Contact Info

Contact:	Graduate Program Administrator: Comparative Literature and Thought
Phone:	314-935-5170
Email:	complit@wustl.edu

Doctoral Candidacy

To earn a PhD at Washington University, a student must complete all courses required by their department; maintain satisfactory academic progress; pass certain examinations; fulfill residence and Mentored Experience Requirements; write, defend, and submit a dissertation; and apply to graduate via Workday Student. For the details of doctoral degree general requirements in Arts & Sciences, including an explanation of Satisfactory Academic Progress, students should review the Doctoral Degree Academic Information page of the Arts & Sciences Bulletin.

Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 60 units (Note: Remission applies for a maximum of 72 graduate-level units.)
• Degree Length: 6 years 
  • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their course work, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.
• Grade Requirement: A minimum grade of B- is required for course work to count toward the degree.

PhD in Comparative Literature

Comparative Literature appeals to the desire to transcend cultural borders in the study of literature and related media, both contemporary and historical. It supports sustained engagement with great imaginative works from around the globe deemed world literature as well as examines and critiques the intellectual and scholarly traditions that have yielded these judgments. It lends particular attention to encounters between literary cultures as they borrow, adapt, exchange, and translate cultural materials and to the pathways and modes by which these transformations take place.  PhD students in Comparative Literature are expected to have deep knowledge of one language in addition to English and reading knowledge in yet another language pertinent to their transcultural engagements.

Required Courses

The PhD in Comparative Literature program requires 60 units of course credit plus a dissertation. Course distribution normally entails the following: at least 12 credits in core comparative literature seminars, including COMPLITTHT 5200 Introduction to Comparative Literature (3 units). PhD students put together a course of study with at least two areas of concentration, which include the remaining 48 units of elective course credit.

Minimum Grade Requirement: B-

Core Seminar Courses

• COMPLITTHT 5200: Introduction to Comparative Literature (3 units)
• One course each in any three of the following four categories (9 units), one of which must be a 5000-level seminar with Comparative Literature. In rare cases, subject to approval, a course outside of Comparative Literature might fulfill one of these categories:

Category I: Transcultural Studies

Transcultural Studies brings a cross-disciplinary and cross-regional perspective to the study of cultural artifacts and their mobility. Courses in this category therefore study the circulation of subjects, ideas, and texts in specific historical and geographical contexts and provide students with the theoretical and conceptual tools to analyze depictions and narratives of cultural exchanges and conflicts.

Category II: Translation Studies

Translation as practice and as theory has become central to Comparative Literature. With its interest in crossing the borders between languages, cultures, and national literatures, Comparative Literature is implicitly committed to performing and also to assessing theoretically the function and value of “translation” in the widest sense of the term. Courses include review of translation theories, study of translation practices of various literary forms and media, and ideological underpinnings of translation, the political uses of languages in intercultural communication, and the multiple uses of translations of all kinds of literature in a multicultural world.

Category III: Literature, Politics, and Society

Raising basic questions about writing in, for, and about the world, studies in category III are based in the premise that literature has historically mattered and continues to matter to lived human experience and human communities and that it addresses, engages in, produces, and is produced by power relations and social formations worldwide across languages, cultures, and nations. Studies in this area also investigate literature itself as the product of social, economic, and political formations and their attendant pressures.

Category IV: Media Ecologies, Media Histories, Media Poetics

Courses in this category facilitate broad, theoretically informed, and historically grounded thinking about the effects of media transformation on both production and consumption, on the self-conceptions of authors (artists, composers), producers, and consumers (readers/viewers/listeners). Courses in this category address both moments in which transformations in media constitute a crisis, becoming the objects of reflection, and periods in which media do their work "quietly" and surreptitiously, evading reflection. Courses explore how media not only “mediates” but structures knowledge, cultural exchange, artistic expression, perception, and indeed experience itself, asking timely questions about the aesthetics, ethics, and politics of media. 

