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Requirements of PhD

New: Updated Guidelines.

Course Requirements and Transfer Credits: A course in language teaching methodologies is required during the first two years; a course in Linguistics or Philology must be taken before the preliminary examinations. Students are strongly encouraged to make literary/ cultural theory an integral part of their program by taking one or more courses in that field, in Hispanic Studies or other departments.

16 courses beyond the B. A. are required for the Ph.D.; 8 beyond the B. A. for the M.A. The Independent Studies course taken to complete the Major Paper counts as one of these courses.

Students with an M.A. degree from another institution may petition for transfer credits after their first semester at Brown. Up to 3 credits can normally be applied toward the departmental course requirement of 16 courses for the Ph.D. For more information on the M. A. and on transfer credits, see the “Guidelines” at the end of this handbook.

Courses: Three types of courses are offered: Seminar Courses, Studies Courses, Independent Study Courses. Seminar Courses may focus on a specific topic, author or literary problem and require a research paper; Studies Courses may cover the major literary works of a period (e.g., the Sixteenth Century), a literary movement (e.g., Realism), etc. Independent Study Courses allow students to explore topics that may lead to their Major Paper or Ph.D. dissertation.

In conjunction with the Graduate Advisor and other faculty, each student will decide which courses--Seminar or Studies, or both--are most appropriate for their plan of study.

Language Requirements: For the M. A., to be completed by the end of the second year of coursework, a reading knowledge of French. For the Ph. D., to be completed by the end of the fourth year of study, a reading knowledge of a language other than Spanish or English related to the dissertation field: e. g., German or Latin or Portuguese or Italian. For either requirement—M. A. or Ph. D—another language may be substituted by petition to the Department if proven vital to the student’s field of research.

A reading knowledge is required. However, students are strongly encouraged to acquire and demonstrate a more profound knowledge of languages other than English and Spanish. Optimally, students will take a 100-level or higher course in the language. Early in their graduate careers, students should begin to plan and work on the fulfillment of the language requirements. Although language courses per se do not count toward the 16 courses required for the Ph. D., the plan of study allows students one semester in which to take one course less than normal load in order to satisfy the language requirement. 100-level and higher courses in another language, it should be noted, do count toward the 16 courses required for the Ph. D..

For each language, the requirement can be fulfilled in any one of the following ways: 1. By completing, with a grade of “B” or higher, an advanced intermediate or higher level course in the language at Brown, or by achieving a similar level on a placement test. The reading course in French offered at Brown fulfills the requirement for that language. 2. By presentation of coursework from another institution at the level specified in #1. 3. By passing the reading examination administered by another department. Arrangements for these examinations are made by the Graduate Advisor; please consult him or her. 4. With permission of the instructor of a Hispanic Studies course, by writing a course paper in the language of the requirement.

Major Paper: The Major Paper is required of all graduate students in Hispanic Studies, regardless of whether they entered Brown with an M.A. from another institution. The Major Paper generally entails the reworking of a course paper--often through an Independent Studies course with the advisor of the student's choice--into an essay of publishable length (25-30 pages) and quality, with an authoritative bibliography. The Major Paper can treat an issue that would conceivably feed into the Ph.D. dissertation, can explore a related field, or can deal with a student's secondary field of interest. It must be completed before the M. A. can be conferred; that is, within the time that a student is taking courses but preferably within the first two years of coursework. For more information on the Major Paper, see the “Guidelines” at the end of this handbook.

Dissertation Prospectus: By the end of the semester following the preliminary examination, students are expected to present to the faculty a prospectus the dissertation. If a student later changes dissertation topic and/or advisor, at the discretion of the dissertation advisor he or she may be asked to present a new thesis proposal. For more information on the Dissertation Prospectus, as well as a discussion of the Dissertation Defense, see the “Guidelines” at the end of this handbook.

The Preliminary Examination: The preliminary examination seeks to reveal the quality of the student's general preparation in Hispanic Studies and also to indicate capacity to undertake the research necessary for the doctoral dissertation.

