CALENDAR OF PROGRESS THROUGH THE PH.D. PROGRAM IN CHINESE OR JAPANESE LITERATURE

This is a descriptive rather than prescriptive calendar. It should be read as a gloss on the information found elsewhere on the department’s web page (http://www.yale.edu/eall/) and in the current edition of Yale University Graduate School Programs and Policies (http://www.yale.edu/graduateschool/ academics/policies.html).

Each student's career in the Ph.D. program will differ somewhat from that of other students, depending upon prior preparation, the nature of the student's particular area of specialization, and other factors. On the other hand, both the Graduate School and the Department have certain regulations and expectations with which all students must comply, and exceptions are only rarely made. Consult the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) regarding any questions about the regulations set forth in Programs and Policies or about this calendar.

Please note well that this is a guide to your five years of funded residence at Yale. It is normal for most graduate students to interrupt and supplement their studies at Yale with one or two years of research in East Asia underwritten with a grant obtained from such agencies as Fulbright, Fulbright-Hays, CSCC, Harvard-Yenching Dissertation Fellowship, Japan Foundation, Monbukagakusho, etc. Students typically apply to these agencies for support in the fall of their third year, if not sooner, using the opportunity of the application process to develop an early draft of the dissertation prospectus which is submitted to the Department the following year. Students should be aware that some of these agencies have early deadlines for applications. Please confer early and closely with your adviser and the Director of Graduate Studies in planning your schedule for study abroad.

Applications for grants from the Graduate School and the Council on East Asian Studies for summer language study and research travel are solicited late in the fall term and early in the spring term. Students should make their summer plans as early as possible and should be prepared to apply for these grants when they are announced. Students should be aware that application deadlines for grants for dissertation study abroad typically fall in the later summer or early fall of the year before the supported year.

EVERY YEAR

Around the middle of the spring term, perhaps most conveniently just before or after the spring break, each student should set up a meeting with the DGS and with all faculty members teaching in his or her area (Chinese or Japanese or both, if appropriate) to discuss his or her progress and performance, and plans for the coming year(s). This meeting should take place each year until the term in which the student takes his or her qualifying exam (see below under THIRD YEAR). Students in residence who are working on their dissertations should organize a similar meeting, perhaps once a term, to discuss their progress with the DGS, their adviser, and other interested faculty members.

FIRST YEAR

Courses: The student normally takes 6 courses, usually three per term. The majority of these courses are likely to be in EALL, but, depending upon the student's interests and background, courses in other departments should also be considered. The student should try to work with each member of the EALL Department (including visiting faculty) who is a specialist in their field (Chinese or Japanese), if possible. Depending on the extent of previous preparation, the student may need to take a course with readings in English in an area or period of Chinese or Japanese literature with which they are not very familiar. Although it is not a requirement, students in Chinese are urged to take such courses on Japanese literature, and students of Japanese are urged to take such courses on Chinese literature, if they have not already done so. Students in Chinese may need to begin or continue the study of literary Chinese. Students in Japanese should begin the study of literary Japanese if they have not already done so. Students specializing in pre-modern Japanese literature should begin or prepare for the study of literary Chinese. In addition, all students may wish to enrich their studies with courses in Chinese and/or Japanese anthropology/ archaeology, history, history of art, religious studies, comparative literature, or other literatures, including English. Considering the fact that each student is expected to take the qualifying exam at the end of the third year it might be a good idea to plan to focus the courses in three distinct fields after consultation with the adviser and DGS.

Language Requirements: See above regarding the study of Chinese and Japanese. The student must also take steps to prepare to fulfill the language requirement by the end of the second year. The French and German departments offer courses in the reading of these languages: if the student presents evidence of completion of these courses with a passing grade in the final exam, the requirement shall be fulfilled. Students with prior preparation in European languages may take a standardized test given by the appropriate department or administered by the Graduate School. If the student plans to offer other languages or other forms of evidence in fulfillment of this requirement, permission to do so must be obtained from the DGS by the end of the first term; in particular, students in Japanese who wish to offer Chinese—or students in Chinese who wish to offer Japanese. It should be noted that although those who elect to use Chinese or Japanese to fulfill the language requirement will be examined at the end of the second year, the expected level of proficiency in these languages is at the third year level.