With permission from the Office of Graduate Studies, students who pursue this area in depth might supplement their theoretical and historical study with praxis by taking select courses in the making of media objects.  

International Writer's Track

Students admitted in the International Writer's Track take 4 semesters of COMPLITTHT 5210 Literature in the Making (3 units), or the equivalent, as one area of concentration. 

Electives

Electives include areas of concentration and should show some evidence of clustering to prepare for comprehensive exams. 

Language Requirement

At a minimum, students need to demonstrate — in addition to superior skills in English — superior ability in at least a second language and reading skills in a third language. Beyond the minimum, the choice and number of languages required correspond to each student's areas of concentration. Each language, including English, will be verified by an expert in that language.

Qualifying Examinations

Progress toward the PhD is contingent upon the student passing examinations that are variously called preliminary, qualifying, general, comprehensive, or major field exams. The qualifying process varies according to the program. In some programs, it consists of a series of incremental, sequential, and cumulative exams over a considerable time. In others, the exams are held during a relatively short period of time. Exams may be replaced by one or more papers. The program, which determines the structure and schedule of the required examinations, is responsible for notifying the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, of the student’s outcome, whether successful or unsuccessful.

Mentored Experience Requirements

Doctoral students at Washington University must complete a department-defined Mentored Experience. The Mentored Experience Requirement is a doctoral degree requirement that is notated on the student’s transcript when complete. Each department has an established Mentored Experience Implementation Plan in which the number of units that a student must earn through Mentored Teaching Experience(s) and/or Mentored Professional Experience(s) is defined. The Mentored Experience Implementation Plans outline how doctoral students within the discipline will be mentored to achieve competencies in teaching at basic and advanced levels. Some departments may elect to include Mentored Professional Experiences as an avenue for completing some units of the Mentored Experience Requirement. Doctoral students will enroll in ASGS 8005, 8010, or 8015 Mentored Teaching Experience - Assistant in Instruction; ASGS 8020 Mentored Teaching Experience - Mentored Independent Teaching; or ASGS 8120 Mentored Professional Experience to signify their progression toward completing the overall Mentored Experience Requirement for the degree.

The Doctoral Dissertation

A Research Advisory Committee (RAC) must be created no later than the end of the student's third year; departments may set shorter timelines (e.g., by the end of the student's second year) for this requirement. As evidence of the mastery of a specific field of knowledge and of the capacity for original scholarly work, each candidate must complete a dissertation that is approved by their RAC.

A Title, Scope & Procedure Form for the dissertation must be signed by the committee members and by the program chair. It must be submitted to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, at least six months before the degree is expected to be conferred or before the beginning of the fifth year of full-time enrollment, whichever is earlier.

A Doctoral Dissertation Guide and a Dissertation Template that give instructions regarding the format of the dissertation are available on the website of the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Both should be read carefully at every stage of dissertation preparation.

The Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences, requires each student to make the full text of the dissertation available to the committee members for their review at least one week before the defense. Most degree programs require two or more weeks for the review period; students should check with their faculty.

The Dissertation Defense

Approval of the written dissertation by the Research Advisory Committee (RAC) is strongly recommended before the student can orally defend the dissertation. The Doctoral Dissertation Committee that examines the student during the defense consists of at least five members. Normally, the members of the RAC also serve on the Doctoral Dissertation Committee. The dissertation committee is then additionally augmented to ensure that the following criteria are met:

1. Three of the five members (or a similar proportion of a larger committee) must be full-time Washington University in St. Louis faculty members or, for programs involving Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partners, full-time members of a Washington University in St. Louis-affiliated partner institution. All members must be authorized to supervise PhD students and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study. One of these three members must be the PhD student's primary thesis advisor, and one may be a member of the emeritus faculty.
2. All other committee members must be active in research/scholarship and have appropriate expertise in the proposed field of study whether at Washington University in St. Louis, at another university, in government, or in industry.
3. At least one of the five members must bring expertise outside of the student's field of study to the committee, as judged by the relevant department/program and approved by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The approval processes outlined in the RAC section of the Doctoral Council bylaws also apply to the doctoral dissertation committee, including approval of each dissertation committee by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

