The program develops (1) an advanced general knowledge of the history of French literature; (2) a knowledge of selected specialized areas within the field; and (3) a knowledge of the traditions, aims, and methods of research scholarship.

Admissions Prerequisites

Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than ten pages, written in French, with the application. Applicants must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test; they should hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in French language and literature. Degree candidates are expected to possess a reasonably sound command of written and spoken French. In cases of serious deficiencies, students may be required to take additional courses in language without receiving degree credit. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of French Literature to accompany transcripts.

Course Requirements

A minimum of eight semester courses (32 credits) at the 500 level or above, including one seminar each semester. In electing courses, students should bear in mind the aims of the degree program expressed in the description of the comprehensive examination (see below). A maximum of two semester courses (8 credits) in a related field may be taken with the advisor’s approval.

Language Requirement

None, other than the proficiency requirement in French stated above in the section on Admissions Tests and Prerequisites.

Comprehensive Examination

Candidates qualify for the MA degree by passing a written comprehensive examination based on the departmental reading list. The contents and times of these examinations are described fully on the application form for admission to the examination, which is distributed, along with the reading list, at the beginning of the first year of registration.

Advising

The program allows the student maximum liberty in the selection of courses while providing safeguards to ensure maximum intellectual growth. An advisor is assigned to each student; together, they share responsibility for the development of an academically sound program. Therefore, the student should consult with the advisor about all aspects of the academic experience.

The doctoral program provides a thorough professional preparation in the selected field of study through the acquisition of (1) skill in the use and critical evaluation of research materials; (2) a thorough knowledge of a specialized area; and (3) experience in the interpretation and communication of acquired knowledge and the results of original research.

Admissions Prerequisites

Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than ten pages, written in French, with the application. The candidate must have an MA degree or the equivalent in French and must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of French Literature to accompany transcripts.

Course Requirements

A minimum total of eight semester courses (32 credits) is required. At least three courses or seminars in the area of specialization are elected; this requirement may be satisfied in part through directed study. The area of specialization is chosen at the beginning of doctoral study. It may focus upon a specific genre within a literature, the literature of a period, a genre within a period, or a problematical aspect of literature.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one language in addition to French that will be useful in their research work. In some areas of specialization two or more languages may be required in order to ensure competence in continuing research and learning.

Qualifying Examination

Qualification for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is achieved as follows: (1) students who have not earned the Master of Arts degree in French at Boston University must take a written examination of the General Reading List by December of their second year of coursework if such an exam was not required for the Master of Arts elsewhere; (2) students must write substantial (25–40 pages) research papers on two significantly different topics in French literature, approved by the advisor and the director of graduate studies. One of the papers must be written in French. An oral examination based on these papers takes place not later than the end of the first semester of the third year of the PhD program.

Residency Requirement

Candidates must spend at least one academic year in residence as full-time students at the doctoral level before presenting themselves for qualifying examinations. (See General Requirements for the PhD in this bulletin.)

Dissertation Prospectus

A detailed outline of the dissertation must be submitted to the department.

Dissertation

See General Requirements for the PhD in this bulletin.

Advising

An advisor is assigned to each student.

French Language & Literature Courses

• CAS LF 500 Phonetics and Diction
• CAS LF 502 The Structure of French: Syntax
• CAS LF 503 The Structure of French: Phonology
• CAS LF 550 Studies in Eighteenth-Century French Literature
• CAS LF 551 Modern French Theatre
• CAS LF 552 French Romanticism
• CAS LF 553 Molière
• CAS LF 554 Émile Zola and Naturalism
• CAS LF 555 The Epistolary Novel
• CAS LF 556 French Cinema and Literature
• CAS LF 558 Colonial Fictions: Modern French Writing and the Colonies
• CAS LF 560 Seventeenth-Century Prose
• CAS LF 561 Proust
• CAS LF 563 French Tragedy of the Seventeenth Century
• CAS LF 564 Medieval Lyric
• CAS LF 565 Medieval Courtly Literature
• CAS LF 569 Topics in Francophone Literature
• CAS LF 570 Topics in Twentieth-Century French Literature
• CAS LF 571 Topics in Nineteenth-Century French Literature
• CAS LF 574 Early French Renaissance
• CAS LF 575 Later French Renaissance

Seminars

Consent of instructor required.

