| The Ph.D.
Program
Ph.D. candidates are given a great deal of freedom
to create an individualized program around their own interests and
objectives. The two principal formal requirements are constituted
by the area exams and the dissertation.
Preliminary Requirements
Ph.D. candidates must meet three of the requirements
for our Master's degree, preferably before admission: they must
take a seminar in research methods equivalent to our English 625
courses; they must take a course in the English language; and they
must have a graduate level seminar in English or American literature.
Students without these courses must take them as soon as possible
after entering the program. Students who enter the Ph.D. program
from another field may also be required to do additional coursework.
Foreign Language Requirement
Ph.D. candidates must demonstrate competency in
two foreign languages relevant to their graduate study or in one
foreign language at an advanced level. Competency in the first language
must be demonstrated by one of the means listed in the description
of the Master's program. Competency in the second language may be
demonstrated in any of the same ways, or by means of a reading exam
administered by a competent faculty member in the English Department.
Details on this procedure are available from the Graduate Director.
The second language may be a technical language--for example, a
programming language or a language of dance notation--if approved
by the student's Doctoral Committee. Students should demonstrate
their competency in the languages they choose as early as possible
in their graduate program.
Course Requirements Ph.D.
candidates must take:
1. At least seven graduate-level courses in the Department of English.
Graduate Assistants should take English 605 in their first semester
in preparation for their teaching duties.
2. At least two courses, normally at the 400-level or above, in
a field outside of English but related to the student's research
interests. Students who have completed a graduate degree or who
have done extensive work in a field outside of English may be considered
to have fulfilled this requirement.
Students must also meet the residency requirement, set by the Graduate
Division, of three semesters of full-time work or the equivalent
in credit hours.
The Area Examinations
The Area Exams serve as the culmination of the
student's formal study in the program. Their purpose is to consolidate
course work and independent study, to allow students to demonstrate
a range and depth of knowledge appropriate to a prospective college
teacher in the areas tested, and to give them an opportunity to
demonstrate a command of the critical and scholarly skills required
before proceeding to the dissertation.
The Areas: The candidate is responsible for
defining three areas in which he or she will be tested. These areas
may be periods, genres, or topics. The subjects covered in an area
should be no narrower than those in a standard upper-division course
for English majors, and no broader than the areas governed by MLA
Divisions (e.g., The English Romantic Period, Nineteenth-Century
American Literature, History and Theory of Rhetoric and Composition,
et al.). Single authors, with the exception of Chaucer,
Shakespeare, and Milton, should not be considered areas in themselves.
Coverage of an area should not be considered equivalent to proposing
a specific syllabus for a course in that area; rather, it is expected
that the candidate's knowledge of an area will be sufficient for
him or her to competently handle several different courses
in that area. Nor should an area be defined exclusively around the
candidate's own research interests: the student is expected to demonstrate
a familiarity with the full range of theoretical and methodological
approaches to the areas he or she has chosen.
Candidates should select their areas in consultation with an advisor
whom they have chosen from among the members of the English Department
graduate faculty. The titles of the areas must be as clear and cogent
as possible, though the candidate may also submit a brief explanation
of the subject matter and of the limits of the area if it would
be helpful. Proposed areas must be submitted through the Graduate
Director to a subcommittee of the Graduate Program Committee for
approval. The subcommittee will consider whether the areas meet
the criteria described in the preceding paragraph, and will also
examine the relation among the different areas proposed and the
overall breadth of the candidate's proposed areas of study. They
may ask for clarification or additional explanation, and they may
propose alternative titles for an area, and the candidate will be
allowed to respond. The process will continue until both the sub-committee
and the candidate are satisfied with the three proposed areas. In
the event of an impasse, the candidate may ask for a decision of
the entire Graduate Program Committee.
A list of areas that have been approved in the past is available
from the Graduate Director. Since the subcommittee must consider
such things as the possible overlap among the three proposed areas
of each candidate's exams, the appearance of an area on this list
does not mean that it will automatically be approved again.
