Master of Arts
The M.A. requires a minimum of 36 units of graduate-level course work in either (a) three national literatures, or, (b) two national literatures and one related discipline chosen in consultation with the graduate advisor. The 36 units of graduate-level course work must include a minimum of 8 graduate units in each of two national literatures and 4 graduate units in the student’s third national literature or the related discipline. Eight additional graduate units must be taken in comparative literature. A maximum of 4 units of 596 course work can be counted toward the master’s degree. By the end of the second year of study, students must pass a written qualifying field examination or successfully complete a thesis in a national literature other than the literature of their native language. Students are invited to join the Ph.D. program by the Graduate Studies Committee. The invitation is contingent upon the student’s performance meeting the standards of excellence needed for PhD study in CL at UCSB in graduate course work and on the first qualifying examination, as well as upon the positive recommendations by the student’s exam committee and the faculty with whom the student has worked.

Doctor of Philosophy
The Ph.D. degree in comparative literature requires the study of three fields consisting of either (a) three national literatures, or, (b) two national literatures and one related discipline. One of the literatures may be English. The other(s) must be studied in the original language. Two fields are considered major and the third minor. The selection of fields must be approved by the graduate adviser.
Students entering the program with an M.A. in comparative literature or a closely related field need a minimum of 24 units of additional graduate-level course work to be distributed in consultation with the graduate advisor. For students entering the program in catalog year 2009-10 and later, these 24 units must include 4 units in each of two national literatures, 4 units in the student’s third national literature or related discipline, and 4 units in comparative literature. Additional course work may be required to make up for deficiencies. Students must pass three field exams in three national literatures or two national literatures and a related field. The first field examination should be taken in the first quarter of their second year at UCSB. For students entering the program with a B.A., a minimum of 60 units of graduate-level course work including work done at the M.A. level is required. A minimum of 12 units of graduate-level course work must be completed in each of the student’s three fields, plus at least 12 additional units of graduate-level course work from the offerings in the Comparative Literature Program, with the remaining 12 units to be distributed among the student’s fields in consultation with the Graduate Adviser. The field exam written at the MA level counts as the first field exam for the Ph.D. The other two qualifying field examinations and the remaining 24 units of course work should be completed by the end of the fourth year of study. Students may retake each field exam only one time.
Upon completion of the three field exams students prepare an oral exam, administered by the dissertation committee, in which they present a dissertation prospectus on the proposed dissertation topic. Students who pass this examination and demonstrate proficiency in a second foreign language will be advanced to candidacy. The final requirement is the successful completion of a doctoral dissertation including an oral defense.

Optional Ph.D. Emphasis in East Asian Literatures
The Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies offers a doctoral emphasis to students previously admitted to the Ph.D. program in comparative literature. Students pursuing the emphasis in East Asian Literatures must complete four graduate-level courses: a pro-seminar on bibliography and research methodology (Chinese 211 or Japanese 211) and three other approved seminars or reading courses in the student’s field. In addition, students of Chinese literature are expected to have completed at least three years of modern Chinese and three quarters of Classical Chinese (Chinese 101A-B-C) or the equivalent. Students of Japanese are expected to have completed at least four years of modern Japanese and two quarters of Classical Japanese (Japanese 181, 182, 183).

There are a total of 16 units of coursework required for the emphasis in East Asian literatures, which may also be counted to satisfy the 12 to 24 units of graduate coursework in a national literature necessary for the Ph.D. in comparative literature. The doctoral committee must include a faculty member from the East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies department, either as committee chair or as one of the three participating members. The dissertation for the emphasis must rely in some significant measure on primary sources in Chinese or Japanese. Contact the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultural Studies for additional information on faculty research interests and course offerings.

Optional Ph.D. Emphasis in Feminist Studies
The Department of Feminist Studies, with almost fifty core and affiliated faculty members in over nineteen disciplines, serves as a model of interdisciplinary work and scholarly collaboration at UCSB. Feminist Studies doctoral emphasis students are required to complete successfully four seminars that will enhance their understanding of feminist pedagogy, feminist theory, and topics relevant to the study of women, gender and/or sexuality. Feminist Studies as an inter-departmental set of conversations and intellectual questions supports a multifaceted undergraduate curriculum at UCSB. Doctoral emphasis students are encouraged to apply to teach Feminist Studies courses as teaching assistants and associates as part of their Feminist Studies training.

