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Acting Director of the Program: Jean-Philippe Mathy
3080 Foreign Languages Building
707 South Mathews Avenue
Urbana, IL 61801
(217) 333-4987
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 explore 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 required 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 comparative 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 32 gh of credit, including two courses
in the theory of literature (CWL 501 and 502) and two seminars in
comparative literature selected from CWL 551, 561, 571, and 581;
at least 12 of the other 16 gh should be taken in two or three
national literatures in a distribution approved by the adviser; at
least 20 of 32 gh must be in courses at the 500 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 specified
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 16 gh will consist
of comparative literature seminars. At least 12 additional gh
of work, normally at the 500 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. |
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