Foreign Language Requirement
One of the most important skills a scholar can possess is the ability to read literature and criticism in another language. The Department of English requires PhD candidates to complete their foreign language requirement BEFORE beginning the dissertation project – a stipulation that will be enforced for all students beginning the program in or after Fall 2001. Students who began the PhD program prior to Fall 2001 should work as quickly as possible to fulfill the requirement, as well. Ideally, an incoming student should demonstrate competency in a departmentally-approved language at some point during the first two years of his/her program.
Working in partnership with either the Foreign Languages and Literatures Department or the Department of Asian and Middle Eastern Languages, our students can fulfill their foreign language requirement in the following languages: Ancient Greek, Chinese, French, German, Latin, Japanese, Old English, Old Norse, Russian, and Spanish. These languages are taught by full-time faculty at the university who will be able to assess students’ reading abilities in an examination and/or teach reading competency courses.
Students who have earned a minor or a major in one of the approved foreign languages during their undergraduate years or students who have passed a foreign language examination at the graduate level from another institution may have their foreign language requirement waived, if the work was carried out within the last seven years and if the student earned a B or above in the courses or on the examination. Students who believe they have met the requirement in this manner should set up an appointment with the Graduate Director to discuss their status.
tudents who wish to fulfill the foreign language requirement through course work are currently offered the option of taking a two-part course offered in French or German. The French 4000/4010 series and the German 4000/4010 series are offered in alternating Spring/Summer semester blocks. These four credit hour courses require no prerequisite. However, the eight hours will not count towards fulfilling the student’s ninety-hour overall credit hour requirement, nor will the grades count in the student’s overall GPA. If a student passes 4000 and 4010 with a B or better, then he/she will have fulfilled his/her requirement. There are no 4000/4010 course equivalents offered in any other of our approved languages.
Many students choose to study on their own and/or to take introductory course work prior to sitting for an examination in one of our approved languages.
In order to schedule an examination, students should contact the Graduate Director at 387-2584. Out of respect for our colleagues in Foreign Languages, we ask that students set up their examination at least one month in advance and that they try to schedule examinations during the Fall and Winter semesters.
Next, the student should ask his/her Committee Chair (or the GD, if the student has not yet identified a Committee Chair) to choose two short passages in the student’s field of study. One passage should come from a work of literature; the other passage should come from a critical article or book. Passages should be between 500 and 750 words in length. If possible, faculty should attempt to identify passages that have not been previously translated into English. Faculty can find foreign language texts and journals in the library, or they can identify appropriate passages with the assistance of a Foreign Language professor. Passages should be given to the Foreign Language professor at least one week prior to the examination date.
Students will be allowed three hours to take the examination, and they will be allowed the use of a standard Foreign Language/English Dictionary. Once the student has completed the examination, it will be assessed by the professor, who will comment on the student’s ability to translate the passages in a clear, accurate, and meaningful manner. The Foreign Language faculty member will send a detailed written report to the Graduate Director, who will meet with the Committee Chair to determine if the student has passed or failed, based upon their interpretation of the written report. It is our belief that the Foreign Language faculty should not shoulder the responsibility of making final decisions regarding whether or not one of our students has fulfilled a program requirement.
If a student fails the examination, he/she may take it again, after he/she has met with the Graduate Director and the Foreign Language faculty member to determine strategies for improvement. Should a student fail the examination a second time, he/she would be required to meet with the Department Chair, the Graduate Director, and the Committee Chair to discuss other options.