Applicants must first be admitted to, or currently enrolled in, a UCSB Ph.D. program participating in the Feminist Studies graduate emphasis. Anthropology; Chicana and Chicano Studies; Comparative Literature; Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology; English; French and Italian; Germanic, Slavic and Semitic Studies; History; History of Art and Architecture; Linguistics; Music; Political Science; Religious Studies; Sociology; Spanish and Portuguese; or Theater and Dance. Candidates complete four graduate courses and select a member of the Feminist Studies faculty or affiliated faculty to serve on their dissertation committees. Applications to the Feminist Studies Doctoral Emphasis may be submitted at any stage of Ph.D. work, and applications will be considered throughout the year.

Doctoral Emphasis Coursework
Students pursuing the emphasis in Feminist Studies will successfully complete four graduate courses that have been approved by the Doctoral Emphasis advisor.

1. Feminist Theories. A one quarter graduate seminar in interdisciplinary feminist theory offered by any department, including Feminist Studies 250 AA-ZZ.
2. Issues in Feminist Epistemology and Pedagogy (Feminist Studies 270). A one quarter seminar that considers Feminist Studies as a distinct field. It offers an interdisciplinary exploration of feminist theories of knowledge production and teaching practices. Readings cover past and present critical debates and provide theoretical approaches through which to analyze interdisciplinary epistemological and pedagogical issues.
3. Graduate Seminar in Feminist Studies (Feminist Studies 200-290 or 594 AA-ZZ). A one quarter seminar offered by a Feminist Studies faculty member on topics of central concern to the field.
Or,
Research Practicum (Feminist Studies 280). A cross-disciplinary seminar in which fundamental questions in contemporary feminist research practice are considered in light of students’ own graduate projects.
4. Topical Seminar. A one quarter graduate seminar that addresses topics relevant to the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality. This seminar must be taken outside the student’s home department; it may be fulfilled either by another graduate seminar in Feminist Studies or a seminar in another department.

Optional Ph.D. Emphasis in Translation Studies
Courses in Translation Studies engage the theoretical questions that are germane to a philosophy of translation and that inform the practice of translation.
Any enrolled graduate student in good academic standing with an interest in literary translation, competency in more than one language and a willingness to complete the required coursework/research project may take part in the emphasis. Following a successful year of masters and/or doctoral study in one of the participating departments, students may petition to add the Translation Studies Emphasis, which in addition to Ph.D. requirements of the home department, requires the following:
1) Completion of 16 units, to include Comparative Literature 170/260: Literary Translation: Theory and Practice, which is offered every other year, or an equivalent course covering some aspect of translation theory and practice approved by the Translation Studies faculty advisor in consultation with the advisory committee.

The four courses (16 units) may be fulfilled in a number of ways:
*Students must take at least two courses which cover some aspect of Critical, Theoretical and/or Historical approaches to translation.
*At least one of the four courses should be taken outside the student’s home department.
*At least four of the 16 units can be taken as an independent study/practicum, in the event a course listed in Appendix A does not have a sister graduate-level course. (To see the list of approved course options consult the graduate advisor in one of the participating departments.)
Students may take any two 4-unit courses in their department in which a translation component can be integrated into the course material—e.g.. any literature course in the various language and literature departments; any catalogue or approved independent study course in Religious Studies, Classics, etc. involving close textual reading, linguistic analysis, cultural study/ interpretation—and work with the faculty/supervisor on a translation-related final project aside from doing all the course work. These units would be part of the basic 16 unit-requirement.
2) Completion of a final project (approximately 30 pages), approved by the Translation Studies advisor in consultation with an advisory committee made up of two additional affiliated faculty, which, based on the translation(s) of a particular text, examines the relationships between textual practice and theoretical perspectives, thus addressing some relevant aspect of translation theory, criticism, or history. Ph.D. students have the option of doing the field project OR of including Translation Studies as a significant research topic or methodology in their doctoral dissertation. For the 30 page project, the student may include his/her own translation as part of the project. The final project must be unanimously passed (B or higher) by the three-member project committee, made up of affiliated faculty. The project with comments and grade will then be seen by the advisory committee to maintain consistency among the projects.