The student is responsible for making the full text of the dissertation accessible to their committee members for their review in advance of the defense according to program rules. Washington University in St. Louis community members and guests of the student who are interested in the subject of the dissertation are normally welcome to attend all or part of the defense but may ask questions only at the discretion of the committee chair. Although there is some variation among degree programs, the defense ordinarily focuses on the dissertation itself and its relation to the student's field of expertise.

Attendance by a minimum of four members of the Doctoral Dissertation Committee, including the committee chair and an outside member, is required for the defense to take place. This provision is designed to permit the student's defense to proceed in case of a situation that unexpectedly prevents one of the five members from attending. Students should not plan in advance to only have four members in attendance. If four members cannot attend, the defense must be rescheduled. The absence of all outside members or of the committee chair also requires rescheduling the defense.

Students, with the support of their Doctoral Dissertation Committee chair, may opt to hold their dissertation defense in person or by utilizing a virtual or hybrid format.

Submission of the Dissertation

After the defense, the student must submit an electronic copy of the dissertation online to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. The submission website requires students to choose among publishing and copyrighting services offered by ProQuest’s ETD Administrator. Students are asked to submit the Survey of Earned Doctorates separately. The degree program is responsible for delivering the final approval form, signed by the committee members at the defense and then by the program chair or director, to the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences. Students who defend their dissertations successfully have not yet completed their PhD requirements; they finish earning their degree only when their electronic dissertation submission has been accepted by the Office of Graduate Studies, Arts & Sciences.

Master's Degree Along the Way/
In Lieu of a PhD

Program Requirements

• Total Units Required: 36 units
• Degree Length: 2 years
  • Note: Students must be enrolled in 9 graduate credits each semester to retain full-time status. As students complete their course work, if enrolled in fewer than 9 graduate credits, they must enroll in a specific Arts & Sciences graduate course that will show 0 units but does count as full-time status. Students should connect with their department to ensure proper enrollment prior to Add/Drop.

The MA in Comparative Literature may be earned along the way to the PhD only; Comparative Literature normally does not admit students to a standalone MA program.

Required Courses

The MA in Comparative Literature requires 36 units of course credit, including COMPLITTHT 5200 (3 units) and three additional courses (9 units) in Comparative Literature on the graduate (5000) level. The remaining 24 units may be pursued in Comparative Literature or in affiliated departments or programs. These 36 units count toward the PhD in Comparative Literature requirements. 

Portfolio and Defense

Students present a portfolio of their work in their second year and participate in an oral defense. The submission of the portfolio will be followed by a one-hour conversation with the committee, at which time the student will receive feedback on the portfolio and advice about future steps. Once this defense and portfolio are approved by the Portfolio Committee, the Portfolio Advisor will email the Director of Graduate Studies for submission to the Office of Graduate Studies.

As part of their degree requirements, PhD students must complete a program-defined Mentored Experience Requirement (MER) as per these guidelines. The Mentored Experience Implementation Plan (MEIP) is the written articulation of a program-defined degree requirement for PhD students to engage in mentored teaching activities and/or mentored professional activities, collectively referred to as MERs.

Mentored Experience Requirements (MERs)

Philosophy of Teaching

Students earning a PhD in Comparative Literature, be it in the International Writers Track or the regular track, enter the program with a wide variety of life, professional, and academic experience. Likewise, they aspire to a variety of outcomes upon graduation. Some seek academic positions in the United States or elsewhere around the globe; some see their futures in other cultural sectors in which advanced skills in communicating, writing, and researching are at a high premium. Still others see themselves as public intellectuals or freelancers in the future and thus as needing maximum versatility to seize opportunities that come their way. In view of these diverse aspirations, the program offers a variety of options in mentored experiences and advises all students in consultation with faculty advisors to create an individual development plan that involves generating diverse portfolios that maximize their options upon graduation. We advise PhD students to self-assess when assembling their individual development plans and to choose one of the tracks described below with the idea of securing options, enhancing strengths, and addressing weaknesses.

