PhD Program in Luso-Brazilian Literature

Course Requirements

Coursework for the PhD in Luso-Brazilian literature is prescribed by the Portuguese faculty in consultation with the Graduate Adviser. This program requires 12 courses (36 hours) which may be distributed as follows:
1 course in early Portuguese literature (Medieval through Baroque or Colonial Brazilian literature)
1 or 2 courses in 19th century Portuguese /Brazilian literature
1 or 2 courses in 20th century Portuguese/Brazilian literature & culture
2 courses in linguistics (unless already taken for the MA degree)
1 course in literary theory (to be cross-listed with Spanish)
2 courses in supporting work outside the major areas

First Year Review

Students entering the Luso-Brazilian Literature programs with an MA in a field other than Luso-Brazilian Literature will be required to address any deficiencies in preparation by taking additional courses in those fields, as recommended by the Graduate Adviser. These students will be evaluated by the Executive Committee of the Graduate Studies Committee at the end of their second semester to verify satisfactory progress in the doctoral program and to obtain approval to continue in the program.

PhD Language Requirement

Before filing for candidacy in the Doctoral Program, a student in Luso-Brazilian literature must have:

1) An advanced proficiency in Spanish for students majoring in Luso-Brazilian literature. Students may substitute another language for Spanish in accordance with the needs of their specialization, with the approval of the Graduate Adviser.

"Advanced proficiency" means the completion of SPN 508K and POR 612, or the respective equivalents, with a grade of B or better, and the ability to express ideas orally and in writing with clarity and sophistication, which must be demonstrated with the satisfactory completion of two graduate-level courses given in the respective language. The student may substitute an upper-division undergraduate course with the approval of the Graduate Adviser, depending on the language selected for advanced proficiency.

2) For students in Luso-Brazilian literature, either a basic knowledge of Latin OR a reading knowledge of a language other than English, Spanish, or Portuguese, to be determined in consultation with the Graduate Adviser.

"Basic knowledge" may be demonstrated either by the completion of one year of college study of the language with a grade of B or better (for Latin currently the sequence LAT 506-507, or LAT 508, in Classics), or by obtaining an equivalent score on a standardized test for that language, administered by the appropriate department or a nationally recognized institution.

"Reading knowledge" may be demonstrated by the completion of either an appropriate reading course, or a fourth semester of college-level study in the language, or by examination to be specified by the Graduate Adviser, in all cases with a grade of B or better.

PhD Comprehensive Examination in Luso-Brazilian Literature

The semester following completion of all required course work (including supporting work and language requirements), the student will enroll in nine exam preparation hours for the PhD comprehensive examination. This normally will occur in the fourth semester of doctoral study. During the first four weeks of this semester the student will select four major fields, each of which will be supervised by a faculty member who consents to direct that area of the student's work. One of the four faculty members will serve as chair of the student's examination committee, usually the faculty member supervising the “concentration” or “major” field. The student will prepare the four reading lists in consultation with the exam committee chair and the Graduate Adviser, will obtain the signatures of participating faculty, and will submit the reading lists and related paperwork to the Graduate Coordinator for approval by the Executive Committee of the GSC. The EC of the GSC will set a deadline no later than the fifth week of the semester for approval of exam fields. Students whose lists are not approved will have one opportunity to resubmit their reading lists within two weeks of the original deadline. Students who fail to secure approval of their four fields by this second deadline will receive failing grades in their exam preparation courses.

The student will dedicate this initial semester to studying the four fields and preparing for the examination, which will be administered before the midterm point of the following semester (generally the fifth semester of study). The student will enroll in nine hours of exam preparation for this purpose. The PhD Comprehensive Examination must be taken before the midterm point of this second semester of preparation. The student will enroll in nine hours of exam preparation and will arrange the dates for both written and oral exams by contacting the Graduate Coordinator no later than the first week of this second semester of exam preparation.

Examination Format:

The PhD Comprehensive Examination is both written and oral, and is based on the following four fields: Major, Concentration (focused on the potential dissertation), Transatlantic, and Collateral.

Specifically:

The Major Field: This is a period field embracing all genres. The major field in the Luso-Brazilian Literature exam will be selected from the following: 1) Medieval Portugal; 2) Modern Portugal/Colonial Brazil (16th-18th Centuries); 3) Contemporary Portugal/Brazil/Lusophone Africa (19th Century to the present).

The Concentration Field: This field is within the major and will be selected reflecting potential interest for dissertation work. This field may be defined by genre, movement, or topic, and must incorporate a unifying critical or theoretical perspective.

The Transatlantic Field: For Luso-Brazilian Literature students, if the major is Brazilian, this field will be either Portuguese or Luso-African and vice versa. The Transatlantic field must relate coherently to the concentration field and likewise may be a genre, movement, topic or period germane to the field of anticipated dissertation research.

The Collateral Field: This field must relate coherently to the major field and may be constituted within the candidate's advanced language proficiency area or other supporting work outside of the major or department.

Students are encouraged to use two of their three courses required in 'supporting work' to fulfill the advanced proficiency language requirement and to prepare the collateral field for the PhD exam. Likewise students are encouraged to select the third 'supporting work' course either to include an introduction to literary theory or to contain a substantial theoretical component germane to the concentration field indicated above.

Sample field combinations for Luso-Brazilian Literature:

Medieval Portugal; Portuguese lyric poetry; Colonial Brazilian poetry; Medieval Spanish lyric poetry.

