English (PhD)
The PhD in English offers in-depth training in a variety of historical eras and cultural traditions, from the Medieval period to the contemporary moment. Students choose an area of specialization – Early Modern, Nineteenth-Century, or Modern – but also take courses in other areas. We offer many opportunities for students interested in getting involved in the digital humanities as well as other kinds of content, like archival studies, public humanities, and initiatives for exploring new futures in the humanities.
Related Programs
Curriculum
The PhD requires a total of 60 credit hours of coursework, a qualifying written and oral examination, and a dissertation. According to Graduate School regulations, work on the PhD must be completed eight years from the time you have begun coursework applicable to the degree; if you entered with an MA, you will have six years from the time of beginning course work for the PhD.
Required Coursework
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | 9 | |
| Intro to Graduate Study | ||
| Teaching College Composition | ||
| Independent Study-Doctoral Qualification | ||
| Select two of the following: 1 | 6 | |
| Textual Studies Courses | ||
| History of the Book to 1800 | ||
| Textual Criticism | ||
| Media and Culture | ||
| Critical Theory Courses (at least one) | ||
| Contemporary Literary Criticism | ||
| Topics in Critical Theory | ||
| Postcolonial Theory | ||
| Marxist Literary Theory | ||
| Feminist Theory and Criticism | ||
| Dramatic Theory | ||
| Field-Specific Requirements | 24 | |
| Students choose one of three specialized fields: Medieval and Renaissance Literature; Nineteenth-Century Studies; or Modern Literature and Culture. Students take six (6) courses in their chosen and 1 course each from the other two specializations, eight (8) courses total. | ||
| Electives | ||
| Seven (7) ENGL 400-Level or Higher Electives | 21 | |
| Total Hours | 60 | |
- 1
At least one course must be in critical theory. Students should confer with Graduate Program Director when selecting courses to ensure that they are the best fit for their course of study.
Field-Specific Requirements
Doctoral students in English who have completed the MA degree will enter one of the following three specialized fields and must meet the course requirements defined for that specialization. Students will be free to change their field at any time, provided that they are able to fulfill the course requirements for the new field. Students may choose to specialize in Medieval and Renaissance Literature, Nineteenth-Century Studies, or Modern Literature and Culture. Students will complete at least six (6) courses in their specialization, at least one (1) course in each of the other two specializations, and seven (7) 400-level elective courses of their choosing. Note that several of these requirements will be partly or wholly fulfilled by all students as a part of their MA study.
If a student has been required to take certain undergraduate courses as a condition of admission, those courses have priority over all other program requirements. Undergraduate courses cannot be counted towards the PhD degree requirements.
Medieval and Renaissance Literature Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 440 | Topics in Medieval Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 441 | Old English Language & Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 443 | Middle English Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 444 | Medieval Drama | 3 |
| ENGL 447 | Chaucer | 3 |
| ENGL 450 | Topics in Early Modern Literature & Culture | 3 |
| ENGL 455 | Shakespeare | 3 |
| ENGL 456 | Early Modern Drama | 3 |
| ENGL 457 | Seventeenth-Century Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 458 | Milton | 3 |
Nineteenth-Century Studies Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 460 | Topics in Restoration & 18th Century Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 466 | Eighteenth-Century Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 470 | Topics in Romanticism | 3 |
| ENGL 471 | Poetry of Romantic Period | 3 |
| ENGL 475 | Topics in Victorian Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 476 | Victorian Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 477 | Victorian Prose | 3 |
| ENGL 478 | Victorian Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 490 | Topics in American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 491 | Early American Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 492 | American Romanticism | 3 |
| ENGL 493 | American Realism | 3 |
Modern Literature and Culture Courses
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ENGL 480 | Topics in Modernism | 3 |
| ENGL 481 | Modern Poetry | 3 |
| ENGL 482 | Modern Drama | 3 |
| ENGL 483 | Modern Novel | 3 |
| ENGL 484 | Literature and Culture of the Jazz Age | 3 |
| ENGL 485 | Contemporary Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 487 | Postcolonial Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 488 | 20th Century Literature in English | 3 |
| ENGL 489 | Magic Realism | 3 |
| ENGL 494 | American Literature Since 1914 | 3 |
| ENGL 495 | Latino/a Literature | 3 |
| ENGL 496 | African American Literature | 3 |
Optional Specialization in Digital Humanities
Ph.D. students may obtain a specialization in Digital Humanities. To obtain this specialization students take one foundational course, followed by two electives. Note that COMP 400A or equivalent is a prerequisite for certain electives.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Required Foundational Course 1 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Object-Oriented Programming | ||
| Computing Tools and Techniques | ||
| Introduction to Digital Humanities Research | ||
| Digital Humanities Design | ||
| Electives 2 | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Data Structures I | ||
| Data Structures II | ||
| Computer Security | ||
| Open Source Computing | ||
| Social and Ethical Issues in Computing | ||
| Markup Languages | ||
| Human-Computer Interaction | ||
| IT Project Management | ||
| Structure of Research Management and Funding | ||
| Technology Entrepreneurship | ||
| Introduction to Computing | ||
| Introduction to Web Application Development | ||
| Digital Humanities Practicum | ||
| Textual Criticism | ||
| Media and Culture | ||
| Total Hours | 9 | |
- 1
Students are allowed to take any course from this list as an elective if not being used to meet this requirement.
