MA IN CHINESE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

The Master of Arts in Chinese Language and Literature requires 36 units of graduate study in Chinese which may include courses from related fields, such as East Asian Studies and Comparative Literature. The course of study includes the following:

1. Language proficiency through fourth level (Chi 427, 428) and two semesters of classical Chinese (Chi 410, 411). (No more than 12 units, in Chinese language training may be applied toward the required 36 units. Students who enter with advanced proficiency in Chinese may be allowed to waive the language requirement but must enrollin additional prograrm-related courses to meet the required total).

2. At least two semesters of literary history courses to ensure a critical awareness of the broad scope of Chinese literature.

3. A research pro-seminar in methodology in which students are introduced to research methods (Chi 536) taken early in the student's coursework.

4. One of the following two:

  • Students who plan to continue their academic training on the Ph.D. level must complete a Master's thesis in a specific area of interest to be determined in consultation with the student's advisors. Upon completion of the thesis, students defend it in a brief oral examination.
  • Students who do not plan to continue their academic training on a Ph.D. level must successfully complete a comprehensive written examination focusing on two major areas to be determined by their advisory committee. The examination is administered near the end of the candidate's term of study, and is followed by a short oral examination in which the student discusses with advisors his or her comprehensive examination.

 

MA IN JAPANESE LANGUAGE AND LITERATURE

The Master of Arts in Japanese Language and Literature requires 36 units of graduate study in Chinese or Japanese which may include courses from related fields, such as East Asian Studies and Comparative Literature. The course of study includes the following:

1. Language proficiency through fourth level (Japan 458, 459) and two semesters of classical Japanese (Japan 460, 46 1). [No more than 12 units in Japanese language training may be applied toward the required 36 units. Students who enter with advanced proficiency in Japanese may be allowed to waive the language requirement but must enroll in additional program- related courses to meet the required total.]

2. At least two semesters of literary history courses to ensure a critical awareness of the broad scope of Japanese literature.

3. A research pro-seminar in methodology in which students are introduced to research methods (Japan 537) taken early in the student's coursework.

4. One of the following two:

  • Students who plan to continue their academic training on the Ph.D. level must complete a Master's thesis in a specific area of interest to be determined in consultation with the student's advisors. Upon completion of the thesis, students defend it in a brief oral examination.
  • Students who do not plan to continue their academic training on a Ph.D. level must successfully complete a comprehensive written examination focusing on two major areas to be determined by their advisory committee. This examination is administered near the end of the candidate's term of study, and is followed by a short oral examination in which the student discusses with advisors his or her comprehensive examination.

 

PH.D. IN CHINESE AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

A Ph.D. in Chinese or Japanese and Comparative Literature is offered jointly with the Committee on Comparative Literature. The focus of this program is comparison of the contents, theoretical bases, and methodologies of Chinese or Japanese literature and a second literature (Western or non-Western), within the context of a familiarity of the cultural context and historical background of the literatures, and the critical and historical methodology of modern literary study.

1. Language Requirement: Students are required to have completed at least four years of modern Chinese or Japanese language study and two semesters of classical Chinese or Japanese for entrance into the Ph.D. program. Language placement examinations are administered upon students' entrance in the program.

2. Course Requirements: The joint Ph.D. requires a total of 72 units of course work. Students who have completed their MA at Washington University may transfer up to 30 units; students coming with a similar MA from another American university may transfer up to 24 units. Transfer credits for students from non-American universities are treated on a case by case basis. Post MA students will take a total of 42-48 semester hours (for a total of 72 units for the Ph.D.) including the following:

  1. 12 credit units in Chinese or Japanese literature including two seminars at the 500 level
  2. 12 credit units in a single second literature 12 credit units in theory, critical methodology, and literary history (required among these is Comp. Lit. 402 (Introduction to Comparative Literature). Other courses may include Comp. Lit. 405, 456, 478, 488, 550, 563 or 564.
  3. 6-12 elective credit units which may focus on discussion research (Comp. Lit. 590, Chi 591, Japan 592)

3. Qualifying Examination: students normally complete a written qualifying examination towards the end of the first year of the Ph.D. program. This examination consists of two parts. The first part is an assigned paper of about fifteen pages in length on a critical/analytical topic assigned by the student's advisory committee in consultation with the student. Students have a week to complete this paper. The second element of this qualifying examination is a language, component which evaluates students' progress in their primary languages.

4. Foreign Language Requirement: reading knowledge on at least the research level of a third language is required. Students should select these languages in consultation with their advisory committee. Mastery of the language must be demonstrated before students undertake their comprehensive examinations.