Summer Funding: This will be the first summer in which students will be eligible to use one of the two years of summer funding extended to them by the Graduate School as indicated in their letter of admission. Summer funds from the Graduate School may be used for a variety of purposes, including ongoing independent study in New Haven, more formal coursework (such as language study or other) in New Haven or elsewhere, research related travel, pre-dissertation research, etc. Grants from the Graduate School may be combined with grants from other sources, such as the Council on East Asian Studies. The Council will require applicants for its grants to show the standard Graduate School summer funding already figured into the total of the student’s resources for summer projects for which additional funding is sought by the student, as long as the student has not already used his or her two years of Graduate School summer funding. Graduate students are also eligible to apply for Richard U. Light Graduate and Professional Fellowships for language study at approved programs in East Asia; see http://www.yale.edu/iefp/light.

SECOND YEAR

Courses: As in the first year. Through course work in the second year, the student should begin to focus on an area or topic of specialization and should arrange with a member of the department to act as his or her dissertation adviser; the DGS should be informed once this arrangement has been made. To maintain good academic standing, the student must achieve at least two grades of Honors each year and should complete 12 courses by the end of the second year.

Language requirements: By the end of the second year, the student should have already fulfilled the language requirement. Also, at the end of the second full academic year, the student must take a written exam in the language of his or her specialization. Arrangements for this exam should be made well before the end of the spring term, through consultation with the DGS and the member(s) of the faculty who will conduct the exam.

Teaching: Second-year students may, occasionally, be asked to serve as Teaching Fellows. See Teaching, below, under THIRD YEAR.

Evaluation: The faculty will conduct a comprehensive review of each student’s progress and promise by the end of the second year. This will include a review of the transcript, a confidential discussion among ladder faculty members about the student's coursework and indications of promise and progress as seen in that and other settings, and a review of a previously submitted and graded seminar paper.  The seminar paper may be submitted without any revision or may be revised.  The student should select the paper and discuss possible revisions with his or her adviser.  The paper must be submitted no later than April 1 and will be assessed by two members of the ladder faculty other than the instructor in whose class it was originally submitted for credit, to be selected by the DGS in consultation with the adviser. The student will be advised of the faculty’s assessment of this paper by the adviser and/or DGS. If the faculty deems a student's performance unsatisfactory (indicating that it is unlikely that the student can successfully complete the requirements for the Ph.D), the student will be advised to petition for the M.A. degree (if the requirements have been met) and not to continue in the program beyond the second year.

The M.A. degree: Students who have completed at least 12 term courses and have fulfilled the European language requirement as well as the language requirement in their field of specialization may petition for the M.A. degree. Most students petition for this degree en route to the Ph.D., upon completion of the requirements.

Summer Funding: See above.

THIRD YEAR

Courses: Besides the two courses, either seminars or tutorials, that must be taken in the third year of study, much of the student's time (especially in the second term) will be occupied with preparation for the qualifying exam, which takes place in the sixth term.

Language Requirements: Students specializing in pre-modern Japanese literature must pass a reading test in literary Chinese. The exam must be completed prior to registration for the fourth year of study, so arrangements for taking the exam should be made before the end of the spring term of the third year.

The qualifying exam and admission to candidacy: A qualifying oral examination demonstrating both the breadth and specialization of the student’s knowledge in three fields, will take place by the end of the sixth term. The three fields should include different periods of literature (traditional or modern), and may also focus on a second East Asian literature, on a genre (poetry, drama, narrative fiction), or on a field that supports the student’s developing specialization (theory and criticism, film, art history, history, etc.). At least two of the fields should be from the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. For example, a student in Chinese literature could choose to have the fields in traditional Chinese poetry, modern Chinese fiction, and film. In preparing for the oral examination, students are required to compile reading lists in the three fields, in consultation with the advisers in those fields. The lists must be approved and signed by the student’s examiners and the Director of Graduate Studies before the oral examination can be scheduled. The examination lasts two hours with about forty minutes devoted to each field. For additional detailed information see The Qualifying Examination for the Ph.D. Degree.