- 2
Other 400-level courses may count toward the specialization with approval of the Director of Graduate Programs.
Research Tool
Ph.D.-level research in literary studies presupposes skills (or 'research tools') not taught in ordinary graduate-level coursework in a Department of English. In view of the multilingual character of humanist study, scholars of literature must often read text in a language other than their principal one. For these reasons, as fulfillment of the discipline's research tool, Ph.D. students in the Department of English are required to demonstrate reading proficiency in a language other than English. This may be done by (a) passing a translation examination or (b) receiving a grade of B or higher in a graduate-level course in a language other than English. Exams and coursework at other institutions will usually be accepted, subject to review by the Director of Graduate Programs. Under special circumstances priority may be given to another research tool: for instance, a computer language, statistical analysis, or protocols for research with human subjects. Students are encouraged to discuss completion of this requirement with the Director of Graduate Programs soon after entering the program.
PhD Qualifying Examination
The PhD examination has a written component and an oral component. The written component consists of three three-hour essays. Each essay covers a field articulated by the student in consultation with their examining committee and the director of graduate programs. There are two basic kinds of field:
- An area of literary theory or research methods
- Literature of a historical period
The second type of field may be narrowed further, for instance to a particular genre, tradition, or region. Most students devise one field of the first type and two of the second. Other configurations are possible with approval of the graduate programs director.
Field descriptions and reading lists are worked out by the student in consultation with their examining committee and must be approved by examiners and by the graduate programs director. Field statements are due one month prior to the exam date.
The oral component is a two-hour oral examination, based on but not limited to the writing produced in the written component.
Candidacy and Defense
Students advance to doctoral candidacy when they have fulfilled all required courses and the research tool requirement, passed the Ph.D. qualifying examination, established a dissertation committee, and produced an approved dissertation proposal.
Readers' copies of the completed dissertation are due to the dissertation committee one month prior to the final public presentation and defense.
Suggested Sequence of Courses
Students should consult the Graduate Program Director (GPD) to outline course selection and academic objectives. Students take ENGL 400 Intro to Graduate Study during their first Fall semester and ENGL 402 Teaching College Composition in their second Fall semester unless waived by the GPD for students entering with an M.A. With the guidance of the GPD, students will complete the remainder of their 400-level coursework in Critical Theory, Textual Studies, Field-Specific Requirements, and Electives based on offerings. ENGL 502 Independent Study-Doctoral Qualification should be taken at the end of the student's 400-level coursework, before starting ENGL 610 Doctoral Study and ENGL 600 Dissertation Supervision.
Responsible Conduct of Research
All PhD students and students in thesis-based Master's degree programs must successfully complete UNIV 370 Responsible Conduct in Research and Scholarship or other approved coursework in responsible conduct of research as part of the degree requirements. It is strongly recommended that students complete this two-day training before beginning the dissertation/thesis stage of the program.
Graduate & Professional Standards and Regulations
Students in graduate and professional programs can find their Academic Policies in Graduate and Professional Academic Standards and Regulations under their school. Any additional University Policies supersede school policies.
Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of the PhD program students will be able to:
- Write effectively about a broad range of texts in English using effective compositional and rhetorical techniques.
- Assess and intervene in existing scholarly discourses in the field as a literary critic.
- Distinguish and interpret diverse experiences across various social formations (race, class, gender, sexuality, ability, etc.) as registered in literary works.
- Evaluate and apply the principles of a range of critical and textual theories, including those emerging from communities that have been historically underrepresented, in order to produce a sustained analysis of literary works.
- Define, distinguish, and evaluate three fields of study in literature as defined by historical period, genre, critical theory, and/or single author.
- Employ significant developments and emergent trends in pedagogical theories, methods, and materials to teach college-level composition and literature effectively.
- Use a variety of research methods (e.g., close reading, textual criticism, linguistic analysis, archival, biographical, etc.) and interpret the findings in order to produce a sustained analysis of one or more literary works.
- Defend scholarly interpretations and interventions at a professional level, leading to internal and external conference presentations, publication, fellowships, grants, and academic employment.