5. Comprehensive Examinations: near the completion of course work (usually in the third year) three comprehensive written exanimations are administered. (One of these may be presented in the form of a public lecture.) These are followed by an oral examination based on the written ones. The purpose of comprehensive exanimations is to demonstrate mastery of individual fields and not to produce original research. They are normally completed by the end of the third year in the following fields:

  1. the history and critical study of the first literature
  2. a comparative study based on materials from both first and second literatures (often related to the dissertation topic)
  3. literary history and critical and comparative literary methodology

6. Candidacy/ABD Status: Students enter the candidacy/ABD (All But Dissertation) stage when they have completed the following:

  1. 72 credit units of course work which will include any dissertation research credits students are scheduled to complete
  2. Completion of the Qualifying Exam
  3. Completion of Language Requirements
  4. Completion of TA requirement for the Comp. Lit. component
  5. Completion of the three Comprehensive Exams

7. Dissertation: The dissertation is a core element in the Ph.D. training process. As a major example of original research that displays the student's scholarship, command of materials, writing ability, and analytic strength, the importance of the dissertation for students! successful completion of their programs and for their future academic careers cannot be overemphasized. For this reason students should keep the following points in mind.

  1. Choose the subject carefully. Precious time can be wasted by choosing a subject too large and ambitious or too small and superficial. Don't be too hasty in choosing a subject. It is better to take the time initially to research possible topics than to embark upon a topic and have to change later.
  2. Choose a primary advisor carefully. This person will be your mentor during the extended period of dissertation research and writing. He or she will also be your primary mentor for the decade after you complete the dissertation, during winch you will seek jobs, apply for grants, and seek to obtain tenure. For these reasons make sure that you choose an advisor with whom you are intellectually and personally compatible.

In this department the dissertation must be of a comparative nature and must demonstrate mastery of primary and secondary materials and relevant historical, cultural and critical background in the literary traditions under study. The student works with the primary advisor and the other two members of the advisory committee. At the final stage of the dissertation process, the oral defense, the original advisory committee is expanded to five or more members (including at least two external referees) whom the Department, Committee, and Graduate School may consider appropriate.

Students should obtain from the Graduate School the booklet entitled Instructions for Doctoral Dissertations and Oral Examination which describes many of the formal- and format-oriented aspects of the final dissertation preparation process.

The stages of the dissertation process are as follows:

  1. Choice of topic: (see above)
  2. Prospectus: once the topic is agreed upon by the student and the primary advisor, the student submitted a prospectus of five to ten pages, plus a tentative table of chapter contents and a selected bibliography. This prospectus and bibliography form the basis of the topical examination.
  3. Topical Examination: upon submission of the prospectus, the advisory committee meets with the student for a short oral topical examination (approximately one hour).
  4. Dissertation Writing Period: students must stay in close contact with their primary advisors and committees. They must submit a written report describing the status of the dissertation three times each year (at the end of each academic semester and at the end of the summer). Conversely, the primary advisor must maintain close contact with the student, including prompt and timely written responses (normally within one month) to dissertation chapters submitted for feedback and comment. Students must submit each chapter of their dissertation to their advisors upon its completion.
  5. Thesis Title, Scope and Procedure Form the student must obtain from the Department or the graduate School a Thesis, Title, Scope and Procedure form, which must be completed and returned to the Graduate School six months prior to the intended date of the dissertation defense.
  6. Intent to Graduate Form: Candidates must file this form for the semester in which they intend to graduate. Check the academic calendar in the front of the Graduate School Bulletin for deadline. Forms may be obtained from the Registrar's Office, Room 108, South Brookings Hall.
  7. Oral Examination: the oral examination committee consists of the students advisory committee expanded to five or more members to included outside referees. Each member of the oral examining committee must be given a copy of the dissertation, in final form, at least two weeks before the oral examination. For details, consult the "Instructions for Doctoral Dissertations and Oral Examinations" booklet.

 

PH.D. IN JAPANESE AND COMPARATIVE LITERATURE

A Ph.D. in Japanese or Chinese and Comparative Literature is offered jointly with the Committee on Comparative Literature. The focus of this program is comparison of the contents, theoretical bases, and methodologies of Chinese or Japanese literature and a second literature (Western or non-Western), within the context of a familiarity of the cultural context and historical background of the literatures, and the critical and historical methodology of modern literary study.

1. Language Requirement: Students are required to have completed at least four years of modern Chinese or Japanese language study and two semesters of classical Chinese or Japanese for entrance into the Ph.D. program. Language placement examinations are administered upon students' entrance in the program.

