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This archived information is dated to the 2011-12 academic year only and may no longer be current.

For currently applicable policies and information, see the current Stanford Bulletin.

Doctor of Philosophy in Iberian and Latin American Cultures

University requirements for the Ph.D. are described in the "Graduate Degrees" section of this bulletin. The requirements of the Ph.D. in Iberian and Latin American Cultures (ILAC) are:

1. Course work —135 units of graduate-level course work with a grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 (B) or above. All candidates for the Ph.D. degree are expected to fulfill all requirements for the M.A. during their first year in the program. Units completed for the M.A. degree at another institution (up to 45 units) can be counted toward the Ph.D., pending university and department approval. Independent study courses (ILAC 299, 399) may not be used to fulfill requirements except by permission of the Chair of Graduate Studies in consultation with the student's graduate adviser. Students must be enrolled in at least one 300-level graduate seminar offered through ILAC each quarter before advancing to TGR. In consultation with the adviser, students choose one major field and two minor fields of study from the following:

A1. Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literature and Culture

A2. Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Iberian Literature and Culture

A3. Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Iberian Literature and Culture

B1. Colonial to Nineteenth-Century Latin American Literature and Culture

B2. Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Latin American Literature and Culture

B3. Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture

C. US Latin/Chicano Literature and Culture

Students must select one minor area from a group (A, B, C) other than that in which their major area falls. At least four graduate-level courses must be taken in the major area of study. At least two graduate-level courses must be taken in each minor area.

2. Language—All students are required to have advanced-high proficiency in English and Spanish by the time they take the comprehensive examination In addition, students specializing in Iberian literature and culture must attain intermediate-mid proficiency in Catalan and Portuguese (equivalent to two quarters of university study for each language); for students specializing in Latin American and/or US Latino/Chicano literature and culture, the level of advanced-low proficiency in Portuguese (equivalent to four quarters of university study) must be attained. This requirement must be fulfilled before students take the comprehensive examination. Students wishing to satisfy the language requirements in Catalan and/or Portuguese may do so by passing a proficiency exam administered by the Language Center.

3. Examinations—All students must pass the following: a Qualifying Paper; an oral and written Department Comprehensive exam; and a University Oral examination.

3a. Qualifying Paper—The qualifying paper is a research paper, written in either English or Spanish, consisting of no more than 6,000 words. The student chooses as its source a term paper written for a course taught by a core member of the ILAC faculty. This instructor will serve as advisor to the student in preparing the qualifying paper for submission. The paper must be submitted to the Graduate Student Services Coordinator by the first day of instruction in Autumn Quarter of the student's second year of study. Students who do not pass the initial submission will have the opportunity to revise and resubmit it by November 15. Should the second qualifying paper not satisfy the minimum requirements, the student will be released from the Ph.D, program at the end of that same quarter. A terminal M.A. degree may be awarded if all requirements for that degree have been completed satisfactorily .

3b. Comprehensive examination—This exam consists of two parts, a written submission and an oral presentation, and is designed for students to demonstrate intellectual competence in multiple areas of study. This exam occurs during Winter Quarter of the third year of graduate study, and it must be completed prior to the last day of instruction in that same quarter. Students must select three examination areas from the following options:

A1. Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literature and Culture

A2. Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Iberian Literature and Culture

A3. Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Iberian Literature and Culture

B1. Colonial to Nineteenth-Century Latin American Literature and Culture

B2. Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Latin American Literature and Culture

B3. Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture

C. US Latin/Chicano Literature and Culture

Students may not select all three areas from the same group (A, B, C).

The committee for the Comprehensive Exam is formed by asking three ILAC professors to serve on the committee, one for each of the three examination areas chosen by the student. In consultation with each member of the committee, the student must develop a list of twenty-one themes (seven for each area of study) plus a reading list of 130-150 texts and critical works. In addition, the student will submit a 6,000-word research paper (different from the Qualifying Paper) on a topic preferably related to the dissertation. This paper must be written in English. This list and research paper must be presented to committee members and to the Graduate Student Services Coordinator at least two weeks prior to the Oral portion of the Comprehensive Exam. The Oral exam will be based upon the submitted list and research paper and will last no more than two hours Students must demonstrate their proficiency in Spanish and English during the course of this exam.

