About the PhD Program
Introduction and Admissions Information
The Program
Resources
Fellowships and Admission
The Program
Yale University's doctoral program in Renaissance Studies offers a combined Ph.D. degree with a second department that integrates concentration in that department with interdisciplinary study of the broader range of culture in the Renaissance and early modern period.
The program is designed to train Renaissance specialists who are firmly based in a traditional discipline but who can work across disciplinary boundaries. Departments that offer the combined degree with Renaissance Studies are Classics, Comparative Literature, English, History, History of Art, History of Music, Italian, and Spanish and Portuguese.
A core methods course, offered every other year, is intended to draw together different aspects of the Renaissance movement in Italy, France, Spain, Germany, and England. Other deparments also offer courses which deal with the Renaissance period, and students are free to take such courses in French, German, Judaic Studies, Philosophy, and Religious Studies.
Yale offers a remarkably broad spectrum of study in Renaissance culture -- on average more than thirty graduate courses each year. The list of courses acceptable for credit encompasses the history, literature, art, music and culture of Europe from the later fourteenth century through the sixteenth century in Italy and from the sixteenth through the mid-seventeenth century in Northern Europe.
Resources
The Yale University Libraries contain approximately nine million volumes. Further, a potential pool of twenty six and one half million volumes is available through the Research Libraries Group.
The Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library has extensive holdings of Renaissance Manuscripts, incunabula, and rare books. The Spinelli Archive in the Beinecke Library, covering the 400-year history of a Florentine banking family, is the largest archive of Italian papers outside Italy and a resource in Renaissance Studies unique among American libraries.
The Yale Art Gallery, with its world-famous Jarves Collection, allows direct study of original works of Italian Renaissance art, while the Yale British Art Center, the largest collection of British art outside the British Isles, is richly endowed in paintings miniatures, prints, and drawings from the Tudor-Stuart period.
The Classical Library documents Greco-Roman civilization in a comprehensive collection of books, slides, and electronic archives. Slides, books, and photographs in the Art Library give access to every notable work of art in the period.
The John Herrick Jackson Music Library contains virtually every modern edition of Renaissance music and also has several thousand microfilms of works by Renaissance composers.
The excellent Divinity School Library and the History of Medicine Collection in the Harvey Cushing and John Hay Whitney Medical Library document the histories of religion and science respectively.
Yale's Information Technology Services provides a full range of on-line and media resources.
The McDougal Graduate Student Center offers facilities and programs to support both graduate student life and professional development.
Fellowships
The graduate school awards standard 9-month stipends of $18,000, in addition to which students are eligible for three summer study fellowships of $3,500.
Admission
Only candidates for the Ph.D. are accepted.
Note: Application should be made to the department of concentration, with an indication that the candidate seeks nomination to the combined degree in Renaissance Studies.
Latin and Italian are the required languages; a third language will vary according to departmental requirements.
The deadline for applications is January 1. Graduate Record Examination -- Verbal and Mathematical scores -- required. Applicants should submit a research or critical paper.
Inquiries may be addressed to:
Renaissance Studies Program
P.O. Box 208298
Yale University
New Haven, CT 06520-8298
(203) 432-0672
For admissions and fellowship information contact:
Graduate School of Arts & Sciences
Admission Office
P.O. Box 208323
Yale University
New Haven, CT 06520-8323
General Degree Requirements
Degree Requirements for the combined degree in Renaissance Studies vary slightly to accommodate the requirements of each of the participating departments, but all candidates for the combined degree are expected to meet, at a minimum, the following requirements:
Students must demonstrate a reading knowledge of Latin, Italian, and a third language, which will vary according to departmental requirements. At the minimum, an examination in Latin or Italian should normally be passed upon entrance; a second language should be passed before the third term; and a third language by the end of the second year.
Each student is required to take sixteen term courses (in History of Art, fifteen). The normal pattern is to have completed fifteen courses during the first two years of study, no more than two of which may be Individual Reading and Research.