• GRS LF 860 Seminar: Topics in French Literature
• GRS LF 951, 952 Directed Study: French Language and Literature

The program develops an advanced knowledge of Spanish literature from its beginnings, of Spanish-American literature, and of the traditions, aims, and methods of research scholarship.

Admissions Prerequisites

Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than 15 pages, written in Spanish, with the application. Applicants should hold a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in Spanish language and literature; they must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of Hispanic Literature to accompany transcripts.

Course Requirements

A minimum of eight semester courses (32 credits) including: (1) CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language; (2) CAS LS 570 Don Quixote; (3) a course in medieval or Golden Age Spanish literature; (4) a course in Peninsular literature since 1700; (5) a course in Spanish-American literature; (6) two seminar courses; and (7) elective(s). The courses in the history of the Spanish language and Don Quixote may be waived and replaced with other graduate-level courses in the field if the student has completed equivalent courses as an undergraduate concentrator. The seminar courses may also serve to satisfy requirements in areas (3), (4), or (5). No transfer of credit normally shall be granted toward the fulfillment of the eight semester courses required for the degree.

Language Requirement

See the above section on “Admissions Prerequisites.”

Departmental Review

A review of the student’s program and progress is conducted by the faculty in lieu of a comprehensive examination.

Advising

An advisor is assigned to each student; the advisor and student share responsibility for the development of an academically sound program. Therefore, the student should consult with the advisor about all aspects of the academic experience.

The doctoral program provides a thorough professional preparation in the selected field of study through the acquisition of (1) skill in the use and critical evaluation of research materials; (2) a thorough knowledge of a specialized area; and (3) experience in the interpretation and communication of acquired knowledge and the results of original research.

Admissions Prerequisites

Applicants should send an academic paper of not more than fifteen pages, written in Spanish, with the application. Applicants must have an MA degree or the equivalent in Spanish and must submit results of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE) General Test. The candidate should include a summary page of all courses and grades taken in the field of Hispanic Literature to accompany transcripts.

Course Requirements

A minimum total of eight semester courses (32 credits) is required. At least three courses or seminars in the area of specialization are to be elected; this requirement may be satisfied in part through directed study. The area of specialization is chosen at the beginning of doctoral study. It may focus upon a specific genre within a literature, the literature of a period, a genre within a period, or a problematical aspect of literature.

Language Requirement

Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of at least one language in addition to Spanish that will be useful in their research work. In some areas of specialization two or more languages may be required in order to ensure competence in continuing research and learning.

Qualifying Examination

Qualification for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy is achieved by successful completion of the following: (1) a written examination on the history of the language (or successful completion of an equivalent course); (2) written examinations on four literary periods; and (3) an oral examination based on a substantial essay (25–35 pages) centering on the area of the dissertation.

Residency Requirement

Candidates must spend at least one academic year in residence as full-time students at the doctoral level before presenting themselves for qualifying examinations. (See General Requirements for the PhD in this bulletin.)

Dissertation Prospectus

A detailed outline of the dissertation must be submitted to the department.

Dissertation

See eneral Requirements for the PhD in this bulletin.

Advising

An advisor is assigned to each student.

