Students pursuing a graduate degree in Comparative Literature should use the University Graduate School Academic Bulletin.
Official requirements for our graduate degrees can be found by clicking on the Bulletin below:
2022-23: Comparative Literature University Graduate School Academic Bulletin
The department offers a Ph.D. degree to qualified candidates. It requires a total of 90 credit hours, including 65 credit hours of course work, of which 35 credit hours must be in Comparative Literature.
Up to 30 credit hours earned for the master’s degree may be counted toward this total, not including the research hours given for the doctoral dissertation. The dissertation must not exceed 25 credit hours of C810.
All graduate students will be required to take C501 (Introduction to Contemporary Literary Studies), C502 (Fields and Methods of Comparative Literature), and two literature survey courses offered by the department, one dealing with the pre-modern period and one dealing with the modern period. The first survey requirement would normally be met by taking C505, C521, C523, or C525; the second survey requirement would normally be met by taking C506, C529, C533, C535, C537 or C538.
In addition, Ph.D. students must complete a proseminar chosen from graduate courses in Comparative Literature that have not been used to fulfill other course requirements. (See the discussion of the proseminar requirement under M.A. coursework.) In special cases, petitions to substitute courses for the period courses listed above may be submitted to the director of graduate studies or the department chair.
Many courses from other departments involving a comparative approach may be counted toward the Comparative Literature major. These courses are listed under the heading “Comparative Literature” in the Graduate School Bulletin. If a question arises, consult the department chair or the director of graduate studies.
With the consent of his or her advisor, a student may also apply to have a course that is not cross-listed count toward the Comparative Literature major. Approval for such an arrangement should be obtained from the department chair or the director of graduate studies before the student enrolls in the course. Only by way of exception can a student ask that a course offered by another department be counted as a Comparative Literature course. Note: All requests for exceptions must be approved with the written consent of the director of graduate studies.
Language requirements
Entering doctoral students are normally expected to have a good command of at least two foreign languages. Students will ultimately need certified reading proficiency in three foreign languages in order to be eligible for the Ph.D. qualifying examinations. The procedures for certifying proficiency in a foreign language are essentially the same for doctoral students as for master’s students.
As part of the doctoral degree, majors in Comparative Literature must complete the requirements for either (a) two minor fields (subject concentrations) or (b) one intensive or double minor in a single field.
The requirements for minor fields vary with each department granting minors, and students must contact the departments in which they intend to minor in order to be certain of the requirements. There is usually a minimum of 12 credit hours required in each minor; an intensive minor would normally consist of at least 24 credit hours.
It is the sole responsibility of the student to have the appropriate department(s) notify both the Comparative Literature Office and the Graduate School that the respective minor requirements have been met. Students are normally expected to obtain prior approval of their plans for course work in a minor field from the Graduate Advisor (or comparable officer) in the minor department or program.
For those who plan to teach, a solid grounding in an area other than Comparative Literature (for example, in a national literature) is strongly recommended. Since many teaching positions will be joint appointments, competence in more than one area is critical.
Besides Ph.D. minors granted by individual departments or programs, many interdepartmental minors are available. For information about the following interdepartmental minors, see the Graduate School Bulletin.
Students will not be allowed to take the Ph.D. qualifying exams until authorized by the director of graduate studies. The department has approved these steps in order to prevent misunderstanding on the part of students or faculty about the form, content, or procedures involved in the exams and to underscore the importance of these exams in preparing students for the final stage of the doctoral program.
Eligibility
Students become eligible to take the Ph.D. qualifying examinations when they have completed the following requirements:
Dissertation
A dissertation is required and is graded under C810 or G901. The number of credits granted under C810 varies since the credits should bring the student’s total hours to 90. Only one credit hour of C810 or G901 is required for acceptance of the dissertation; no more than 25 credit hours of dissertation research may be included in the minimum of 90 credit hours required for the doctoral degree. The grade of “R” is automatically awarded for work on the dissertation until it is defended and accepted.
Dissertation defense
The dissertation defense is an oral examination held after the dissertation has been completed but before it is bound. The student must arrange the time and date of this defense with the dissertation director and the members of his or her committee at least five weeks in advance. Any member of the Graduate School faculty at Indiana University may attend the defense, but usually only the student’s committee is present. A summary of no less than 150 words (maximum: one double-spaced, typed page) must be submitted to the Comparative Literature Graduate Studies Office. The announcement should be informative and contain a brief statement of the principal results and conclusions. It must be approved and signed by the dissertation director, and must be submitted to the Graduate School thirty days prior to the defense.
Official requirements for our graduate degrees can be found by clicking on the Bulletin below:
2022-23: Comparative Literature University Graduate School Academic Bulletin
The College of Arts