Doctor's degree Germanic Language and Literature - Harvard University

Doctor's degree Germanic Language and Literature from Harvard University is a Campus Ph.D Language degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. Study for higher degrees in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures (this designation was instituted in 1897) is intended as preparation for a career in teaching and research. The emphasis is on literature and cultural studies rather than on the language itself. However, Germanic philology may be studied in conjunction with medieval literature . The resources of the department make it possible for students interested in German literature , but with a secondary interest in comparative literature , art, philosophy, history, or film, to include those disciplines in their dissertation and in their program of courses. A PhD program combining the medieval literatures and cultures of Germany, England, and Scandinavia is also available. Prerequisites for Admission — Permission to proceed, granted by the department on the basis of course work, performance in the AM examination, and scholarly potential as judged by the department. Alternatively, an AM degree or equivalent from another university. Academic Residence — A minimum of three years of full-time study. Credit for graduate work done elsewhere may be granted in accordance with procedures detailed in The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences Handbook. Program of Study — The satisfactory completion of an approved program of eight half-courses beyond the AM degree . All graduate students are required to take German 226r, the Proseminar (an introduction to literary research and theory). PhD students must also take at least two half-courses in Germanic philology, normally German 200 (Middle High German ) and German 225 (History of the German Language ). Linguistics 168 (Introduction to Germanic Linguistics) or Linguistics 247 (Topics in Germanic Linguistics) may be substituted for German 225. Not more than two half-courses from the group "For Undergraduates and Graduates" may be counted, including courses taken for the AM degree , unless the student arranges with the instructor to upgrade the course; all others must be "Primarily for Graduates." Permission may be obtained from the director of graduate studies to take a course in some other department, such as Comparative Literature , History, Philosophy, or Music. Such courses are expected to be relevant to the main study program in German and should serve to enrich and broaden the program. The teaching methods course (Germanic Philology 280) and courses taken to fulfill language requirements are not included in the minimum requirement. The student must be a member of a seminar taught by a member of the German Department for at least three terms and earn a grade of A- in at least one of the seminars. Languages — All students are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in French by passing French Ax (Reading French), offered by Harvard's Department of Romance Languages and Literatures, with a grade of A or A-, or by passing a French Ax final examination, administered by the instructor of the course, with a grade of A or A-. Those students wishing to specialize (i.e., to write their dissertations) in philology (historical linguistics) or in the literature of the earlier periods (medieval, sixteenth century, the Baroque) must also demonstrate considerable reading ability in Latin. This requirement may be fulfilled by a departmental examination. The texts to be translated or summarized will be taken from Latin works of literary merit written by German authors, mainly during the medieval period. The requirement may also be fulfilled by an honor grade (B- or higher) in any course in medieval Latin or in any intermediate course of readings of classical authors given by the Harvard Classics Department. Applicants are strongly urged to prepare themselves in French (and Latin where applicable) before entrance. Graduate students have to satisfy the requirement in French and, where applicable, in Latin before they can be admitted to the PhD general examination. Satisfactory Progress — Students must have a grade record showing more A's than B's, and no grade lower than B-. General Examination — After completing course work and meeting the language requirement, students must present themselves for the general examination. Students entering the program with an Master of Arts(AM) degree or equivalent from another university present themselves for the examination at the start of their third year; students taking the AM degree at Harvard will present themselves for the examination at the beginning of their fourth year of residence. The written examination consists of two four-hour sessions, a week apart. The first covers any one of the following periods: (i) medieval literature , (ii) 1500-1750, (iii) 1750-1830, (iv) 1830-1910, (v) 1890-present. The students will be responsible both for the principal literary texts in their chosen period and for the pertinent scholarship. The second examination will cover any one of the following fields: (i) lyric poetry, (ii) drama, (iii) narrative fiction, (iv) a special topic defined by the student in consultation with the examination committee, (v) Germanic philology (linguistics). Final reading lists for the examination are due in May of the preceding academic year. A two-hour oral examination follows within two weeks. Dissertation — After passing the general examination, the candidate must present a dissertation on a subject that has been approved by the department and one that will normally fall within the area where the special period and special field converge. The object of the dissertation is to show the candidate's ability to pursue independent research and to present the results of this research in a readable and convincing form. Two copies of the completed and approved dissertation must be submitted to the office of the chair by the time of the deadline set by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. Dissertation Defense — No dissertation defense is required unless the student wishes it or there is some doubt in the department about the dissertation. Teaching Experience — Some time before receiving the PhD, all students are required to acquire some teaching experience at Harvard or elsewhere. View more details on Harvard University . 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