Hispanic Language & Literatures Courses

• CAS LS 504 History of the Spanish Language
• CAS LS 551 Galdós
• CAS LS 552 Lorca and His Contemporaries
• CAS LS 553 Prose Fiction of the Spanish Golden Age
• CAS LS 554 Jorge Luis Borges
• CAS LS 555 Modern Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 556 Contemporary Spanish-American Novel
• CAS LS 557 Poetry of the Spanish Golden Age
• CAS LS 558 Contemporary Spanish-American Poetry
• CAS LS 559 The Spanish Civil War in Literature
• CAS LS 560 Los Novecentistas
• CAS LS 561 The Generation of 1898
• CAS LS 562 Colonial Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 563 Spanish Theatre Since 1868
• CAS LS 564 Spanish Realism
• CAS LS 565 The Spanish Picaresque Novel
• CAS LS 566 Spanish Romanticism
• CAS LS 567 Spanish Poetry of the Middle Ages
• CAS LS 568 Prose Fiction of the Spanish Middle Ages
• CAS LS 569 Nineteenth-Century Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 570 Don Quixote
• CAS LS 571 Sentimental Romance
• CAS LS 572 The Spanish-American Colonial Experience: Early Texts, New Interpretations
• CAS LS 573 Spanish-American Literary Modernismo and Modernization
• CAS LS 574 Literature and Politics in Post-Franco Spain (1975–2000)
• CAS LS 575 Topics in Peninsular Literature
• CAS LS 576 Topics in Spanish-American Literature
• CAS LS 577 Topics in Hispanic Thought and Criticism
• CAS LS 578 Spanish Drama of the Golden Age
• CAS LS 579 Topics in Hispanic Film
• CAS LS 580 Mexico City in Literature and Film
• GRS LS 850 Seminar: Topics in Spanish Literature
• GRS LS 851 Writing in the Americas I
• GRS LS 852 Writing in the Americas II
• GRS LS 951, 952 Directed Study in Hispanic Language and Literature

Italian

• CAS LI 551 Narrative Poetry of the Renaissance
• CAS LI 553 Petrarch and the Tradition of Love Poetry
• CAS LI 555 Dante’s Hell
• CAS LI 556 Dante: The Divine Comedy II: Purgatorio and Paradiso
• CAS LI 590 Topics in Modern Italian Literature and Criticism
• GRS LI 951, 952 Directed Study in Italian Language and Literature

Linguistics

Linguistics courses are also described in the Applied Linguistics section of the bulletin.

• CAS LX 500 Topics in Linguistics
• CAS LX 501 Linguistic Field Methods
• CAS LX 502 Semantics
• CAS LX 503 Semantics II
• CAS LX 504 Topics in Pragmatics
• CAS LX 505 Structure of African Language
• CAS LX 510 Phonetics
• CAS LX 513 Phonology
• CAS LX 521 Morphology
• CAS LX 522 Syntax I
• CAS LX 523 Syntax II
• CAS LX 533 The Structure of Creole Languages
• CAS LX 535 Historical and Comparative Linguistics
• GRS LX 700 Language Acquisition and Linguistic Theory
• GRS LX 801/802 Seminar in Applied Linguistic Research
• GRS LX 865 Advanced Topics in Linguistics
• GRS LX 951, 952 Directed Study: Linguistics

Methodology

• GRS LL 699 Teaching College Languages I

Reading Courses in French, German, Italian, and Spanish

• GRS LF 621 Reading French for Graduate Students
• GRS LG 621 Reading German for Graduate Students
• GRS LI 621 Reading Italian for Graduate Students
• GRS LS 621 Reading Spanish for Graduate Students
• GRS LP 621 Reading Portuguese for Graduate Students

Related Courses in the Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature

Department of Modern Languages & Comparative Literature faculty offer a range of courses and directed study options focusing on the literatures of the German-speaking world, Russia, the Middle East, and Asia. These courses are open to graduate students in Romance Studies and other departments. A more comprehensive program of Comparative Literature courses for graduate students is currently under development.

• GRS LC 951, 952 Directed Study in Chinese Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• GRS LG 951, 952 Directed Study in German Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• GRS LH 951, 952 Directed Study in Hebrew Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• GRS LJ 951, 952 Directed Study in Japanese Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• GRS LR 951, 952 Directed Study in Russian  Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• GRS LT 951, 952 Directed Study in Turkish  Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• GRS LY 741 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
• GRS LY 781 Contemporary Arab Cultures: Subversion, Censorship, Exile (in English translation)
• GRS LY 782 Qur’anic Negotiations: Contemporary Muslim Writers and the Holy Book
• GRS LY 951, 952 Directed Study in Arabic  Prereq: Consent of instructor and department.
• CAS XL 520 Theory of the Novel
• CAS XL 540 Theory and Practice of Literary Translation
• CAS XL 560 Topics in Bible and Literature
• GRS XL 741 1001 Nights in the World Literary Imagination
• GRS XL 792 Introduction to Literary Study
• GRS XL 951, 952 Directed Study in Comparative Literature