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The
Comparative Literature Program offers qualified students the opportunity to
earn a PhD in comparative literary studies. Students entering this small, elite
PhD program will already hold an MA degree either in English or in another
language/literature; students seeking admission with the BA would be directed
to the appropriate MA language/literature program at Maryland, and, upon admission and completion
of the MA program, can then apply for the PhD in Comparative Literature. Because of the intense nature of the Program's length of study, we are looking for students ready to enter the Program with a clear and focused sense of what they plan to study.
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Students
of Comparative Literature take three types of courses: a course in methodology,
courses in English and Comparative Literature, and courses in other
departments.
Students
take a formal study in the methodology of Comparative Literature through CMLT
601.
The
English Department currently offers courses with both ENGL and CMLT
prefixes. The classes involve literature
courses in Anglophone literatures as well as courses that are comparative in
nature. In whatever courses they take, students are expected to produce
comparative seminar papers and to work with both primary and secondary texts in
the relevant original language. Requiring that secondary texts, in addition to
primary texts, be read in the original language insures that the student’s
critical perspective extends beyond that of Anglophone culture.
Students
are also be required to take graduate level courses appropriate to their field
of study, drawing on the curricular resources of the College of Arts and
Humanities as well as of consortium schools.
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Length of Study
The
Comparative Literature PhD is a four-year program. Students should complete their course work by
the end of their third semester at Maryland;
they should prepare for and take the comprehensive exam and be admitted to
doctoral candidacy by the beginning of the third year (the fifth semester) in
the program. Students should write and
defend their dissertations by the end of their fourth year in the program.
Languages
Students are expected to enter the program with advanced
proficiency in English and at least one other language. Advanced language proficiency is defined as
the ability to do graduate level work in the chosen language. Applicants demonstrate their proficiency by
holding an M.A. in the language, by documented experience of the use of the
language, or by examination.
Course Requirements
For the Comparative Literature PhD, students take six
courses (18 credits) beyond their MA:
♦ Methodology (3 credits)
♦ Theory (3 credits)
♦ Early Modern Literature (6 credits)
♦ Modern Literature (6 credits)
The designations "early modern" and "modern" remain flexible
to accommodate different literary histories. In each of the two general periods, at least
one course must be taken in the English Department in Anglophone or Comparative
Literature and at least one course outside of the English Department in another
language/literature. Students can use six credits of MA work to satisfy distribution
requirements (though not total credit number requirements). Advising will address the depth, breadth, and
coherence of each students' course plan and, if necessary, coordination among
different histories of the "early modern" and "modern."
Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive exam is a
two-part exam designed to be similar in structure and in administration to the
current English comprehensive exam, but longer in duration and more extensive in
coverage. The exam has two parts:
Part I (one hour): The student will make a presentation on a special topic that must be
comparative in nature and will be examined orally on the presentation.
Part II (two hours): The student
will be examined on two reading lists, each providing historical coverage of
one of two national literatures in which the student is working; each list is
to include primary and critical texts.
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Click here to see a listing of the 200- and 400-level courses offered by the Comparative Literature department.
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Read more...
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Comp. Lit.