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This archived information is dated to the 2008-09 academic year only and may no longer be current.

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Doctor of Philosophy in French, Italian, or French and Italian

In this section:

General Requirements for the Ph.D. in French or Italian

Ph.D. in French or Italian and Humanities

Up one level:

Graduate Programs in French and Italian

The Department of French and Italian offers three Ph.D. programs: a Ph.D. in French, a Ph.D. in Italian, and a Ph.D. in French and Italian. Requirements for each separate Ph.D. program are listed first, followed by general requirements. All requirements are binding.

FRENCH

The Department of French and Italian provides students with the opportunity to pursue advanced work in French language, literature, cultural history, theory, and Francophone studies within a uniquely flexible interdisciplinary framework. Unlike conventional Ph.D. programs, it encourages students to construct a highly individualized course of study, integrating specialization in a particular literary period or area with work in such fields as art history, classics, film studies, the history of science and technology, linguistics, literary theory, music, and philosophy. The program is founded on the belief that such a balance between period/area specialization and interdisciplinary breadth is not only desirable but essential in a field such as French Studies. Students in the Ph.D. program are normally admitted as French Fellows on a four- to five-year fellowship plan that integrates their financial support with rigorous training as scholars and as prospective university faculty.

Students admitted to the program work closely with the Director of Graduate Studies in structuring a plan consistent with their needs and interests. Aside from the benefits of the program's flexible structure, a number of unique resources are available to students. The French section's exchange program with the Ecole Normale Supérieure provides candidates (selected on a competitive basis) with the opportunity to pursue dissertation research in Paris.

Language Requirements—Attaining a native or near-native fluency in French is the individual responsibility of all candidates in the Ph.D. program, and remedial course work needed to achieve such fluency cannot count towards the Ph.D. degree. In addition, candidates are required to achieve a high level of proficiency in one additional foreign language, with the language in question to be determined by the student and his or her adviser as a function of the student's area of specialization. Such proficiency may be demonstrated either by successfully completing a third-year level or above undergraduate course or, better, a graduate seminar in the language in question; or by passing an exam that establishes a third-year or above level of competence in writing, reading, and speaking. (In no case is passage of a standard reading competence exam considered sufficient.) In the case of ancient Greek and Latin, a high level of proficiency means a level superior to a second year collegiate level of proficiency in reading and writing.

The second foreign language requirement should be completed as soon as possible, but in any case not later than the end of the third year for students who entered the program without an M.A., and not later than the end of the second year for students who entered the program with a master's degree. Completion of the language requirements is a prerequisite for taking the University Oral Examination.

ITALIAN

Stanford's Ph.D. program in Italian offers the opportunity for advanced work in Italian literature and studies within a flexible interdisciplinary framework. It is independent of the Ph.D. program in French and aims to encourage students to bring broad methodological and interdisciplinary concerns to bear on the study of Italian literature. While it places primary emphasis on developing a command of Italian literature as a whole, it allows students to construct a highly individualized course of study, integrating specialization in a particular literary period with work in such fields as art history, classics, comparative literature, feminist studies, film, French, history, history of science, linguistics, literary theory, Medieval or Renaissance studies, philosophy, and religion. The program is founded on the belief that balance between period specialization and interdisciplinary breadth is essential in a small field such as Italian studies, particularly given the diversity of the Italian literary canon which extends over many disciplines.

Students admitted into the Ph.D. program in Italian work closely with the adviser in structuring a plan of study appropriate to needs and interests. Such a plan usually involves a mix of teaching and courses taken within the Italian program, courses taken in other departments, and independent work under supervision of a member of the Italian faculty, thus integrating financial support with training as scholars and prospective university teachers. Assuming satisfactory academic progress, fellowships are typically offered for three or four years. Graduate-level work completed elsewhere may be counted as fulfilling part of the requirements for the degree. Students in the fifth year normally apply for outside fellowships or part-time teaching positions in the department.

Aside from the benefits of the program's structure and fellowship plan, a number of unique resources are available to Ph.D. students in Italian at Stanford. During their years of study, students may be permitted to take courses, pursue dissertation research, and do independent work at the Stanford campus in Florence under supervision of a member of the Italian faculty. The Florence center, located in a palazzo along the Arno, is near important Florentine libraries and archives and the University of Florence. Graduate students also have at their disposal the resources of La Casa Italiana, a residential theme house which serves as an Italian cultural center and hosts such events as colloquia, lectures, and film series.

