Columbia University English and Comparative Literature Rachel Adams, commonalities Jonathan Arac, team leader David Kurnick, key ideas

First year: Introduction to discipline and department STRUCTURES MA seminars MA lecture series meetings with DGS and MA director student-organized social events reading groups PROBLEMS individual divergences among faculty different first year constituencies

Introduction to the research enterprise begins in the first year seminars: faculty model current research, secondary source materials dissertation colloquia: discussion of writing with fellow graduate students and faculty faculty works-in-progress lectures lectures by visiting faculty

Significant Transition THE ORAL EXAM links coursework to dissertation a two-hour oral exam certifies mastery of specific fields as well as competence to teach an introductory course in major field student is granted M. Phil

Dissertation and defense topic is determined in consultation with chair and second reader student works closely with two committee members dissertation consists of 4-5 chapters 2-hour defense with committee of three departmental , two outside members chair determines that student is ready to defend

Innovation Early 90s—uniform full funding package 03—full credit seminar ‘teaching writing: theory and practice’ current—grad student role in faculty searches

Novel Idea replace one foreign language exam with an equivalent skill