During the first two years of study, students will focus on completing their coursework and language requirements. These vary somewhat based on the students program of study (combined PhD students will typically complete more required courses). All students must fulfill their language requirements before the beginning of the third year of study.
Every student is required to complete 14 semester courses, including at least 7 in the Department of Comparative Literature. These courses must be chosen in a manner that fulfills the following requirements:
A single course may be used to cover multiple requirements.
Additionally, students are advised to develop a focus of study over two years: they should aim to combine intellectual bredth with a focus on one or two national or language-based literatures. This is intended to qualify students to teach Comparative Literature in combination with a specific, national language department. Such a focus should include intensive language study as relevant.
During the registration period of each semester, students should consult with the DGS (Director of Graduate Studies) to plan their courses. All schedules must be approved by the DGS, yet the students are responsible for the fulfillment of all requirements outlined above. During the departmental New Student Orientation, all incoming students will be given a worksheet of requirements, which they must update as necessary. This will help students, their advisers, and the DGS keep track of their progress through the program.
A student may also take one or two individual Directed Reading courses (9000a or 9000b) which consist of an independent reading project in a clearly defined area, under the supervision of a faculty member and with the approval of the DGS. In order to register for a directed reading course, students must fill out the Graduate School’s form (Individual Course Study Information) which will be sent to the registrar who will create the course and provide the CRN for registration. Students in combined degree programs will have somewhat different requirements for coursework.
Students who did graduate work at other universities may get up to four course credits for earlier studies, provided their first-year record at Yale is very good and on condition that all required categories will be fulfilled by the time of the Orals. Such credits count as part of the student’s course work outside the department. Applications for such credit should be submitted to the DGS at the end of the student’s first year at Yale. Students should include a transcript from the previous institution and documentation of course content (a syllabus, sample coursework, a letter from the former instructor etc.). The DGS will evaluate the request by conferring with faculty in the relevant field and make a formal recommendation to the Graduate School.
The knowledge of languages is essential to the discipline of Comparative Literature. The Department therefore sets a stringent language requirement of four languages and strongly encourages advanced language study (including during the summers). By the time of the Orals, every student must demonstrate:
Our department is committed to fostering breadth and depth of linguistic knowledge. For that reason, we have instituted a philological requirement, to be fulfilled in one of the three following ways
Students may prove their proficiency either by taking courses where texts are studied in the original languages, or by a written exam administered in this department. Students who plan to take language exams should contact the DGS early in the semester in which they plan to take the exams so that appropriate arrangements may be made in a timely manner. Students in combined degree programs may have slightly different language requirements.
For the completion of the two years of classes and the transition to the third year, students are required to submit one paper that was written during this time. In consultation with the DGS, students will pick a paper that was written in the first three terms of enrollment. Please select the paper which you feel represents your work in the best way according to your confidence in the paper and your research interests. You may choose any term paper you have composed during the two years or any other paper you have written for publication or otherwise. The paper should have the normal length of a term paper and be revised for the purpose of submission. You will receive a comment and, if further work on the paper is planned, a recommendation for developing the work to further stages.
This paper should be sent to the DGS by March 14th. Upon the submission, the DGS will appoint a faculty member to read the paper and prepare a written evaluation, focusing on the question of how well the paper displays the student’s ability to write clearly, develop coherent scholarly arguments, read and interpret texts in a foreign language, and contribute to relevant debates in the field.
The evaluations will be shared among faculty by April 15 and discussed during the following departmental meeting. After that meeting, the DGS will share the evaluations and any additional faculty comments with the student. Students are strongly encouraged to reach out to their readers to discuss their papers in person.
Once students have completed either relevant coursework or language exams successfully, they must ensure the departmental registrar has recorded their progress. Combined degree students must make sure their primary department records language proficiences. If students do not do this, there will be no official record of the completion of language requirements, which may interfere with students’ progress through the degree. For questions about documentation, please contact the Departmental Registrar.
