PhD Guidelines
Department of English
Last updated: 26 May 2017
Table of Contents
Preamble
I. Program Requirements 4
A. Coursework
B. Second language
C. Thesis proposal
D. Comprehensive examinations
E. Preparation of dissertation
F. Examination of thesis
II. Professional Preparation 12
A. Teaching Fellowships
B. School of Graduate Studies support
III. Funding 14
A. Doctoral Fellowship
B. Graduate Assistantships
C. Teaching Fellowships
D. Conference funding
E. Other sources
IV. Further Information (leaves, concerns, etc.) 15
Preamble
This document is offered as a guide to the PhD program. As always, the successful completion of a PhD requires students, supervisors, and committee members to work in concert. All questions and concerns should be directed to the Graduate Coordinator:
Dr. Robert Ormsby
Registration
Once students register, their program registration is continued until they graduate or make a formal written request to the University to have their automatic registration discontinued. Students will be charged fees as long as their program registration continues.
In addition to the automatic registration in the program, students must register (usually by the internet) for each course taken. Students can ask the Cashier’s Office each September to have their tuition fees deducted from their fellowships. For this purpose, students should use a “Graduate Student Deduction Authorization Form.”
Paying Tuition
Graduate students who wish to have their tuition paid from their bi-weekly financial support can now request the service online through Memorial University Self-Service.
In such cases, semester and ancillary fees will be allocated over the number of pay periods available within a given semester and will be deducted from bi-weekly support.
To sign up for payroll deductions through Self-Service, students may click on the “Employee Services” tab and then the “Graduate Student Payroll Deduction Request.”
Graduate students signing up for payroll deductions must do so every semester. Current students already on funding will be able to sign up for online payroll deductions 24 hours after they register. New students will be able to sign up for online payroll deductions on the first day of classes.
All graduate students must complete their online submissions before the last day to register (two weeks after the start of classes). After the last day to register, you will not be able to sign up for payroll deductions until the following semester.
If eligible, opt out of health or dental insurance plans using opt-out forms available through the Graduate Students’ Union (GSU) by the appropriate deadline (refer to the GSU website for more information). All registered international graduate students are automatically enrolled in an emergency health insurance plan. However, you may meet eligibility requirements to opt out of the mandatory plan. Please see the International Student Advising website for details.
Supervisors
All new students in the PhD program are assigned the Head of the Department as supervisor. As soon as an area for the thesis has been identified, the Head is replaced as supervisor by another faculty member who has knowledge of the student’s proposed area of research and with whom the student has expressed a desire to work.
The appointment of the supervisor is made by the Head in consultation with the student, the supervisor, and the Graduate Coordinator. In appointing a supervisor, the Head is likely to consider the student’s preference, the appropriateness of the supervisor for the proposed area of research, and the equitable distribution of supervisory duties among faculty members.
With the mutual agreement of the student and the Department, joint supervision of the thesis by two faculty members is acceptable.
I. Program Requirements
All students must complete the following program requirements:
A. Coursework
B. Second language requirement
C. Thesis Proposal
D. Comprehensive examinations
E. Dissertation
F. Examination of thesis
An ideal timeline for progress through the PhD is:
Semesters 1 and 2 complete course work and second language;
establish supervisory committee
Semester 3 complete and submit Thesis Proposal
Semesters 4, 5, and 6 study for and complete comprehensive exams
Semesters 7 to 16 write, edit, submit dissertation
A. Coursework
PhD students must normally complete 5 graduate courses, often including English 7003. Course details are available on the departmental website and updated frequently. All PhD students are allowed to take up to one graduate course in another department in a cognate discipline. Please contact the Graduate Coordinator about the proper procedures for this option.
B. Second language requirement
Reading knowledge of a second language is required of all PhD candidates. Reading knowledge is defined as a minimum B grade in a second-year language course taken within the previous five years, a passing grade in an approved second-language course for graduate students, or performance satisfactory to the Department in an arranged reading proficiency test (in which a dictionary may be used). The language requirement should be completed before the comprehensive examination is taken.
The second language is normally French. In exceptional circumstances, and on the recommendation of the supervisory committee and the departmental Graduate Studies Committee, a language other than French may be substituted.
C. Thesis proposal
All doctoral candidates must submit a thesis proposal, normally by the end of their third semester.
The proposal must be submitted to the Graduate Coordinator by the supervisor and must be accompanied by a statement from the supervisor that he/she is in full support of the project as described. The statement from the supervisor must include the following:
1. The student's name
2. A working title
3. The two proposed comprehensive examination areas
The Graduate Coordinator ensures that the proposal conforms to these guidelines, and then forwards the proposal to the departmental Graduate Studies Committee for consideration.
The departmental Graduate Studies Committee is required to return the thesis proposal to the supervisor and the candidate no later than one month after receipt.
The departmental Graduate Studies Committee must respond to the proposal with either an approval or a request for revisions. Such a request must include specific reasons why the GSC is not willing to approve the proposal.
The proposal must be approved by the GSC before the comprehensive examination committee is formed.
The thesis proposal should be minimum 5000 words in length, plus the bibliography (all double-spaced).
The bibliography must include all works mentioned in the proposal and other works that will be used in the thesis.
All citations and the bibliography must conform scrupulously to the most recent MLA guidelines.
The proposal must include these sections:
1. Topic and Thesis – this section must provide an introduction to the topic, a justification of the choice of texts/authors, an explanation and contextualization of key terminology, and – most importantly – a clear thesis statement that outlines the argument.
2. Theory/Methodology – this section indicates and justifies the theoretical and methodological frameworks that will be used in the dissertation.
3. Scholarship review/Scholarly significance – this section must survey the existing scholarship on the dissertation topic and position the dissertation topic within that critical history. This section must also offer a clear indication of how the dissertation adds to that scholarship.