The Examination Committee. Once the three areas have been
approved, the candidate may confer with his or her advisor and/or
with the Graduate Director about possible members of the examination
committee. It is not appropriate, however, for the student to approach
other faculty members with requests to serve on the committee, for
the selection of examiners is the responsibility of the Graduate
Director. For each proposed area, two faculty members will be chosen
to serve on the exam committee. The primary criterion for appointment
will be the faculty member's expertise in the areas to be tested.
The committee is not a gathering of faculty from whom the student
has taken courses or with whom he or she would eventually like to
work on the dissertation, but it is instead a group of scholars
who are knowledgeable in the fields in which the student is being
examined. The student's advisor may or may not be chosen as an examiner.
The same faculty member may be chosen for two, but no more than
two, different areas of the exam. The complete examination committee
will thus consist of between four and seven members.
Once the committee has been formed, the student's
advisor will serve as chair: he or she will be responsible for overseeing
the administration of the exam, for serving as mediator between
the student and the other members of the committee, and for approving
the written questions before they are given to the student. The
candidate is encouraged to meet with the members of the committee,
either together or separately, as soon as possible in order to discuss
the expectations of the exam. The advisor or the examiners may suggest
that the student draw up lists of texts in various areas to help
in preparation for the exams, and these lists may serve as reading
guides or assist in the development of a selected bibliography in
the field. They may also have a heuristic function in helping the
student and examiners clarify their understanding of the boundaries
and methods of a given area. The inclusion of some authors or texts
may become a part of these discussions and even of the examination
itself, as the constitution of an area can become a subject of negotiation
and debate. The area must be understood, however, as including these
issues and problems, and the reading lists cannot be used as a way
of delimiting the area to a fixed gathering of texts, or as a way
of excluding from the examination texts that are recognized by scholars
in the field as appropriate to it.
The Form of the Exam. The examination will consist of a written
component for each area plus a final oral exam. The written requirement
may be satisfied in two ways:
Written Exams: There will be one
written exam for each area. All three exams should be taken in
sequence, with no more than one week between any two exams.
The candidate may choose to take 4-hour examinations or to write
take-home exams, which will be due 24 hours after the candidate
receives the questions.
The Committee and the candidate will meet two weeks before the
first written exam. At that time they will agree upon 3-4 major
texts to be used as points of departure for each written exam.
It is expected that the candidate will know these texts thoroughly
and will also demonstrate an ability to generalize using appropriate
examples from these texts. The candidate will be allowed to name
at least two of the major texts. The total number of major texts
may be increased at the candidate's request.
Each exam will be read by two committee members and graded pass
or fail. In the event of a split decision the exam will be read
by a third faculty member chosen by the Graduate Director. Notification
of passage or failure should be given to the student within 3
working days after she or he has taken the exam.
If a student fails a written exam, he or she must meet with the
advisor and the readers to discuss the reasons for the failure
and to schedule a second exam. Students who fail a written area
exam a second time will be removed from the program. Upon notification
that he or she has failed a written exam, the student may opt
to continue with the already scheduled sequence of exams or to
resume the sequence when the failed area is retaken.
Oral Examination. The oral examination will
be taken after the written require-ment has been satisfied. It will
be a 90-minute examination, with about one half hour devoted to
each area. The written exams or papers will provide a basis for
the oral examinations but the content of the oral is not limited
by them. A student may be asked to retake the entire oral exam or
to repeat one portion of it. Candidates who fail the entire exam
twice will be removed from the program. A student retaking a single
portion of the exam will meet with the two readers for that area
and his advisor to discuss reasons for the failure, at which time
a second interview will be scheduled. It is expected that this process
will continue until all examiners are satisfied that the candidate's
performance is satisfactory.
Timetable. Candidates must choose an advisor by the end of
the semester in which they take the last of their required classes,
and they should propose their three areas early in the following
semester. The Area Exam Committee will be formed as soon as possible
after the candidate's areas have been approved. The candidate must
take the exam within three semesters after completing the required
courses. It is expected that many students will sign up for 3-6
credits of 699 with the advisor during the semesters in which they
are taking the exams. These 699 credits may not be counted toward
the student's seven-course requirement. In the normal course of
events, it is expected that a full-time student will take the area
exam in the fifth or sixth semester in the program.