A two-term core seminar, designed to present a wide range of topics concerned with Renaissance and early modern culture, is required of all combined degree candidates. This course, offered every other year, is open to students from other departments.
Upon completion of all pre-dissertation requirements, including the prospectus, students are admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. "Admission to Candidacy" must take place by the beginning of the fourth year of study. The topic of the dissertation will be in the student's area of departmental concentration but should be treated in the light of the student's cross-disciplinary training.
The dissertation will be submitted unbound to readers by March 1 or September 1, or preferably earlier. The Graduate School's deadlines for submission of dissertations are September 15 and March 15.
Master's Degrees
The M. Phil. degree may be requested after all requirements but the dissertation have been met.
The M.A. degree (en route to the Ph.D.) is awarded upon completion of the M.A.requirements in the student's department of concentration.
Individual Departmental Requirements
In addition to the general requirements, for the combined degree in Renaissance Studies each department has its own requirements.
Departmental Requirements
The specific departmental requirements for the combined degree in Renaissance Studies are listed below by department:
Classics
Comparative Literature
English
History
History of Art
Italian
Music
Spanish and Portuguese
Master's Degrees
M.Phil. The M. Phil. degree may be requested after all requirements but the dissertation have been met.
M.A. (en route to the Ph.D.) The M.A. degree is awarded upon completion of the M.A.requirements in the student's department of concentration.
Classics
Coursework
Students are expected to pass the normal Greek and Latin competency exams upon entrance to the program. They will complete sixteen term courses. Eight of these will be courses in Classics and will include at least four courses in Greek and Latin literature, a course in historical or comparative grammar, and at least three seminars. The eight remaining courses making up the Renaissance Studies portion of the degree will be broken down as follows: 2 terms of Renaissance Studies Core Course, 6 additional term courses be taken in at least two disciplines (such as literature, History, History of Art, Music, Religious Studies, etc). One of these courses should respect the spirit of the ordinary Classics requirement of a course in classical art or archaeology (a course on the classical origins of Renaissance architecture, for example, will satisfy this requirement).
Language Requirement
Italian, as set by Renaissance Studies -- one hour of sixteenth-century Italian prose, one of modern Italian scholarship – and a second language, normally German or French.
Timing of the exams and related matters
Students are expected to pass the Greek and Latin translation exams in the fall of the third year, to complete the oral examination in the spring of the third year, and to complete a prospectus and take the Greek and Latin literature exams in the fall of the fourth year.
Oral Examination
Classics portion: 75 minutes on three or four topics in classical Greek and Latin literature.
Renaissance Studies portion: 60 minutes, 15 minutes on a standard bibliographical question on the tools of renaissance research across the disciplines, 3 15-minute questions on Renaissance topics to be divided between at least two disciplines, i.e., literature, history, history of art, etc.
Procedures regarding the dissertation will follow departmental practice, though the board of readers will normally include at least one member of the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
Coursework
Students are required to complete 16 term courses, at least 7 of these in the Department of Comparative Literature. Students must take at least 10 courses in the field of Renaissance Studies (offered in several departments), including 2 terms of the Renaissance Studies Core Course and 3 courses in two disciplines other than literature (such as History, History of Art, or Religious Studies). At least 3 of a student’s overall list of courses must be in literary theory, criticism, or methodology.
Language Requirement
Latin and Italian, as set by Renaissance Studies – one hour of Renaissance Latin prose; one hour of sixteenth-century Italian prose, one of modern Italian scholarship – and two additional languages, at least one of them European.
Exams and related matters
An oral examination of 2 hrs, 15 minutes, consisting of 9 15-minute questions, three on topics in Renaissance literature from a comparative perspective, three on non-Renaissance topics in Comparative Literature, including at least one theoretical or critical question, two on Renaissance topics in non-literary disciplines, and a standard question on the bibliography for Renaissance Studies across the disciplines. Orals to be completed not later than the end of the sixth semester, dissertation prospectus to be completed in September of the fourth year.