2. Course Requirements: The joint Ph.D. requires a total of 72 units of course work. Students who have completed their MA at Washington University may transfer up to 30 units; students coming with a similar MA from another American university may transfer up to 24 units. Transfer credits for students from non-American universities are treated on a case by case basis. Post MA students will take a total of 42-48 semester hours (for a total of 72 units for the Ph.D.) including the following:

  • 12 credit units in Chinese or Japanese literature including two seminars at the 500 level
  • 12 credit units in a single second literature 12 credit units in theory, critical methodology, and literary history (required among these is Comp. Lit. 402 (Introduction to Comparative Literature). Other courses may include Comp. Lit. 405, 456, 478, 488, 550, 563 or 564.
  • 6-12 elective credit units which may focus on discussion research (Comp. Lit. 590, Chi 591, Japan 592)

3. Qualifying Examination: students normally complete a written qualifying examination towards the end of the first year of the Ph.D. program. This examination consists of two parts. The first part is an assigned paper of about fifteen pages in length on a critical/analytical topic assigned by the student's advisory committee in consultation with the student. Students have a week to complete this paper. The second element of this qualifying examination is a language, component which evaluates students' progress in their primary languages.

4. Foreign Language Requirement: reading knowledge on at least the research level of a third language is required. Students should select these languages in consultation with their advisory committee. Mastery of the language must be demonstrated before students undertake their comprehensive examinations.

5. Comprehensive Examinations: near the completion of course work (usually in the third year) three comprehensive written exanimations are administered. (One of these may be presented in the form of a public lecture.) These are followed by an oral examination based on the written ones. The purpose of comprehensive exanimations is to demonstrate mastery of individual fields and not to produce original research. They are normally completed by the end of the third year in the following fields:

  • the history and critical study of the first literature
  • a comparative study based on materials from both first and second literatures (often related to the dissertation topic)
  • literary history and critical and comparative literary methodology

6. Candidacy/ABD Status: Students enter the candidacy/ABD (All But Dissertation) stage when they have completed the following:

  • 72 credit units of course work which will include any dissertation research credits students are scheduled to complete
  • Completion of the Qualifying Exam
  • Completion of Language Requirements
  • Completion of TA requirement for the Comp. Lit. component
  • Completion of the three Comprehensive Exams

7. Dissertation: The dissertation is a core element in the Ph.D. training process. As a major example of original research that displays the student's scholarship, command of materials, writing ability, and analytic strength, the importance of the dissertation for students! successful completion of their programs and for their future academic careers cannot be overemphasized. For this reason students should keep the following points in mind.

  • Choose the subject carefully. Precious time can be wasted by choosing a subject too large and ambitious or too small and superficial. Don't be too hasty in choosing a subject. It is better to take the time initially to research possible topics than to embark upon a topic and have to change later.
  • Choose a primary advisor carefully. This person will be your mentor during the extended period of dissertation research and writing. He or she will also be your primary mentor for the decade after you complete the dissertation, during winch you will seek jobs, apply for grants, and seek to obtain tenure. For these reasons make sure that you choose an advisor with whom you are intellectually and personally compatible.

In this department the dissertation must be of a comparative nature and must demonstrate mastery of primary and secondary materials and relevant historical, cultural and critical background in the literary traditions under study. The student works with the primary advisor and the other two members of the advisory committee. At the final stage of the dissertation process, the oral defense, the original advisory committee is expanded to five or more members (including at least two external referees) whom the Department, Committee, and Graduate School may consider appropriate.

Students should obtain from the Graduate School the booklet entitled Instructions for Doctoral Dissertations and Oral Examination which describes many of the formal- and format-oriented aspects of the final dissertation preparation process.

The stages of the dissertation process are as follows:

  • Choice of topic: (see above)
  • Prospectus: once the topic is agreed upon by the student and the primary advisor, the student submitted a prospectus of five to ten pages, plus a tentative table of chapter contents and a selected bibliography. This prospectus and bibliography form the basis of the topical examination.
  • Topical Examination: upon submission of the prospectus, the advisory committee meets with the student for a short oral topical examination (approximately one hour).
  • Dissertation Writing Period: students must stay in close contact with their primary advisors and committees. They must submit a written report describing the status of the dissertation three times each year (at the end of each academic semester and at the end of the summer). Conversely, the primary advisor must maintain close contact with the student, including prompt and timely written responses (normally within one month) to dissertation chapters submitted for feedback and comment. Students must submit each chapter of their dissertation to their advisors upon its completion.
  • Thesis Title, Scope and Procedure Form the student must obtain from the Department or the graduate School a Thesis, Title, Scope and Procedure form, which must be completed and returned to the Graduate School six months prior to the intended date of the dissertation defense.
  • Intent to Graduate Form: Candidates must file this form for the semester in which they intend to graduate. Check the academic calendar in the front of the Graduate School Bulletin for deadline. Forms may be obtained from the Registrar's Office, Room 108, South Brookings Hall.
  • Oral Examination: the oral examination committee consists of the students advisory committee expanded to five or more members to included outside referees. Each member of the oral examining committee must be given a copy of the dissertation, in final form, at least two weeks before the oral examination. For details, consult the "Instructions for Doctoral Dissertations and Oral Examinations" booklet.

 
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