Columbia University English and Comparative Literature

1. Columbia UniversityEnglish and Comparative Literature Rachel Adams, commonalities Jonathan Arac, team leader David Kurnick, key ideas

2. First year: Introduction to discipline and department STRUCTURES • MA seminars • MA lecture series • meetings with DGS and MA director • student-organized social events • reading groups • PROBLEMS • individual divergences among faculty • different first year constituencies

3. Introduction to the research enterprise begins in the first year • seminars: faculty model current research, secondary source materials • dissertation colloquia: discussion of writing with fellow graduate students and faculty • faculty works-in-progress lectures • lectures by visiting faculty

4. Significant Transition • THE ORAL EXAM • links coursework to dissertation • a two-hour oral exam • certifies mastery of specific fields as well as competence to teach an introductory course in major field • student is granted M. Phil

5. Dissertation and defense • topic is determined in consultation with chair and second reader • student works closely with two committee members • dissertation consists of 4-5 chapters • 2-hour defense with committee of three departmental , two outside members • chair determines that student is ready to defend

6. Innovation • Early 90s—uniform full funding package • 03—full credit seminar ‘teaching writing: theory and practice’ • current—grad student role in faculty searches

7. Novel Idea • replace one foreign language exam with an equivalent skill