Dissertation Prospectus: After having successfully passed the qualifying oral examination, students are required to submit a dissertation prospectus to the department for approval. In order to be admitted to candidacy for Ph.D., students must complete all pre-dissertation requirements, including the prospectus. Students must be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy by the end of the seventh term.

The M.Phil. degree: For this degree, completion of fourteen courses, the language requirements, the qualifying exam and dissertation prospectus are necessary. Most students petition for this degree en route to the Ph.D., upon completion of the requirements.

Teaching: As stated in each student’s letter of admission, the Graduate School considers teaching to be an important part of every student’s program at Yale. There are usually opportunities for eligible students to teach either in Chinese or Japanese language courses or in literature in translation courses.  In most cases, teaching in the EALL doctoral program will consist of four terms of teaching in two consecutive terms in the third, fourth, or fifth years of the student’s progress toward the Ph.D.  The department aims to provide all students with ample and appropriate opportunities to teach in both areas.  Teaching opportunities may also be available in other departments and programs. Each student should refer to the statement in his or her admissions letter regarding the Graduate School’s expectations about teaching and the relationship of such appointments to the student’s on-going fellowship support. Also consult the section on “Supplementation of Yale Fellowships” in Programs and Policies.

Summer Funding: See above.

FOURTH YEAR

Prospectus and Committee: Assuming that the qualifying exam has taken place in the spring of the student’s third year of residence at Yale, the student should submit and receive approval of the dissertation prospectus by October 1 in the following fall term. The dissertation prospectus shall be limited in length to approximately 10 but not more than 15 pages, exclusive of bibliography.  Its content should include a thesis statement, review of relevant scholarship, chapter outline, and proposed schedule, as well as a discussion of the rationale and objectives of the dissertation project.

At the time of submission of the prospectus, the DGS will consult with the dissertation adviser and form a dissertation committee, which will determine whether the prospectus is acceptable; upon acceptance, the student shall be admitted to candidacy.  The committee will normally consist of three members of the Yale faculty and the adviser will serve as the chair of the committee.  If the DGS is not a formal member of the committee, he or she will serve as an ad hoc member for the purpose of reviewing the prospectus for acceptance.  The committee members may eventually serve as the readers of the dissertation, but the designation of readers will be determined by the committee itself, in consultation with the DGS, as the student's work on the dissertation moves forward. Readers of the dissertation may include no more than one person who is not a member of the Yale faculty.

Research: Some students elect to remain in residence at Yale during the fourth year as they begin dissertation research; others go abroad for research during this year or the fifth year. Upon his or her return from research in East Asia, the student will begin or continue the writing of the dissertation. Each student should carefully confer with their adviser over the schedule for delivering draft chapters over the course of this and the following fifth year of Yale funding.

Teaching: As above, under third year. Very advanced students may occasionally be appointed Part-Time Acting Instructors (PTAIs), and thereby teach courses on their own. Another avenue for teaching, available to students who have been admitted to candidacy and are making good progress on the dissertation, is in the College Seminar program. (Consult the DGS and/or DUS.)

Dissertation Progress Report: The Graduate School requires submission of a Dissertation Progress Report in the spring term of each year after admission to candidacy.

See also below, Other Support, under FIFTH YEAR and Summer Funding, above.

FIFTH YEAR

Dissertation research and writing occupy most of the student's time. Many students find that the fifth year is the best one in which to conduct research abroad. Again, students conducting dissertation research abroad should register in absentia.

Dissertation Progress Report: The Graduate School requires submission of a Dissertation Progress Report in the spring term of each year after admission to candidacy.

Teaching: Some fifth-year students may be TFs, under the conditions described above, but third- and fourth-year students have priority; fifth year students may also be eligible to teach as PTAI's or in the College Seminar program.

