The fourth and fifth years of study are typically devoted to dissertation research and writing, teaching, and activities such as publication, conference/ colloquium or workshop attendance. Students should use this time to begin to think about and prepare themselves for their careers beyond Yale.
Though the department does not impose individual chapter deadlines, students are strongly encouraged to aim to complete two chapters a year. Make plans to meet with your adviser(s) at least once a semester. A draft of one chapter of the dissertation should be submitted to the advisor at an early stage, in order to focus the further work in progress.
The Dissertation should not exceed a readable size. An optimal size would be between 200-300 double-spaced pages. If the work has produced much more, the student should consult with the advisor and either write a more concise version or curtail the scope of the study. The Graduate Writing Center offers a variety of programs to help with the process of researching and writing the dissertation.
During their work on the dissertation, students are advised to keep an informal record of their research, books read, and writing activities. The formal report of progress, submitted every year to the Graduate School and signed both by the advisor and the DGS, should include a summary of this record.
Teaching experience is part of the student’s training at Yale. Students normally teach as teaching fellows (TFs) after four semesters of residence and course work have been completed. The Graduate school has released a description of the Teaching Fellow Program for those interested in learning more.
Doctoral candidates will typically teach in their third, fourth and sixth years. Our own undergraduate program, the Literature Major, appoints Comparative Literature students as teaching fellows. In addition, Comparative Literature students may teach in various language-based departments as well as in other disciplines of the humanities. In addition, there are various pedagogically oriented positions available in Yale’s museums, libraries and Center for Teaching and Learning that are open to Teaching Fellows.
Students should contact the DUS (Directors of Undergraduate Studies) of all departments in which they feel competent to teach. This should be done early in the spring semester, preceding the year of their desired employment. The departments normally send out information concerning available positions in the spring, yet the students should take initiative in signing up for these positions. There is no guarantee that a desired position may be secured for a particular student.
After the approval of a student’s Prospectus, they may be eligible to teach in certain language courses, college seminars, or courses such as English 115, 118, and 129 at the rank of Part-Time Acting Instructor.
Yale offers extensive support for teaching with many programs aimed towards graduate students beginning to teach for the first time. The department strongly encourages students to take advantage of the seminars, workshops and individual consultations offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning.
Students may also choose to acquire various teaching certifications while at Yale: these include the Certificate of College Teaching Preparation and the Certificate in Second Language Acquisition.
In their fourth, fifth, or sixth year, all students may apply and receive (on a non-competitive basis) a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship, guaranteeing a year’s stipend with no teaching duties. It is advisable to take this Fellowship only when the student is well advanced in his/her research and ready to devote all of their time to writing the dissertation. The UDF is typically taken in residence; in rare cases, students may apply to take it in absentia. Please contact the DGS early on if you are considering taking the UDF while away from Yale.
The department encourages students in Year 4 and above to begin to participate in a wider community of scholars in their respective fields. This includes regular participation in at least one or two workshops or colloquia on campus; presentation of papers at conferences, beginning with graduate student conferences in the area; sharing work with peers via the department’s Open Forum series; and considering the publication of an essay. To this end, the department organizes regular workshops on publication and academic life. Students are also urged to attend the programs offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning Students presenting papers at conferences may apply to the Graduate School Assembly for support conference travel funds.