prepare them to complete an original MA thesis.
Through coursework, students gain comparative historical and interdisciplinary breadth that helps them situate their work.
- Professional competencies
Students are exposed to the theory and best practices of teaching and learning through the department’s Pedagogy course. This training is reinforced by teaching assistantships, should students decide to apply for them (the department does not normally support MA students with TAships, though MA students occasionally serve as TAs inside and outside the department). Students develop and define teaching fields through a combination of coursework and independent studies/directed readings. Professional skills are developed through departmental program offerings such as writing practicums, syllabus-preparation and job placement workshops, and mock job talks. Students have the opportunity outside the department to develop skills relevant to non-academic professions, e.g., digital literacies and methods, editing, publishing, curating, performance. They are given opportunities to contribute to scholarly/creative conferences relevant to their specialization, and encouraged to communicate their research in a variety of written forms that may address different publics. Finally, students are prepared by their committees, coursework, and thesis for successful admission to a PhD program in literary studies or related field.