Modern Portugual/Colonial Brazil (16th-18th Centuries); Luso-Brazilian narrative representations of ultra-marine conquests; Lusophone African narrative; Spanish-American Colonial literature.

Contemporary Portugal/Brazil/Lusophone Africa (19th Century to the present); gender and identity in Brazilian women’s writing; identity in Lusophone African literature; gendered readings of contemporary French literature.

Contemporary Portugal/Brazil/Lusophone Africa (19th Century to the present); modernism in Portugual and Brazil; Spanish-American modernismo; modern Peninsular Spanish literature.

Reading List:

Students and faculty should consult the following guidelines in preparing the reading list.

The major field reading list will include a minimum of fifteen works or collections and will reflect multiple periods, movements, and genres, as determined by the faculty member preparing this list. The purpose of this list is to prepare the student for scholarly specialization and teaching in a broad field of study, and the selection of works on this list must reflect this breadth accordingly.

The concentration field reading list will include a minimum of twelve additional works or collections. This field focuses on a specific body of works within the major field that may lead to a coherent dissertation proposal. Students are required to investigate and present preliminary dissertation ideas in both the written and oral exams.

The transatlantic field and the collateral field will each include a minimum of ten works or collections. The works selected for these fields should complement the concentration field in a meaningful way.

Written Comprehensive Exam:

The written exam is six hours long and is composed of four 1.5-hour answers. The student will write on one of the two questions offered for each of the four fields. At least one question must be answered in Portuguese and one in English. The examination committee will grade the written exam and determine whether the student may advance to the oral exam.

Oral Exam:

The two-hour oral exam will follow no less than one week after the written exam. The oral exam will serve as a follow-up to the written exam, providing the examiners the opportunity to clarify and to explore points made or missing in the written exam and to ask additional questions about all four fields. It also will have the more specific purpose of exploring the dissertation topic, the breadth and depth of the student's knowledge of the topic, and especially the coherence and appropriateness of the critical approach to be used. As a formal recognition of this focus, the oral exam will begin with a description by the student of the dissertation topic.

To pass the PhD Comprehensive Examination, the student must pass both the written and the oral portions, which are considered parts of a single examination.

Students who fail the exam may take it a second time. Students who fail the exam a second time cannot continue in the program. Sample examinations are on file in the Graduate Office (BEN 2.128).

Candidacy in the Doctoral Program

Applying for Doctoral Candidacy: When a student has passed the PhD Comprehensive Exam, the next step toward doctoral candidacy is to submit a dissertation proposal and the "Application for Doctoral Candidacy" to the EC of the GSC for approval. Deadline dates to submit the proposal are December 1 (fall exams) and May 1 (spring exams). After approval by the EC of the GSC, the Application for Doctoral Candidacy is confirmed by the Office of Graduate Studies, and the student is then officially designated as a doctoral candidate.

Dissertation Committee Selection: The "Application for Doctoral Candidacy" requires the naming of a dissertation committee. The student must choose a dissertation supervisor plus a committee of four other faculty members with one of the members being from outside the Department of Spanish and Portuguese. The student must present a dissertation proposal to the selected committee for its consideration and recommendations.

Program of Work Requirements: The Graduate Adviser and the EC of the GSC must confirm that the student has completed the foreign language requirement and all course work required in the degree plan. Courses included in the program of work must have been taken within six years prior to the date of candidacy application. This confirmation accompanies the "Application for Doctoral Candidacy" for final approval by the Office of Graduate Studies.

Language of the Dissertation: The dissertation is normally written in English.  Petitions to write in another language pertinent to the research must accompany the Application for Doctoral Candidacy.

Review of Progress

Time Limit for Completion: The dissertation may be completed within three years from the date of admission to candidacy. If it is not, the GSC of the department must petition the Graduate School for an extension, explaining unusual extenuating circumstances. The GSC thereafter reviews each student's progress annually. In case of unsatisfactory dissertation progress, the GSC may recommend that the student take additional courses, or pass other examinations, or that the candidacy be terminated. Annual reviews must follow the first review, and all annual recommendations are forwarded to the Office of Graduate Studies.

Continuous Enrollment Requirement: A student cannot enroll in dissertation courses until officially admitted to candidacy by the Graduate School. Once admitted to candidacy, a student must register continuously each fall and spring semester for dissertation courses until the dissertation is completed. Any student admitted to candidacy will be charged tuition for dissertation courses each semester whether enrolled or not unless an official Leave of Absence has been granted by the Office of Graduate Studies. A Leave of Absence must be petitioned to the Office of Graduate Studies, which gives permission for special circumstances only. Enrollment in summer is not required unless the student is appointed as an Assistant Instructor. If a student is appointed as an AI in the summer, he/she must register for a minimum of three credit hours in either summer session.

Final Dissertation Defense

A final oral exam, the dissertation defense, is the last requirement for graduation. Written copies of the dissertation must be submitted to the dissertation committee at least six weeks in advance of the tentative defense date and the committee must decide unanimously that the candidate is ready for the defense. When the committee has decided on an exact date, a written request for the final oral exam to the Office of Graduate Studies is required two weeks in advance. If the defense is successful and all committee members have signed the cover sheet, the student must upload the approved version of their dissertation in .pdf format to the Texas Digital Library (TDL) via the VIREO submission system and to the Office of Graduate Studies by the last class day of the semester.