View the Preliminary Exam Reading List

The examination is normally offered during the first week in December, by the end of April, and, by petition, by the third week in September. Candidates must request through the Director of Graduate Studies, one month before the date, that an examination be prepared. Candidates should also indicate at that time on what periods they will be examined and on what work in those categories in which there is a choice (e.g., Medieval; 20th-century novel).

  1. The first part of the preliminary examination will consist of a written paper, of 4 hours duration, on a list of 50 especially significant works drawn from all periods and genres of Spanish and Spanish-American literature. Emphasis in this “General Works” examination will be largely on the intrinsic quality of the works concerned. A limited choice of questions will be offered: four questions, three of which must be answered.
  2. The second part of the preliminary examination will consist of a written paper, of 4 hours duration, on THREE of the seven designated areas of study. This, the “Areas” part of the examination, will be concerned with the cultural and literary historical background as well as with the quality of the texts themselves. Again, a limited choice will be offered: four questions, three of which must be answered. Within individual questions there may be a choice of works to be discussed.
  3. If the written examination is deemed not satisfactory but redeemable, an oral examination on questions or areas found lacking will be scheduled within approximately a week after the written examination has been read by the faculty. For more information on the evaluation of examinations, see the “Guidelines” at the end of this handbook.
  4. Choice of areas for the second part of the preliminary examination: All students will take at least one graduate course in each of the seven areas of study, presented in #5. below; with the approval of the Graduate Advisor and faculty member teaching the course, students may substitute for a graduate course a 100-level course in any area. Each student will decide his or her three fields of examination, in consultation with the Graduate Advisor and other faculty. All students will be examined in their dissertation field or fields. All will choose one field of in-depth specialization, to be complemented with two secondary fields of specialization, conceivably related to the dissertation.
  5. Reading Lists for primary and secondary specializations: For their one area of in-depth specialization, students will be responsible for the corpus of works and for the works designated “Para especialistas.” For the two fields of secondary specialization, students will be responsible only for the first corpus of works listed in each section or sub-section of the area.

The seven designated areas of study are as follows:

PENINSULAR LITERATURE**

  • The Middle Ages
  • The 16th and 17th centuries
  • The 18th and 19th centuries
  • The 20th century

LATIN AMERICAN LITERATURE

  • The Colonial Period
  • The 19th and early 20th century, through Modernismo
  • The later 20th century

**Catalan language and literature and Galician language and literature are also areas of legitimate interest within the discipline. Students who wish to pursue studies in either of these areas should meet with the Director of Graduate Studies, who may, after due consultation, grant permission for either of these areas to be examined as part of one of the seven designated areas. A reading list in each area is available.

SAMPLE PLAN OF STUDY

Nota bene: The plan for the first year assumes a full-time fellowship; the plan for the second and subsequent years assumes a teaching or research assistantship or a proctorship. It is assumed that students who come in with an MA will advance at a somewhat faster pace; please consult graduate advisor for a personalized plan of study. All students are encouraged to consult the graduate advisor at least once a year to review their progress toward the degree.

Students are expected to include literary/cultural theory in their coursework, as courses integrating these areas or wholly dedicated to them, within or outside the department (the latter in consultation with graduate advisor), are available.

First year: 4 courses per semester, including, if offered, teaching methodology and philology. Second semester: if applicable, apply for transfer department course credits and university tuition units.

Second year: 3 courses per semester, including teaching methodology and/or philology if not offered during first year. French language requirement should be fulfilled by end of second year.

Third year: Fall: Two remaining courses, including the Major Paper (SP 292) if not taken earlier; begin preparing for preliminary examination. Spring: Continue preparation for preliminary examination (register for SP 289). If possible, take preliminary examination in late April/early May.

Fourth year: Fall: If preliminary examination has not been taken, take in Sept/early Oct. Present dissertation proposal by December (students who do not present the dissertation proposal by December may not qualify to apply for dissertation fellowships for the following year). Spring: Work on the dissertation (register for SP 299, section 1 regardless of advisor). Complete second language requirement by the end of this academic year.

Fifth Year: Continue work on the dissertation. For May graduation, dissertations are usually defended on or before late April.