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

2. 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

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

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

7. Novel Idea
replace one foreign language exam with an equivalent skill