Doctor's degree Comparative Literature - Princeton University

Doctor's degree Comparative Literature from Princeton University is a Campus Ph.D Literature degree that prepares you for a Liberal Arts career. The degree of doctor of philosophy in comparative literature is offered by the department in cooperation with the other departments of literature . The program of study enables students with exceptional training in languages and literatures to profit from the increased awareness and understanding that may be derived from the considered view of more than one literature and of the theoretical presuppositions behind literary study as a whole. Lasting from four to five years, depending on the student's background, the program prepares candidates for scholarship in the field and for teaching in comparative literature , separate departments of literature , and the humanities. Entering students with a master's degree or its equivalent are normally expected to elect a four-year course of study; those without prior graduate training may enroll for five years. Language Requirement In addition to English, students must have a command of two modern and one classical language. These may be Western, East Asian, or Near Eastern. Students must elect one of these languages as their principal foreign language. A firm reading knowledge of the other two languages must be demonstrated either through undergraduate proficiency examinations or courses. In determining proficiency in the principal foreign language, students are held to the standards of the departments of foreign languages. Course of Study The curriculum in comparative literature has two major objectives: while training students in one literary tradition, it also requires them to be seriously interested in at least two other literatures as well as in the historical, critical, and theoretical problems raised by the study of literature . The course of study prior to the general examination reflects these objectives. It requires from four to six terms, depending on the student's preparation, background, and performance, and includes course work in comparative literature and the student's major and minor literatures. Areas of Study Major Literature The program of study in the major literature aims at giving students a mastery sufficient to enable them to teach it as part of their professional commitment. The scope of the major literature is historically defined. Its precise outlines vary among the individual literary disciplines, but they generally conform to the following patterns: * Classical Literatures The major in classics includes the study of both Greek and Roman literatures. For a detailed description of the curriculum, see the separate Schedule for the Classics Major in Comparative Literature . * Post-Classical Western Literatures Students majoring in these literatures choose one of the following periods: (1) Middle Ages to Renaissance, (2) Renaissance to Romanticism, (3) Romanticism to the present. * East Asian Literatures Students majoring in Chinese or Japanese may follow the prescribed curriculum for comparative literature students concentrating in one or both of these literatures. For the detailed curriculum, see the separate Schedule for Chinese or Japanese Majors in Comparative Literature . * Near Eastern Literatures Students majoring in Arabic, Hebrew, Persian, or Turkish develop individual programs with the assistance of their advisers. These generally involve a version of one or more topics of concentration or fields of study required by the Department of Near Eastern Studies. View more details on Princeton University . Ask your questions and apply online for this program or find other related Literature courses.