Procedures regarding the dissertation will follow departmental practice, though the board of readers will normally include at least one member of the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
English
Coursework
Students in the joint degree program will complete sixteen term courses. Eleven of these will be courses in English, of which five (including those normally cross-listed, such as Comparative Literature courses and the Renaissance Studies Core Course) will be in Renaissance literature. An additional five courses in Renaissance topics will be non-cross-listed courses from other departments.
Languages
Latin, Italian, and a second modern language, to be tested by the Renaissance Studies Program.
Oral Examination
Nine nine-minute questions, including four Renaissance topics. An additional 45-minute portion, consisting of 3 15-minute questions in Renaissance Studies, one in bibliography and two in non-literary disciplines.
Timetable
Coursework must be completed by the end of the fifth semester, orals by the end of the sixth semester, prospectus by the beginning (i.e. September) of the seventh semester.
Dissertation
Procedures will follow departmental practice, with chapter submission dates to be modified according to the timetable above, and with at least one reader to come from the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee
History
Coursework
Students in the combined degree program will complete sixteen term courses. Ten of these will be courses in History. Of these courses, a minimum of four will be in Renaissance/early modern topics from the fourteenth through the seventeenth centuries. The six remaining courses making up the Renaissance Studies portion of the degree will be broken down as follows: 2 terms of Renaissance Studies Core Course, 4 additional term courses be taken in at least two disciplines outside of history (such as Classics, modern literatures, History of Art, Music, etc). The normal History Department requirements of three research seminars and a prospectus tutorial apply to combined degree students.
Language Requirement
Latin and Italian, as set by Renaissance Studies -- one hour of Renaissance Latin prose; two hours of Italian, one of sixteenth-century Italian prose, one of modern Italian scholarship – and a third language chosen by the student.
Prospectus and Oral Examination
History portion: 75 minutes in all, including 45 minutes on the "major" Renaissance/Reformation/early modern field, which may, but need not be, shared with more than one examiner, and 30 minutes on an "minor" field outside the specialization (and preferably outside of European history).
Renaissance Studies portion: 60 minutes, 15 minutes on a standard bibliographical question on the tools of Renaissance research across the disciplines, 3 15-minute questions to be divided between at least two disciplines outside of History narrowly conceived ( i.e, in literature, History of Art, etc.).
Timing of the exams and related matters
Students are expected to complete the prospectus by March of the third year and to complete the oral examination not later than September of the fourth year.
Dissertation
Procedures regarding the dissertation will follow departmental practice, though the board of readers will normally include at least one member of the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
History of Art
Coursework
Students in the combined degree program will complete fifteen term courses. Ten of these will be courses in History of Art. Of these courses, a minimum of four will be in "Renaissance Art" from fourteenth-century Italy through the baroque. The five remaining courses making up the "Renaissance Studies" portion of the degree will be broken down as follows: 2 terms of Renaissance Studies Core Course, 3 additional term courses taken in at least two disciplines outside of History of Art (such as literature, History, Music, Religious Studies, etc). Students will normally take seven courses in the first year, six in the second year (the credit for first-time teaching will be included in this number), and a final course in the fall of the third year.
Second Year Paper Requirement
A paper is to be submitted for consideration in January of the second year.
Language Requirement
Latin and Italian, as set by Renaissance Studies -- one hour of Renaissance Latin prose; two hours of Italian, one of sixteenth-century Italian prose, one of modern Italian scholarship. A third language (in most cases German) at the discretion of the History of Art Department.
Prospectus and Oral Comprehensive Examination
History of Art: 75 minutes, including examination on at least one field non-contiguous with the Renaissance.
Renaissance Studies: 60 minutes, 15 minutes on a standard bibliographical question on the bibliography of Renaissance Studies across the disciplines, and 3 15-minute questions to be divided between at least two disciplines outside the History of Art.