Preparatory Engagement

Preparatory Engagement activities are those that represent an introduction to the foundational skills associated with teaching or communication. Pedagogical preparation engagement activities are normally completed before students are permitted to engage in assisting or teaching in a classroom.

All students must complete Preparatory Engagement. In our program, Preparatory Engagement will consist of participation in workshops offered by the Center for Teaching and Learning prior to the start of the first semester of teaching. These will include the following:

1. At least two online Introductory Foundations in Teaching Workshops on effective strategies for active learning, facilitating discussions, classroom management, and presentation skills;
2. A disciplinary group discussion focused on Comparative Literature and Thought or a related field; and
3. An orientation to Canvas course management.

After these activities are completed, ongoing mentoring in pedagogy will take place within the MTE assignments. Assistants in Instruction (AIs) who plan a career involving teaching will be further encouraged (but not required) to take advantage of the offerings of the Center for Teaching and Learning, including the tracks in the Professional Development in Teaching Program and occasional workshops within Comparative Literature and Thought.

Mentored Teaching Experiences (MTEs)

Assistant in Instruction (AI)

An Assistant in Instruction (AI) is a PhD student who is directly engaged in the organization, instruction, and/or support of a semester-long course primarily taught by a faculty member. An AI receives mentorship from a faculty member related to best practices in classroom engagement, instruction in the field, interpersonal engagement, and other relevant skills. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each AI experience. To complete each AI assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for course numbers and details.

Units assigned to AIs will vary from 5 to 10 up to 15 to 20, depending on what students do in the course to which they are assigned.  

•  5 units: The AI observes 3 hours a week for 14 weeks, during which time the AI confers with the instructor of record about the syllabus and class goals, in addition to leading two discussions or giving two short lectures (or a combination thereof). This MTE may also be structured as a rotation through several classes so that the novice AI has a chance to experience different teaching styles and different groups of students. This option would be a softer start for students who are unfamiliar with U.S. undergraduate academic culture and aid the student in laddering up to the next level of 10 units. More experienced students would probably select a 10- or 15-unit option. 
• 10 units: The AI observes 3 hours a week for 14 weeks, during which time the AI confers with the instructor of record about the syllabus and class goals, keeps office hours, assists students with papers, assists with group work in class, and leads at least two discussions or gives two lectures (or a combination thereof). 
• 15 units:
  • The AI teaches a discussion section attached to a lecture, attends all lectures and helps with logistics as necessary during the lecture, keeps office hours, assists with papers, and assists in grading.
  • The AI attends all classes and helps with logistics as necessary, keeps office hours, assists with papers, assists with grading, teaches all or part of at least two class sessions, and creates a fully fleshed-out and portfolio-worthy syllabus for a Comparative Literature and Thought course teachable at an institution such as Washington University.

Mentored Independent Teaching (MIT)

MIT is a semester-long experience for PhD students who engage as the primary instructor or co-instructor of a course under the mentorship of a faculty member as part of the MER. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MIT experience. To complete each MIT assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8020) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

The student serves in an MIT capacity (i.e., as the instructor of record under faculty mentorship) in a Comparative Literature and Thought course or in a course for a related program, such as Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; the Writing Program; or Global Studies.

Mentored Professional Experiences (MPEs)

The MPE is an unpaid professional experience for PhD students that allows students to develop skills and experiences relevant to their intended career outcomes. Students and mentors complete a mentorship plan prior to the start of each MPE. To complete each MPE assignment and to ensure that it applies toward their degree requirements, students must submit the Mentorship Registration Request form for approval and register for the appropriate course number (ASGS 8120) for each semester of engagement. Refer to the "Required Pathways for Completion" section below for more details.