3c. University Oral examination—All Ph.D. candidates in ILAC are required to take a University Oral examination no later than one quarter after successfully completing the Comprehensive Examination. This examination is a defense of the dissertation prospectus. During the examination, the candidate speaks approximately 20 minutes on the proposed dissertation, the methods to be used in research and the conclusions the candidate expects to reach. Afterward, there will be questions by the members of the committee, in an order established by the Chair of the committee. The examination may be taken in English or Spanish, as mutually agreed by the student and the committee. The examination will last no more than two hours.

The University Oral examination committee must be finalized no later than the last week of the quarter during which the student successfully completes the comprehensive examination. The examination committee should include the dissertation advisor and three other members, usually from the Reading Committee, and a Chair from outside the department, for a total of five members. All members must belong to the Academic Council. The adviser and two other members must be ILAC faculty. Once a committee and date are finalized the student must submit the University Oral Examination form to the Graduate Student Services Coordinator. The members of the Oral Examination committee must receive copies of the dissertation prospectus no later than three weeks prior to the examination.

The dissertation prospectus should consist of 20-25 pages (approximately 7,500 words) and follow the most recent MLA Style guidelines. The student must prepare the dissertation prospectus with the help of the principal adviser, and other advisers. The dissertation prospectus must contain a title along with the following elements:

  1. Statement of Thesis
  2. Statement of Significance and Impact
  3. Brief Literature Review
  4. Outline of Theoretical Framework
  5. Chapter Outline
  6. Preliminary Biography
  7. Timetable for Completion

4. Teaching—Each Ph.D candidate must teach a minimum of five quarters of undergraduate courses (three are taught during the second year and the remaining two after advancing to TGR status). Language course assignments are arranged through the Language Center. In preparation for teaching, Ph.D. candidates are required to take DLCL 201 in the first year.

5. Ph.D. Dissertation—The doctoral dissertation should demonstrate the student's ability to carry out original research and to organize and present the results in publishable form. The scope of the dissertation should be such that it is completed in twelve to eighteen months of full-time work. A copy of the completed dissertation must be submitted to each member of the reading committee at least eight weeks before the University filing deadline in the quarter during which the candidate expects to receive the Ph.D. degree. Committee members will have three weeks to read the dissertation before determining whether to approve or require changes. Ph.D. dissertations must be completed and approved within five years from the date of admission to candidacy. Students taking more than five years must apply for reinstatement of candidacy which is reviewed on a case by case basis.

Yearly review: In order to evaluate student progress and to identify potential problem areas, the department's faculty reviews the academic progress of each first-year student at the beginning of Winter and Spring quarters and again at the end of the academic year. The first two reviews are primarily intended to identify developing problems that could impede progress. In most cases, students are simply given constructive feedback, but if more serious concerns warrant, a student may be placed on probation with specific guidelines for addressing the problems detected.The review at the end of Spring Quarter is more thorough; each student's performance during the first year is reviewed and discussed. Possible outcomes of the spring review include: (1) continuation of the student in good standing, or (2) placing the student on probation, with specific guidelines for the period of probation and the steps to be taken in order to be returned to good standing. For students on probation at this point (or at any other subsequent points), possible outcomes of a review include: (1) restoration to good standing; (2) continued probation, again with guidelines for necessary remedial steps; or (3) termination from the program. All students are given feedback from their advisers at the end of their first year of graduate work, helping them to identify areas of strength and potential weakness.

At the end of the second year of residency, students who are performing well, as indicated by their counselors, performance on the Comprehensive Exam, and teaching and research assistantship performance, are advanced to candidacy. This step implies that the student has demonstrated the relevant qualities required for successful completion of the Ph.D. Future evaluations are based on the satisfactory completion of specific remaining department and University requirements. Students who are not advanced to candidacy will normally be terminated from the program and awarded a terminal M.A. degree. In some cases, the department may require that a student complete outstanding work or complete unmet requirements before admission to candidacy. The university requires that all students must be admitted to candidacy by the beginning of the third year in residence in order to continue in the Ph.D. program. Therefore all requirements stipulated by the department must be met before registration for Autumn Quarter of the student's third year.

At any point during the degree program, evidence that a student is performing at a less than satisfactory level may be cause for a formal academic review of that student.

Grading: Doctoral students in the department must take required courses for a letter grade if available and are expected to earn a grade of 'B+' or better in each course instructed in the DLCL. Any grade of 'B' or below is considered to be less than satisfactory. Grades of 'B' or below are reviewed by faculty and the following actions may take place: (1) the grade stands and the student's academic performance is monitored to ensure that satisfactory progress is being made; (2) the grade stands and the student is required to revise and resubmit the work associated with that course; or (3) the student may be required to retake the course.

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