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. 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 one quarter each of Classical Japanese and Kanbun (Japanese 101A-B).

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 Women’s Studies
The Women’s Studies Program, with over 30 core and affiliated faculty members in over eleven disciplines, serves as a mode of interdisciplinary work and scholarly collaboration at UCSB. Women’s 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. Using an interdepartmental set of conversations and intellectual questions, women’s studies support a multifaceted undergraduate curriculum at UCSB. Graduate emphasis students are encouraged to apply to teach women’s studies courses as teaching assistants and associates as part of their women’s studies training.

Applicants must first be admitted to, or currently enrolled in, a UCSB Ph.D. program participating in the women’s studies graduate emphasis: anthropology; comparative literature; dramatic art; English; French and Italian; Germanic, Slavic, and Semitic Studies; history; history of art and architecture; religious studies; or sociology. Candidates complete four graduate courses and select a member of the women’s studies faculty or affiliated faculty to serve on their Ph.D. exam and dissertation committees. Applications to the women’s studies doctoral emphasis may be submitted at any stage of Ph.D. work and will be considered throughout the academic year.

Students pursuing the emphasis in women’s studies will successfully complete four graduate courses. Only one may be taken in the student’s home department.

1. Issues in Feminist Epistemology and Pedagogy (Women’s Studies 270/Fall). A one-quarter seminar that considers women’s 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
2. Special Topics in Women’s Studies (594 AA-ZZ) A one-quarter seminar offered by a women’s studies faculty member on topics of central concern to the field of Women’s Studies.
Or
Research Practicum (Women’s Studies 280). A cross-disciplinary seminar in which fundamental questions in contemporary feminist research practice are considered in light of students’ own graduate projects. Students may fulfill the Area 2 requirement by taking either a Special Topics Seminar or the Research Practicum.
3. Feminist Theories. A one-quarter graduate seminar in feminist theory offered by any department, including women’s studies.
4. Topical Seminar. A one-quarter graduate seminar, outside the student’s home department, that addresses topics relevant to the study of women, gender, and/or sexuality.