The First Two Years

The first two years of graduate study are spent in coursework. Students begin teaching after the second year. Normally, students take 16 half-courses during the first two years, with the possibility of credit given for previous graduate work done elsewhere.

These half-courses must include:
• Three 200-level courses in the major Romance literature. Note: Students must obtain the formal approval of their advisors before registering for 320-level (Supervised Reading and Research) courses. No more than one 320-level course will count toward the 16 half-courses required for the PhD.
• One half-course in the history of the major Romance language.
• One half-course in the literature of a second Romance language. In order for a course to satisfy the second literature requirement, it must be at the 100-level or higher and taught in the language. Papers may be written either in English or in the target language. Certain other options (e.g., German, Greek, Romance Studies) may be considered in place of this requirement by petition to the Curriculum Committee and with the approval of the student’s advisor.
• Students specializing in Medieval or Renaissance studies are required to take a halfcourse in Latin beyond the beginning level. This requirement can be met with Latin 3, 3m, 4, 4m or higher. Students in Spanish specializing in a subfield other than Medieval or Renaissance studies must take one half-course in the literature of a third language (exclusive of Spanish and Portuguese), related to the student’s specialization (e.g., French, Italian, Catalan, Quechua, Nahuatl, Latin, etc.).
• Graduate students who do not pursue a secondary PhD field will be allowed to take a maximum of four courses outside the department over the first two years in the program; that is, an average of one course per term. Those students who choose to complete a secondary PhD field during the first two years in the program will not be allowed to take courses outside the department other than those taken for the secondary field. In keeping with this policy, they may not enroll for credit in courses cross listed with Romance Languages and Literatures. Students pursuing secondary fields must take a minimum of 12 courses in Romance Languages and Literatures.

The First Year

• Eight half-courses. (See above.)
• Upon entering the graduate program, students are evaluated for proficiency in the oral and written use of the major Romance language. Those who require further linguistic training take additional language courses during the first year.
• Students must demonstrate the ability to read Latin by successful completion (B- or better, or grade of “Satisfactory”) of Harvard Latin A and Latin B (or their equivalent elsewhere). Courses offered in satisfaction of this requirement do not count among the sixteen required half-courses for the PhD degree. Spanish literature students may substitute Latin with a language related to their chosen field of expertise (French, Italian, Catalán, Quechua, etc.).
• All students are examined at the end of their second term of study in the department. The results of this examination, as well as the student’s performance in courses taken during the first year, will be evaluated by the full section faculty. This evaluation determines whether further coursework will be required for the AM, and in exceptional cases, whether the student should continue in the program. The same examination determines what credit for previous graduate work in other universities the student may present to the registrar for approval. If the examining board so recommends, a student may take all or part of the first-year examination a second time (normally within one year of the first).
• A grade of Incomplete (INC) must be converted into a letter grade before the end of the next registration period, or it will become permanent unless the student has successfully petitioned the GSAS Dean’s office for an extension of time.

The Second Year

• Eight half-courses, including credit that may be given for graduate work done elsewhere. The department will consider accepting credit for a maximum of four halfcourses completed at other institutions.
• Students must make up Incomplete grades in required courses before sitting for general examinations. The department faculty strongly discourages students from taking an Incomplete in a course. The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures adheres strictly to the policies established by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, and outlined elsewhere in this handbook, regarding unfinished coursework.
• Graduate students in Romance Languages and Literatures may commit to writing a maximum of three article-length research papers per term. Students assigned such papers in 100-level courses should petition for an alternate assignment, such as an examination, a series of smaller papers, etc. Students should consult the Graduate Coordinator regarding administrative procedures for this.

Master of Arts (AM)

• Normally, students do not enroll in the graduate program for the sole purpose of obtaining a master’s degree, and there is no AM program separate from the PhD. However, faculty may decide to confer a terminal AM on students who will not be completing requirements for the PhD. Upon fulfilling the AM requirements, students should submit an application for the master’s degree, which is not conferred automatically.
• To be eligible for the AM degree students must complete one year of residency, eight half-courses, the Latin requirement, and the first-year examination, as described in the First-Year section.
• Successful completion of all AM academic requirements is a prerequisite for the PhD program.
• Students who have not met all the academic requirements for the AM degree may not hold appointments as teaching fellows.

Teaching

• Graduate students are encouraged to teach beginning in the third year of the program. Options include teaching a section of an undergraduate language course or leading a discussion section of a literature course taught by a professor. Teaching opportunities in the Core program and in other departments are also available. Harvard provides its teaching fellows with state-of-the-art classroom resources, guidance, and regular evaluations by permanent faculty members. Such ample teaching opportunities reflect a departmental philosophy of nurturing strong candidates for the academic job market.
• Romance Languages 200, to be taken at the beginning of the first year of teaching, will continue to be a requirement for all graduate students but will not count as one of the 16 courses required during the first two years in the program. Graduate students with previous teaching experience who have already taken a course in pedagogy through another degree program may submit a dossier including the syllabus, and papers or projects done for the course. After considering the dossier, the director of Language Programs will choose one of three options in discussion with the student: a) waive the Romance Languages 200 requirement; b) do some of the work for the course as an independent project in addition to the sixteen courses required for the PhD; or c) enroll in Romance Languages 200.