Language Requirements—As soon as possible, but not later than the end of the third year, the candidate must have passed reading examinations in two additional foreign languages. If the candidate's period of concentration is earlier than the Romantic period, one of these must be Latin; if Romantic or later, French. Completion of the language requirement is a prerequisite for taking the University oral examination.

FRENCH AND ITALIAN

The Department of French and Italian provides students with the opportunity to pursue a Ph.D. in French and Italian studies. This unique program encourages students to construct a highly individualized course of study within an interdisciplinary framework, in order to foster a thorough and creative knowledge of both traditions and their intersections. Students are expected to specialize in one of three periods, (a) medieval and renaissance, (b) renaissance and early modern, or (c) modern and contemporary. Students in the Ph.D. program are normally admitted either as French Fellows or as Italian Fellows on a four- to five-year fellowship plan that integrates their financial support with rigorous training as scholars and as prospective university faculty.

Students admitted to the program work closely with the Director of Graduate Studies in structuring a plan consistent with their needs and interests. Where general requirements call for the participation of a Director of Graduate Studies, candidates for the Ph.D. in French and Italian should understand that the participation of the directors of both French and Italian, if they are different, is required.

Aside from the benefits of the program's flexible structure, a number of unique resources are available to students. The French Section's exchange program with the Ecole Normale Supérieure provides candidates (selected on a competitive basis) with the opportunity to pursue dissertation research in Paris. Students may also be permitted to take courses, pursue dissertation research, and do independent work at the Stanford campus in Florence under supervision of a member of the Italian faculty.

Language Requirements—Attaining a native or near-native fluency in both French and Italian is the individual responsibility of all candidates in the Ph.D. program, and remedial course work needed to achieve such fluency cannot count towards the Ph.D. degree.

For students specializing in areas (a) medieval and renaissance and (b) renaissance and early modern, proficiency in Latin equivalent to a second year collegiate level of proficiency (the equivalent of CLASSLAT 101, 102, and 103) in reading is also required. Such proficiency may be demonstrated by successfully completing a course in the language in question (at least second-year level, but preferably a graduate seminar); or by passing an exam that establishes a second-year or above level of competence. In no case is passage of a standard reading competence exam considered sufficient.

For students specializing in area (c) modern and contemporary, proficiency in a third language (beyond French and Italian) is not required; students are, however, encouraged to acquire competency in a third language or area that is relevant to their research (e.g. German, Film Studies).

The language requirements should be completed as soon as possible, but in any case not later than the end of the third year for students who entered the program without a master's degree, and not later than the end of the second year for students who entered the program with an external master's degree. Completion of the language requirements is a prerequisite for taking the University Oral Examination.

Distribution of Elective Courses—Students must take a minimum of four advanced courses on French literature and culture, and four advanced courses on Italian literature and culture.

Qualifying Examination—Students may take either two qualifying exams, one in French and one in Italian, or a single qualifying exam in French and Italian. The combined French and Italian qualifying exam covers one of three periods, (a) medieval and renaissance, (b) renaissance and early modern, or (c) modern and contemporary. For each period it is based on a standard reading list. The list may be expanded to reflect a student's particular interests, but not abridged. One third of the combined exam takes place in English, one third in French, and one third in Italian (with the student free to choose which portion transpires in which language).

An M.A. in French and Italian is awarded in the eventuality that a student completes the qualifying examination but whose work is judged insufficient for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. This M.A. option is open only to students approved for the French and Italian Ph.D., and is not available to coterminal students, to M.A.-only students, or to Ph.D. students in French only or Italian only.

If, at the qualifying exam stage, a student's work is judged insufficient for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D., the student may petition to continue in French only or Italian only. This petition is reviewed by the qualifying exam committee, the relevant director of graduate studies, and the chair of the Department of French and Italian.

Special Topic Examination—The chosen topic must focus equally on French and Italian literature and culture, and actively explore their relationship. Two weeks before the exam, the student must also submit not one but two graduate seminar papers, one in French on a French topic and one in Italian on an Italian topic.

University orals—The reading list should include works in both French and Italian in all genres relevant to the period covered.

Dissertation—The dissertation topic must include a substantial quotient of material from both the French and the Italian tradition, and the dissertation must include, either (1) at least one chapter on French materials and one chapter on Italian materials, or (2) at least two chapters focusing on a comparison between French and Italian materials.

Teaching—Out of the five courses the student is required to teach, at least one must be a French language course and at least one an Italian language course.

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