Timing of the exams and related matters
Students will be expected to complete the prospectus and colloquium by March of the third year and to complete the oral examination not later than September of the fourth year.
Dissertation
Procedures for the submission and evaluation of dissertations will be those followed in History of Art, though the board of readers will normally include a member of the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
Italian
Coursework
Of the Combined Degree Program’s total of sixteen term courses, seven are in Renaissance Studies and nine are in the Department of Italian. Of the nine courses in Italian, at least three courses would be devoted to the period from Dante to the earlier seventeenth century. The seven courses making up the "Renaissance Studies" portion of the degree will be divided as follows: two terms of the Renaissance Studies core course; two courses in Renaissance literatures other than Italian, and three courses divided between at least two "non-literary" disciplines (e.g., History, History of Art, Religious Studies, etc.).
Languages
Latin, as set by Renaissance Studies (one hour of Renaissance Latin prose), a second romance language and a non-romance language, tested in a two-hour examination (one hour of Renaissance prose, one hour of modern scholarship). Latin to be passed by the end of the first year (and preferably upon entrance); all languages to be passed before the oral examination.
Oral Examination
The qualifying examination, which must be completed by the end of the third year, will include an oral examination in which 60 minutes will be devoted to Italian literature, including the Renaissance, and one hour will be devoted to four 15-minute questions on: the bibliography of Renaissance Studies across the disciplines, a topic in Renaissance literature outside of Italy, and two topics in non-literary areas of the Renaissance (such as History or the History of Art). The portion of examination devoted to Italian literature will also include a written component following departmental guidelines.
Dissertation
The dissertation (a prospectus of which must be completed by the beginning of the fourth year) will normally be directed within the Department of Italian, but at least one of the readers will normally be a member of the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
Music
Coursework
Students in the combined degree program will complete sixteen term courses. Ten of these will be courses in Music, including four would in "early music," i.e. from the later Middle Ages through the baroque. The six remaining courses making up the Renaissance Studies portion of the degree will be broken down as follows: 2 terms of Renaissance Studies Core Course, 4 additional term courses be taken in at least disciplines outside of Music (such as literature, History, History of Art, Religious Studies, etc
Language Requirement
Latin and Italian, as set by Renaissance Studies -- one hour of Renaissance Latin prose; two hours of Italian, one of sixteenth-century Italian prose, one of modern Italian scholarship. A third language (normally French or German) at the discretion of the Music Department.
Comprehensive Examinations
Music: 3 90-minute essays (including one on "early music") followed by an oral examination of 90 minutes.
Renaissance Studies: 1 90-minute essay on an interdisciplinary Renaissance topic (e.g., art and literature of a particular country, or comparison of the culture of two or three princely courts, or the history of the Reformation or Counter-Reformation), followed by a 45-minute oral examination, 30 minutes of which is on the essay topic, 15 minutes of which is on the bibliography for Renaissance Studies across the disciplines.
Timing of the exams and related matters
Students in the combined degree program will
- take comprehensive exams in Music at the beginning of the third year (3 90-minute essays, including one on "Early Music," followed by a 90-minute oral examination);
- enroll in the third-year prospectus/dissertation seminar in Music;
- take a Renaissance Studies comprehensive exam in the spring of the third year (one 90-minute essay on an interdisciplinary topic – such as the art and literature of a particular country, a comparison of two or three courts, or the history of the Reformation or Counter-Reformation – followed by a 45-minute oral examination, 30 minutes of which will be devoted to the essay topic, 15 minutes of which will be devoted to the bibliography of Renaissance Studies across the disciplines);
- complete the prospectus not later than September of the fourth year.