Other support: Although most students will wish to delay doing so until the sixth year, students who can demonstrate that they will devote their full time to work on the dissertation during the fifth year (and, if they have had a Graduate School fellowship, have used it for a full four years) are eligible for Yale Dissertation Fellowships from the graduate school and, if nominated by a faculty member, for Whiting Fellowships or Yale East Asian Prize Fellowships; there are a few other highly competitive dissertation-year fellowships available from non-Yale sources. Application for Yale Dissertation Fellowships must be made in the spring of the academic year preceding that in which the fellowship is to be held; students should check the "Grants and Fellowships" notebook in the department office and the Fellowship Library of the Graduate School, for information about other fellowships, and all students are strongly urged to apply for them.

SIXTH YEAR

Dissertation research and writing continue, ideally to completion of the degree. Students engaged in the writing of the dissertation are often invited to give a “work in progress” presentation to the EALL faculty and their fellow students. See also Career Placement and Advising, below.

Teaching: There may be opportunities for appointment as a PTAI or in the College Seminar program, or elsewhere.

Other support: All students making good progress toward completion of the dissertation and devoting their full time to it are eligible for a University Dissertation Fellowship (if they have not had one in the fifth year), and are eligible to win Whiting Fellowships or East Asian Prize Fellowships if nominated by a faculty member in the previous spring. Application for the dissertation year fellowship must be made in the spring prior to the year in which the student hopes to hold the fellowship. All students are strongly urged to apply for "outside" write-up year fellowships as well; these often carry a larger stipend than the Yale fellowship. (Students who show that they have applied to outside sources for dissertation-writing support but are unsuccessful are awarded small but significant “bonuses” to their Yale Dissertation Fellowships.) Students who hold Yale Dissertation Fellowships must obtain permission from the DGS and the Associate Dean if they wish to accept any employment that takes time away from work on the dissertation.

Submitting the dissertation: The dissertation must be submitted according to rules set forth by the Registrar of the Graduate School; the student should pay careful attention to these rules and to the deadlines for submission of the dissertation. Deadlines are in October and March of each year.

Once submitted, the dissertation is read by a committee of three qualified scholars appointed by the DGS in consultation with the student's adviser; see above under “Prospectus and Committee.”  Readers are not selected by the student. Usually, the adviser is one of the readers, and the others are usually two other Yale faculty members, or, occasionally, one member of the faculty of another institution. Each reader is provided with a copy of the dissertation by the Graduate School Registrar, and submits a report on the dissertation to the Graduate School. Some readers may find that corrections must be made, and the student will be asked to submit a corrected copy of the dissertation before it is formally approved. If all the readers find the dissertation "acceptable," or better, the DGS recommends the student for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. After the Graduate School's degree committee has met and reviewed the readers’ reports, the student will receive copies of the readers' reports from the Registrar and a letter from the Dean notifying the student of the committee's action. Degrees are awarded in November/December and in May, but the university conducts its Commencement exercises only once a year, in May.

Dissertation Progress Report: The Graduate School requires submission of a Dissertation Progress Report in the spring term of each year after admission to candidacy.

AFTER THE SIXTH YEAR

Students beyond the sixth-year of study may only register with the special permission of the Associate Dean of the Graduate School. Requests for an extension of the period of study and permission to register should first be made to the DGS. Students beyond the sixth year are not eligible for the Yale Dissertation Fellowship.

The dissertation may still be turned in, however, and the Ph.D. completed, any number of years after the approval of the prospectus, so long as the faculty remains willing to consider the dissertation.

CAREER PLACEMENT AND ADVISING

The McDougal Graduate Student Center offers many workshops and advising services to assist students in their search for employment upon completion of their degrees, including teaching appointments, post-doctoral fellowships, and other kinds of employment and career planning. All graduate students are urged to avail themselves of these services, which include dossier services. In addition, students should seek advice from the DGS and their adviser about the job search process. Both the McDougal Center and your DGS and adviser can offer suggestions and guidance on the preparation of your resumé and cover letter, how to prepare for a “job talk” or interview, etc. All students nearing the end of the dissertation-writing process and preparing to search for jobs are urged to present a “work in progress” talk to interested members of the department and others (this often can serve as a rehearsal of the “job talk”); contact the DGS to arrange this.