MPEs are 20 units and involve 150 to 180 hours of commitment per semester. Opportunities for MPEs will either be publicized by the Office of Graduate Studies or vetted internally by the Comparative Literature and Thought. These MPEs may include, for example, a semester interning at the St. Louis History Museum in the public education department or a semester working in Special Collections at Olin Library putting together an exhibit with both online and in-person components.

Required Pathways for Completion

Students work with their faculty mentor and their Director of Graduate Studies to plan how and when they will complete their MERs. Students register during the normal registration period for courses in accordance with one of these approved pathways.

Comparative Literature and Thought offers three tracks of mentored experiences that require 70 to 80 units for completion:

1. A combination MPEs/MTEs totaling 70 units completed via any combination of 5-, 10-, 15- (for AI), or 20-unit (for MIT or MPE) increments.  No fewer than four and no more than eight engagements/assignments may be completed.
2. MTEs only totaling 70 units completed via any combination of 5-, 10-, 15- (for AI), and 20-unit (for MIT) MTEs. No fewer than four and no more than eight engagements/assignments may be completed.
3. MPEs only totaling 80 units completed via four 20-unit MPEs.

Track 1: 70 MER Units (AI + MIT or MPE)

Pathway #1

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take three times

Pathway #2

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take two times
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #3

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take two times

Pathway #4

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8015	Take two times
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #5

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take three times
ASGS 8120	Take two times

Pathway #6

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take three times
ASGS 8020	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #7

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take five times
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #8

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8015	Take three times
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #9

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8015	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take two times

Pathway #10

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8015	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #11

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8120	Take three times

Pathway #12

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8020	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take two times

Pathway #13

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8020	Take two times
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #14

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8015	Take two times
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #15

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8020	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #16

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8120	Take two times

Pathway #17

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take four times
ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take one time

Pathway #18

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take four times
ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8120	Take two times

Track 2: 70 MER Units (Only MTE: AI + MIT)

Pathway #19

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take four times

Pathway #20

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8015	Take two times
ASGS 8020	Take one time

Pathway #21

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8015	Take three times

Pathway #22

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8010	Take three times
ASGS 8015	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take one time

Pathway #23

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8010	Take five times
ASGS 8020	Take one time

Pathway #24

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take two times
ASGS 8010	Take six times

Pathway #25

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take three times
ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8015	Take one time
ASGS 8020	Take one time

Pathway #26

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take three times
ASGS 8010	Take four times
ASGS 8015	Take one time

Pathway #27

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take six times
ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8020	Take one time

Pathway #28

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take six times
ASGS 8020	Take two times

Track 3: 80 MER Units (Only MPE)

Pathway #29

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take seven times
ASGS 8010	Take two times
ASGS 8015	Take one time

Optional Activity: Teaching Intensive Pathway (TIP)

The TIP is an optional pathway for those students whose career interests lie in academia or another field that would benefit from extended teaching experiences. This immersive experience allows students to further explore the breadth and depth of teaching best practices and pedagogy related to their respective field. Students who are interested in participating in this elective experience must formally request to participate, which is subject to program approval. Due to this experience being an elective, unpaid experience, students who participate in the TIP will not receive compensation.

Students who have completed Tracks 1 or 2 above may choose to apply for the TIP if they wish to expand their teaching portfolio. In this track, students will be able to further explore the breadth and depth of teaching best practices and pedagogy related broadly to Comparative Literature and Thought. In this track, students earn 20 additional units for a maximum of 90 to 100 units.

Optional Pathways for TIP

Pathway A

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8005	Take one time
ASGS 8015	Take one time

Pathway B

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8010	Take two times

Pathway C

UG Spanish Seminar

ASGS 8020	Take one time