Dissertation
Dissertations will be approved in the Department of Music, with at least one reader to come from the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
Spanish and Portuguese
Coursework
A total of sixteen courses at the graduate level is required. Nine correspond to requirements of the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and seven to those of the Renaissance Studies Program. Of the nine courses taken in Spanish and Portuguese, two are required: Spanish 790, Methodologies of Modern Foreign Language Teaching, and Spanish 500, History of the Spanish Language. Of the remaining seven, three or four will be in Spanish and/or Portuguese literature from the medieval period through the seventeenth century, and the balance (four or three) will be in the literature of Spain's and/or Portugal's ultramarine possessions. The student doing the combined degree program may elect to devote his or her departmental course work to either Hispanic or Luso-Brazilian literatures or do a combination of both in a distribution to be determined by the student in consultation with his or her departmental advisor(s). Of the seven courses taken in Renaissance Studies, two will be term courses of the Renaissance Studies Core Course. Of the five additional courses in Renaissance Studies, two will be in a literature or literatures other than Spanish and/or Portuguese and three will be taken in other departments (History, History of Art, Religious Studies, Philosophy, etc.)
Language Requirements
Students selecting this option are expected to have a strong command of Spanish and/or Portuguese as well as English. In addition, the following requirements must be met:
- Latin, as set by the Renaissance Studies program (passing a one-hour translation examination in Renaissance Latin prose);
- Italian, as set by the Renaissance Studies program (successful completion of a one-hour translation exam in sixteenth-century Italian prose and a one-hour translation exam in modern Italian scholarship);
- Demonstration of reading/translation proficiency in one of the following languages: French, German, Greek, Portuguese (available to students doing departmental course work exclusively in Spanish), Spanish (available to students doing departmental course work exclusively in Portuguese), or another language relevant to the student's specialization. Students doing their departmental course work in a combination of Spanish-language and Portuguese-language courses will be understood to have satisfied this third reading knowledge requirement so long as the courses are taught and the readings done in the relevant Romance language. If the course work in either Hispanic or Luso-Brazilian literatures is done in English, then the student will be expected to demonstrate proficiency by taking a one-hour translation exam in the sixteenth-century prose of the relevant language.
One language requirement must be satisfied by the end of the first year of study, if not upon entrance into the program (preferably Latin or Italian); the remaining requirement (for students doing both Spanish- and Portuguese-language literatures) or requirements (for the student working exclusively in either Spanish or Portuguese) must be satisfied by the end of the second year.
Qualifying Examination
Written component: 1) a two-hour examination in peninsular Spanish and/or Portuguese literatures, 2) a two-hour exam in the ultramarine literatures of Spain and/or Portugal.
Oral component: Eight 15-minute questions, distributed as follows: four in Spanish/Portuguese peninsular/ultramarine literatures (medieval period through the seventeenth century), and four in Renaissance Studies (one question on the bibliography of Renaissance Studies across the disciplines, one question on a non-Spanish/Portuguese literature, and two questions from extra-literary fields such as History, History of Art, Religious Studies, etc.).
Prospectus
In this combined Spanish and Portuguese/Renaissance Studies program, the dissertation project should be carefully planned with faculty members from the relevant departments specializing in the respective areas. The prospectus should meet the approval of the student’s advisor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese and the Renaissance Studies Program member advising the student. The prospectus must include a presentation of the topic to be investigated, an explanation of the reasons for its significance, and a description of the theoretical and methodological framework to be employed. The prospectus must be submitted to the Director of Graduate Studies in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, who will circulate it to the departmental faculty for their review and approval; the prospectus will likewise be submitted to the Renaissance Studies Program for review and approval by the faculty member(s) working with the student. The prospectus must be submitted and approved by the faculty by the beginning of the seventh semester of enrollment. Failure to meet this deadline will result in suspension of registration privileges by the Graduate School. The deadline for the submission of the dissertation prospectus in either semester is the Monday of the final week of classes.
Dissertation
The dissertation is to achieve a strong disciplinary (i.e., Spanish, Portuguese, or Spanish/Portuguese) identity while at the same time projecting a clear Renaissance Studies profile. The dissertation normally will be directed from within the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, and there will be at least one reader from the Renaissance Studies Executive Committee.