Advising

While specific procedures may vary from section to section, the general procedure for advising is as follows:
• In the first year of graduate study, all students are advised by the director of graduate studies in their major Romance language.
• In preparation for the first-year examination, each student is assigned an examination committee chair. This individual serves as his/her advisor in preparation for, and following, the completion of the first-year examination. This faculty member advises the student from the beginning of their second year of studies to the end of their general examinations. This professor may continue advising the student, as the dissertation director, through the preparation of the dissertation.
• A student may change advisors at any point through a formal application process, provided that the newly selected advisor is informed and agrees to work with the student.
• After the PhD general examination, the dissertation director serves as the student’s advisor, in consultation with the other members of the dissertation committee.
• Conflicts between a student and his or her advisor are ordinarily resolved through discussion with the department chair.

PhD General Examinations

Students must complete the general exam by the end of the third year of graduate studies. Without exception, general exams are given twice during the academic year: during the week before classes begin in September, and during the May exam period. The PhD general examination consists of both written and oral parts. A substantial part of the general exam is to be administered in the target language. In the case of unsatisfactory performance, the student may, if the examining board so recommends, take all or part of the PhD examination a second time (normally within six months of the first). Failure to perform satisfactorily on a second attempt will result in automatic withdrawal from the graduate program.
• French and Francophone literatures and Italian literatures. Through a combination of coursework, seminars, and individual study, candidates are expected to acquire a general familiarity with the major figures, works, and trends in the history of French and Francophone or Italian literature from the earliest texts to the present day. This competence is tested in the general examination.
• Hispanic literatures. Candidates for the degree are expected to prove evidence of general understanding of the Hispanic literatures. For examination purposes, the field is divided into six areas, three in Spanish Peninsular literature (Medieval, Golden Age, and 18th to 20th centuries) and three in Latin American literature (Colonial, 18th to 19th centuries, and twentieth century).
• Each student is examined in all six fields, choosing one field as the major field. The two parts of the examination (minor and major fields) are usually taken separately.
• For each of the five non-specialist areas, the student is responsible for a Core reading list of fifteen texts. There will be a two-hour segment of written examination on each of these areas.
• For her or his special field, the student is responsible for a corpus of up to fifty texts, of which thirty-five come from a list prepared by the faculty teaching in the area in question. Up to fifteen texts not found on the list may be chosen, in consultation with faculty, by the student in relation to her or his area of specialization and dissertation research.
• Students of Spanish are required to complete the equivalent of one half-course at the 100- or 200-level in Portuguese or Brazilian literature.
• Hispanic literature with a minor in Portuguese. Candidates for a degree in this specialty must prove oral and written proficiency in the Portuguese language. They must complete a minimum of 18 half-courses (instead of the standard 16). These are to be distributed as follows: 14 courses in Spanish, including the required course of history of the language; four courses in Portuguese. At least two of those four should be graduate seminars (200-level); the other two may be advanced undergraduate courses (100-level). Candidates are required to complete a general reading list of 24 Portuguese texts. Reading lists of Hispanic texts will remain the same for all students. The general examination will include an additional two-hour component of Portuguese. The dissertation topic must address significant issues from both Hispanic and Portuguese literature.
• Other programs in one Romance literature with a minor in another Romance literature may be arranged in consultation with the directors of graduate studies in both languages.
• Portuguese and Brazilian literatures. Candidates for this degree are expected to acquire a detailed knowledge of four fields: Medieval and Renaissance Portuguese literatures; Colonial Brazilian literature; Portuguese literature from the eighteenth century to the present; Contemporary Brazilian literature.
• Students specialize in one of the above fields.
• Competence in the chosen field of specialization and in two other selected fields will be tested in the general examination. Requirements for the fourth field can be met by taking one course in this field before the examination.
• Students of Portuguese and Brazilian literatures are required to complete one halfcourse at the 100- or 200-level in Spanish, in addition to the required course in the literature of a second language.

Dissertation

• A student chooses a topic for the dissertation in consultation with the advisor. Normally, the dissertation must be completed by the end of the seventh year of graduate studies.
• Students have six weeks following formal written notification of their general examination grade in which to constitute their dissertation committee. When the committee has been constituted, students must submit a contract bearing the signatures of all their committee members, indicating they have agreed to meet the deadline for prospectus turn-in, which is normally six months following examination result notification. Electronic signatures are acceptable. Ordinarily, two members of the committee represent the student’s major language and field; a third may come from another language or discipline.
• Two of the committee members must come from Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Visiting Professors with renewable appointments may serve on dissertation committees, but may not chair them. Note: The Dissertation Acceptance Certificate must be signed by no fewer than three dissertation readers, two of whom must be members of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences.
• This committee approves the dissertation prospectus, establishes the schedule for completion, and periodically reviews the student’s progress.
• A student who has not met degree requirements by established deadlines may, with departmental endorsement, be granted an extension for up to one year with the status of “grace” and remain eligible for financial aid during that period. At the end of the grace period, the student must have rectified the deficiency and be in compliance with all other established criteria in order to be considered making satisfactory progress. Ordinarily, only one such period of grace will be granted a student during graduate studies.
• Further extensions may be granted in exceptional cases, after thorough consideration of individual circumstances.
• The dissertation may be written in English or in the appropriate Romance language. The final manuscript must conform to the requirements described in the booklet, The Form of the PhD Dissertation. PhD candidates are required to make a public oral presentation of the dissertation, followed by a question-and-answer period, before filing it with the registrar.

Please see the description of a secondary field in Romance Languages and Literatures on page 264.