Degree Requirements

Doctoral students in the Program of Comparative Literature focus on three literatures or fields of concentration. Work in the primary literature or field of concentration requires broad historical coverage from the pre-modern period to the contemporary era, with emphasis either on a genre or on a major period, and a thorough reading knowledge of the language. Work in the second and third literatures requires coverage of the period or genre related to the field of emphasis in the first literature. Students must demonstrate advanced proficiency in their reading knowledge of the second language of concentration, and intermediate competence in the third.

The PhD in Comparative Literature requires the successful completion of 45 credit hours, which are to be distributed as follows: 21 graduate credits in Comparative Literature, 6 of which must be at the 600-800 level (excluding dissertation credits); 6 graduate credits in a major literature; 6 in a second literature studied in the original language; 3 graduate credits in a third literature studied in the original language; 9 graduate credits in electives.

Among their Comparative Literature courses, students must include COMPLIT 752 Theory and Practice of Comparative Literature and at least one other course that combines theoretical perspectives with practical criticism. Students planning to write a dissertation in the field of Translation Studies must take COMPLIT 751 Theory and Practice of Translation.

These course requirements are summarized below:

Students in the PhD Program must complete 12 graduate course credits at the 600-800 level (excluding dissertation credits), of which 6 must be in Comparative Literature. That is:

• 21 credits or 7 courses in Comparative Literature; 6 of these courses (18 credits) must be at the 600 level or above
• 6 credits or 2 courses in the literature/field of primary concentration
• 6 credits or 2 courses in the literature/field of secondary concentration
• 3 credits or 1 course in the literature/field of tertiary concentration (third language requirement)
• 9 credits of electives, 6 of which must be at the 600 level or above
• 1 credit of Teaching Workshop (for teaching assistants; not part of academic course requirements)

In addition to coursework, all students must register for a minimum of 10 and a maximum of 18 dissertation credits.

Note that in individual cases, the Graduate Studies Committee may require particular courses.

Students are advised that most academic employment opportunities are in national literature or area studies departments; there are few full-time Comparative Literature positions in the United States. You are strongly encouraged, from the beginning of your graduate studies, to develop expertise in a particular national literature or other marketable field (e.g., theater, film, translation) in addition to your comparative focus. You also should make certain, guided by your faculty advisors, that you are completing the coursework and formulating a dissertation topic that will make you competitive on the national literature job market. For more on academic employment, see the section Going on the Job Market below.

The Program discourages students from taking a course load that requires them to write more than three seminar papers in a semester. If in any given semester students must take four courses that all require seminar papers, they are strongly encouraged to speak with the professors of these courses about doing alternative assignments. When asked, faculty members may allow students to write two short papers rather than a long final paper, or, by mutual agreement with another faculty member, they accept a single expanded paper for two courses. In general, faculty members also readily help students think about their final papers early in the semester. In all cases, you are encouraged to plan ahead.

To satisfy the requirements in the first, second, and third literatures of concentration, readings must be done in the original language. Class discussion may, however, be in English. If the Graduate Studies Committee determines that work was not read in the original language, credit may be withheld. Occasionally, students will declare as one of their literatures a literature in which the university does not offer sufficient courses that teach texts in the original language. In this case, students may seek to arrange Independent Studies for which they will draw up a reading list and syllabus in consultation with the faculty member who will guide their study. No more than TWO Independent Studies (or 6 credits) can count towards the required credits. All Independent Studies must be approved by the GPD and the Graduate Studies Committee in the first or second week of the semester and before the end of the Add/Drop period.Please plan accordingly. Grades for Independent Studies must be emailed by the sponsoring instructor to the Program Chair.

Overall, each student’s coursework must include a significant dimension of comparative historical or cross-cultural study. Aim to take courses with a chronological or regional focus different from your primary area of focus. Other coursework may include relevant courses in literature, language, or other disciplines relevant to your interests, such as philosophy, history, anthropology, religion, linguistics, art history or media studies. Five College courses may count towards the degree if you arrange with the instructor to complete supplementary graduate level work (usually a graduate length final paper and additional readings in the original language) and petition the Graduate Studies Committee accordingly. Contact the Graduate School, 534 Goodell, at 545-0024 to register for a Five College course. See also https://www.umass.edu/fivecollegeinterchange/