Doctor of Philosophy

Eight graduate-level courses in the study of modern literature and/or literary and cultural theory in courses offered by departments of literature. Courses should be taken for letter grades for a minimum of three units.  Students must take a coherent program of eight courses of advanced work in literary studies (to be worked out with the advisor), of which at least six must be regularly scheduled literature courses.

Courses in the teaching of composition, independent study, or thesis registration may not be counted among these six courses;  ENGLISH396L opens in a new tab (Pedagogy Seminar I), MTL399 opens in a new tab (Reading for Orals), MTL802 opens in a new tab (TGR Dissertation) may not be counted toward these requirements under any circumstances. Petitions to modify this requirement to substitute a course from a non-literature department for one or more of the required eight literature courses must be approved by the MTL Committee in Charge.

A maximum of two directed reading courses may be counted toward the Literature Component.  Students must petition for directed readings to replace substantive, regularly scheduled courses to the Director of Graduate Studies.

Eight graduate-level courses outside of literature departments (English, DLCL, EALC) in a coherent and individually arranged interdisciplinary program, the core of which is completing either a departmental minor or an interdepartmental concentration, typically six courses. Departmental minors are available from several departments in the humanities and social sciences, including the departments of Anthropology, Art and Art History, Communication, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, Sociology, and Theater and Performance Studies (see the relevant information in those sections of this Bulletin). Alternatively, students may choose to join interdisciplinary PhD minors in either Comparative Studies in Race and Ethnicity or Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies. Individually designed concentrations may be approved by petition to the Director of Graduate Studies. At the end of the first year, each student must submit to the Director of Graduate Studies a preliminary statement of approximately 1500 words outlining the scope and coherence of the interdisciplinary focus, either as it relates to the departmental minor or the interdepartmental concentration. In either case, the student should note the relevance of any proposed coursework to the overall program. Course restrictions mentioned above also apply.

A maximum of two directed reading courses may be counted toward the Interdisciplinary Component. Students must petition for directed readings to replace substantive, regularly scheduled courses to the Director of Graduate Studies.  Courses should be taken for letter grades for a minimum of three units. 

This certifies that students are likely to be able to undertake the quality of research, sustained argumentation, and persuasive writing demanded in a doctoral dissertation. The qualifying paper must be a substantial revision of a seminar paper written at Stanford during the first year and should embody considerable independent research, develop an intellectual argument with significant elements of original thinking, and demonstrate the ability to do interdisciplinary work. Each paper is evaluated by two or three readers (designated by the student before the end of the first year of graduate study), one of whom must be a member of the Committee in Charge or have been a member within the previous five years. Qualifying papers must be submitted no later than the end of the third week of the winter quarter of the second year.

Teaching is core to the academic and professional training of doctoral students in our program. All students are required to complete 2 quarters of teaching experience by the end of their third year in the program regardless of their financial support. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters as part of their professional training and financial support. One quarter is typically undertaken in conjunction with the English Department. The second quarter may be undertaken in conjunction with any department or program within the university. Although students have some flexibility in arranging teaching appointments, program approval is required to ensure that each experience provides appropriate and helpful training. MTL actively seeks collaborations with other university units to enhance students’ teaching opportunities.

In the winter or spring of their second year, students are expected to complete a teaching experience in  one class in the English Department or another literature department.

In their third year, students are expected to complete a teaching experience in one class in an interdisciplinary department or program.

At the end of the second year, students apply for candidacy. Candidacy applications are evaluated and voted on by the Faculty Committee in Charge. Failure to advance to candidacy will result in dismissal from the program. The student is only admitted to candidacy if, in addition to the student’s fulfilling departmental prerequisites, the faculty Committee-in-Charge makes the judgment that the student has the potential to complete the requirements of the degree program successfully. The following qualifications are required before candidacy can be certified:

• Earlier submission of a satisfactory qualifying paper

• Demonstration of reading knowledge of one foreign language

• Satisfactory progress in coursework

• A list of courses applicable to the degree, distinguishing between courses appropriate to the literary component and courses relevant to the non-literary component

• Designation of a departmental minor or an interdisciplinary concentration

• The submission of a statement outlining the scope and coherence of the interdisciplinary component of the program in relation to the literary component and noting the relevance of the course work to that program

• Submission of a revised professionalization checklist

This examination is a test of knowledge covering the student’s areas of concentration and is typically taken in the third year of graduate study. It is a two to three-hour oral examination administered by a committee of at least five members: four examining faculty members chosen by the student and a University Committee Chair from a field or department outside the student’s chosen areas of concentration.  The exam is based on a substantial reading list prepared by the student in conjunction with the oral examination committee and designed to cover the areas of expertise pertinent to the student’s dissertation project.

Within one quarter of the university oral examination, the student submits the dissertation proposal. The recommended length for the dissertation proposal is five pages, double-spaced (with a maximum length of eight pages). It should contain (additionally) a full bibliography. The proposal is submitted to the program director and the dissertation committee for approval. After completing one chapter of the dissertation, the student is expected to set up a meeting with the dissertation committee for one hour to discuss the work accomplished in the first chapter and plans for completing the rest of the dissertation.

The fourth and fifth years are devoted to the dissertation, which should be a substantial and original contribution acceptable to the Committee in Charge of Modern Thought and Literature. The subject is drawn from the literature of specialization and nonliterary studies. The dissertation project is expected to  conclude with a two-hour presentation and discussion of the dissertation. The first hour is open to the public and includes a brief presentation of the dissertation project on the part of the PhD candidate. The second hour is reserved for the candidate and their Dissertation Committee to discuss the dissertation and the student’s plans for the project post-graduation.