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COMPARATIVE LITERATURE
Acting Director of the Program: Jean-Philippe Mathy
Correspondence and Admission Information: Director of Graduate Studies, Program in Comparative Literature, 3080 Foreign Languages Building, 707 South Mathews Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801; (217) 333-4987; E-mail: jaharrs2@uiuc.edu
GRADUATE DEGREE PROGRAMS
The program in comparative literature offers graduate programs leading to the degrees of master of arts and doctor of philosophy and is designed to provide a systematic study of subjects and problems common to several literatures. Its purpose is to enable students who have varied linguistic competence and preparation to expl ore the theory of literature and criticism; the interrelations of several literatures; the main currents, periods, and movements in literary history; the development of literary themes and types; and the relations between literature and the other arts.
ADMISSION
In addition to meeting the Graduate College admission requirements, a student entering the program should have an undergraduate major in English, the classics, or a foreign language. Majors in history and philosophy may be accepted with the special consent of the director of the program. For applicants to the Ph.D. curriculum, the master of arts will function as the qualifying test. Students entering with a recognized masters degree from another university or from another department of this University will take the comparative literature component and a literary component of this program's regular master of arts examination at the end of the first year as a qualifying test.
The Graduate Record Examination (GRE) is r equired of all students unless it is unavailable in a student's country of origin. Applicants whose first language is not English must achieve a Teaching of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) score of 620 on the paper-based test (260 on the computer-based test). Students may begin in the spring semester but should apply with fall students.
Graduate Teaching Experience
Although teaching is not a general Graduate College requirement, experience in teaching is considered an important part of the graduate experience in this program.
MASTER OF ARTS
The candidate must demonstrate a competency in at least two foreign languages as well as in English. Latin is necessary for students planning to specialize in the Middle Ages, the Renaissance, or Neoclassicism. Competence in the languages offered is measured either by the successful completion of one advanced course in the literature of each of the languages chosen or by passing an examination administered by the program in c omparative literature with the assistance of an expert in the language concerned. This choice is intended to provide for languages that may not be taught in regular departments.
The candidate must complete eight units of credit, including two courses in the theory of literature (C LIT 401 and 402) and two seminars in comparative literature selected from C LIT 451, 461, 471, and 481; at least three of the other four units should be taken in two or three national literatures in a distribution approved by the adviser; at least five of eight units must be in courses at the 400 level. The candidate must pass a written examination based on a reading list, which is designed to test knowledge of literary history as well as ability to interpret a literary or critical text.DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY
A candidate for the doctor of philosophy degree must fulfill the general requirements of the Graduate College in addition to those spec ified above for the master's degree. Competence must be demonstrated in at least three foreign languages as well as in English. Three of these languages will coincide with those vital to the student's thesis and area of specialization. At least four units will consist of comparative literature seminars. At least three additional units of work, normally at the 400 level, should be taken in courses regularly offered by the literature departments; among these, courses crosslisted with the program in comparative literature are especially recommended. The candidate is responsible for a knowledge of the history of the literature in one modern language. The student also selects a period of major interest and is responsible for a knowledge of two other literatures in this period, which are considered as minors. The periods may be the Middle Ages, Renaissance, Neoclassicism and the Enlightenment, or the modern (nineteenth and twentieth centuries). Some chronological variations in coordinating the minors will be allowed for students studying non-Western literatures. A preliminary examination, i.e. a four-part written examination based on the individual program, and an oral examination with emphasis on the thesis project must be passed. The candidate must present an acceptable thesis embracing several national literatures and pass a final oral examination on the thesis.
FINANCIAL AID
A limited number of University fellowships and teaching assistantships, in cooperation with other departments, are available.