4. Chapter outline – this section indicates a proposed breakdown of chapter content.
5. Working bibliography – this section should be divided into primary and secondary texts and must conform scrupulously to the most recent MLA guidelines.
D. Comprehensive Examination Components
1. Complementary Area Comprehensive Exams
Regulation: Complementary Area Exam must be written before the Thesis Area Exam
Assessment: The comprehensive examination committee assesses student work with either “Pass: proceed to next exam”; “Unsatisfactory: rewrite”; or, “Fail: do not proceed.” An assessment of “Pass” or “Unsatisfactory” requires a majority vote, while a failing grade requires unanimous support of the Committee and in that case re-examination is not permitted. Only one “rewrite” of the Complementary Area Exam is permitted.
Purpose
The complementary area comprehensive exam aims to encourage the development and test the breadth of an area that is both distinct from and complementary to the student’s doctoral research project. Principal objectives are to
· Demonstrate the ability to synthesize and comment upon the current state of scholarship in the chosen topic,
· Broaden the knowledge base informing the thesis area in such a way as to contribute to it, and
· Provide students with professional training.
Overview of Options
Students, in consultation with their supervisors, will choose to complete one of two options for the Complementary Area Exam. Both options are designed to avoid overlap with the student’s Thesis Area Exam and to serve to test a topic that is complementary to the primary one. Topics for both options are to be chosen from the following list:
· A literary theme that complements the thematic framework of the thesis work.
· A literary movement that complements the thesis work.
· A genre that complements the thesis work.
· A time period that complements that informing the thesis topic.
· A theoretical or conceptual frame that complements the methodology adopted in the thesis work.
Once a complementary area topic is chosen, students and their supervisor(s) will provide the comprehensive exam committee with a reading list comprised of 30-45 sources. The balance of primary and secondary sources will be determined by the student’s supervisor(s).
Option A: Essay
Objectives of Option A
· Test the breadth of knowledge of a secondary area,
· Verify research and writing skills, and
· Provide an opportunity for students to hone those skills.
Students are given ten calendar days to prepare a critical overview of the complementary area that demonstrates a firm grasp of the field’s current scholarship and practices, including artistic practices (e.g., as if it were the introduction to an edited collection of essays, a historical survey, or a literature review—as long as the model is critical and general). The essay, of 4,000-6,000 words, is to be accompanied by a 250-word abstract and a list of 5 keywords in response to one question out of the three drafted by the comprehensive exam committee. The essay, formatted according to MLA citation style, must have a complete Works Cited list of at least 15 entries.
The comprehensive examination committee should assess this written work similar to peer-reviewing journal articles for scholarly publications; that is, an assessment of “accept” or “accept with revisions” would constitute a passing grade. The comprehensive examination committee must provide feedback aimed at improving the article for potential publication.
Option B: Course Syllabus Packages
Objectives of Option B
· Test the breadth of knowledge of a secondary area,
· Verify communication and other skills related to teaching, and
· Provide an opportunity for students to hone those skills.
Students are given ten calendar days to prepare two different course syllabus packages for the same advanced university course, the title of which will be provided by the comprehensive exam committee. The syllabi must be distinct from each other in their aims, objectives, and approaches. Each syllabus package must include:
· A 1,000-1,500 word synopsis of the course, which includes a narrative of the anticipated learning and a rationale for the course design
· A statement of course objectives
· A required reading list
· A recommended further reading list
· A 13-week class schedule
· Samples of assignments, tests, and other evaluation exercises
· The required and recommended further reading lists must total 15-20 sources. Students will then be asked to teach the introductory lesson of one of the two courses. Overviews of primary and secondary texts must be included along with the context or positioning of the course content. The lesson, which is attended by the comprehensive exam committee, is to be 50 minutes long. Examiners then engage in a 30 minute question period intended to test and provoke discussion of other aspects of the syllabi.
2. Thesis Area Comprehensive Examinations
Regulation: oral component of the Thesis Area Exam must happen no more than 3 weeks following the submission of the written component.
Assessment: Based on the quality of both parts of the examinations and both the written and oral Thesis Area component, the committee may recommend one of the following outcomes:
· Pass with distinction (Awarded to students who demonstrate superior knowledge of their chosen field; this category requires unanimous support of the Committee.)
· Pass (A simple majority vote is required.)
· Re-examination required (Re-examination means the student will sit a second oral component, no more than 2 weeks from the date of the first.)
· Fail (Failing grades require unanimous support of the Committee. Re-examination is not permitted)
No candidate shall be permitted more than two Thesis Area oral examinations in total.
Purpose
The examination in the thesis area is meant both to prepare students to write their dissertations and to elicit departmental approval of their readiness for the final stage of their doctoral program. The principal objectives are for the student to
· Test mastery and depth of knowledge of specific area,
· Show exceptional written and oral communication skills,
· Show ability to communicate research to a general (but informed) audience, and
· Show excellent bibliographic and citation skills.
List of Required Readings: 60-75 texts, the balance of primary and secondary sources to be determined by the student’s supervisor(s).
Written Component
Students are required to write a 6,000-8,000 word response, including a 200-250 word abstract, 5 keywords, and a Works Cited of at least 20 sources from the Thesis Area reading list.
The student is given the topic at 9:00am on a Friday and must submit written response(s) by 4:30pm 10 days later.
The topic will be in the form of an open question and must present the student with the opportunity to address fundamental aspects of their Thesis Area reading lists and must present the student with the challenge of integrating primary sources with historical, cultural and/or theoretical secondary sources.
The comprehensive examination committee must inform candidates within 5 days of submission if they may proceed to the oral examination.
Oral Component
Candidates will prepare (in consultation with their supervisor) a 20-minute public presentation.