MTL Graduate Program > Requirements

Programs of study are individually arranged and offer a great deal of flexibility. Approximately half of the student's course work and individual reading (which generally takes two to three years) will consist of the intensive study of a modern literature from 1750 to the present. The other half will consist of interdisciplinary study in one or more areas, which may include a reasonable amount of creative work. In addition, the student must pass an oral examination and complete an interdisciplinary dissertation. The program also requires reading knowledge in two modern foreign languages. It is recommended that students begin the program with an advanced knowledge of at least one foreign language.

Doctor Of Philosophy

A candidate for the Ph.D. degree in Modern Thought and Literature must complete three years (nine quarters) of full-time work, or the equivalent, in graduate study beyond the A.B degree. He or she is expected to complete at least 18 courses of graduate work in addition to the dissertation. At least three consecutive quarters of graduate work must be taken at Stanford. Students may spend one year of graduate study abroad.

Requirements for the Ph.D. in Modern Thought and Literature are:

1. Introductory seminars (334A/B), The Modern Tradition (10 units).
   
   
2. Nine courses of advanced work in literary studies in one language. Of the nine courses, at least six must be regularly scheduled courses in literary studies focused on the period from 1750 to the present, of which at least two must be regularly scheduled seminars. Courses in the teaching of composition (English 396, 397), ad hoc graduate seminars (395), research courses (398), and thesis registration (802) may not be counted among these six courses. 396, 397, 399, 802 may not be counted toward these requirements under any circumstances.
   
   
3. Eight courses of advanced work in non-literature departments, the core of which is completion of either a departmental minor or an interdepartmental concentration, typically consisting of six courses. Department minors are available from the departments of Anthropology, Art, Communication, History, Philosophy, Political Science, Religious Studies, and Sociology (see information in those sections of this bulletin). Approved interdepartmental concentrations have been established in popular culture, ethnic studies, feminist and gender studies, and science and technology studies (specific course requirements are available from the program office). Individually designed concentrations may be approved by petition to the director. In addition to the required six courses in a minor or a concentration, two additional courses from non-literature departments are chosen in consultation with each student's academic adviser. Course restrictions noted above in item 2 also apply.
   
   
4. Qualifying Paper: by the end of the first year, the student must submit a 25-30 page paper based on a term paper written during the first year, or organize a colloquium developed from work done in a seminar. Either the paper or the colloquium must be completed at least two weeks before the end of Spring Quarter.
   
   
5. Teaching, an essential part of the program, is normally undertaken in conjunction with the Department of English. Candidates are required to demonstrate competence in teaching.
   
   
6. Students must demonstrate, by the end of the third quarter of the first year, a reading knowledge of one foreign language and, by the beginning of the first quarter of the third year, a reading knowledge of one other foreign language. Reading knowledge means the ability to make a genuine scholarly use of the language: that is, to read prose of ordinary difficulty.
   
   Students may not take the University oral examination before completion of the foreign language requirement.
   
   
7. Candidacy: at the end of the second year, students apply for candidacy. The following qualifications are required before candidacy can be certified: the earlier submission of a satisfactory qualifying paper, demonstration of a reading knowledge of one foreign language, satisfactory progress in course work, a list of courses applicable to the degree, distinguishing between courses appropriate to the literary component from courses appropriate to the interdisciplinary component and 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.
   
   
8. Annual Review: the program and progress of each student must be approved by the Committee-in-Charge at the end of each academic year.
   
   
9. University Oral Examination: this examination, covering the student's areas of concentration, normally is taken in the third year of graduate study. It is a two-hour oral examination administered by four faculty members specializing in the student's areas of concentration, and a chair from another department. The exam is based on a substantial reading list prepared by the student in conjunction with the faculty committee and designed to cover the areas of expertise pertinent to the student's dissertation project.
   
   
10. Colloquium on the Dissertation Proposal: several weeks after the University oral examination, or in conjunction with that examination, the dissertation committee assembles for up to one hour to discuss the dissertation proposal with the student. Prior to this meeting, the student should have consulted each member of the committee to discuss the proposal and compile a bibliography.
    
    
11. Dissertation: the fourth year is devoted to the dissertation, which should be a substantial and original contribution acceptable to the Committee on Modern Thought and Literature. The subject is drawn from the literature of specialization and the area of nonliterary studies.