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SOME GUIDELINES FOR STUDENTS TAKING THE PH.D. ORAL EXAMS
Since students may not be accustomed to orals
exams such as the ones we require in our Ph.D. program, these
guidelines provide some advice based on the experiences of
students who have taken the exams and faculty members who
have administered them. They were approved by the Graduate
Program Committee on December 11, 2002
1. Expectations
Examiners are looking for command of the major theoretical
issues in the area, an understanding of the cruxes of critical
debates in the field, and a familiarity with the key texts
associated with the area; these texts would normally be on
the reading list constructed as part of the student’s
preparation. Students should recall that questions may range
within the entire area, not just the matters covered in the
written exams. Some examiners may wish to explore topics discussed
in the written exams while others may want to focus on subjects
not covered in the written answers. Students will be expected
to be able to discuss the areas knowledgeably, like a beginning
colleague; they are not expected to know everything in the
field or to remember every date, name, and fact. These exams
are brief: each area is given thirty minutes, so students
won’t be able to cover all they know, but they should
be able to address the questions asked precisely and directly.
Students should also know that they can ask for clarification
of a question, and disagree with the views quoted or offered
by the examiners, and can even admit that a certain fact or
name is eluding them.
2. Preparation
- prepare notes or charts to review the material--you may bring
notes, books, and articles to the exam, but notes that can
be quickly scanned will be most helpful and may provide reassurance
in case you’re concerned about a lapse in memory. A list
of basic facts and names usually will jog your memory.
-
organize the material in the area, listing major ideas, characteristics,
facts that seem crucial; use this method for review and to
contemplate and anticipate possible questions. Use critical
and theoretical texts to review the major issues and debates
in the area.
-
arrange mock exams that follow the thirty-minute format; you
may ask examiners or other faculty members or other students
to act as examiners. The most helpful people will be those
who know the area and the procedures of the exam--and whose
judgment you are respect.
-
consult with your examiners, asking them questions, trying
out ideas on them, getting their input on ideas, authors,
or critics you are reading or thinking of reading for the
area. Most people begin with reading lists made up in consultation
with the examiners in the areas; these are good starts, but
remember that they are not at all meant to be comprehensive
or exhaustive. Let your basic reading from the list you’ve
establish lead you to other topics and authors. Consult with
your examiners about new directions your reading and interests
are taking you as you prepare. Knowing which texts are crucial
to the area is important in showing mastery of the area.
3. Techniques During the Exam
- be clear on the key terms of each question; decide what the
important issues are and respond precisely to the question
asked; if you want to change some of the terms, explain what
you are doing and why. If something in the question is unclear
to you, ask about it.
- make specific references to relevant theorists and critics
where appropriate; examiners will be looking for evidence
of your ability to discuss general issues and of your awareness
of current theoretical contexts for the material you’re
discussing.
- lay out the territory of the question--indicate what writers
are relevant if that is not part of the question. You may
jot down notes to yourself to help you concentrate on the
question or to recall key elements that you want to discuss
in your answer.
- speak clearly and make eye contact with the examiners; if
you are getting visual feedback that makes it seem that your
answer is not what was wanted (frowns, looks of puzzlement),
pause to ask what is wrong. Some examiners will interrupt
you if they think you are going astray, but others do not.
Make your exam a conversation--engage the examiners with your
answers and consider their reactions as you would do in other
serious discussions. Be concise and stay on the topic. Avoid
personal asides or chat during the exam.
- get plenty of rest before the exam and try to keep from becoming
too nervous; remember that you’ve already passed three
written area exams to get to this point.
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The Dissertation
A. Preparation
The dissertation should be an original inquiry
into a significant problem in literature or writing or an original
and substantive creative work, suitable for publication. Within
those bounds, there is an infinite range of possible subjects and
forms for the dissertation. Each student's progress towards completion
of the dissertation will also be unique, but there are a certain
number of steps that all candidates must go through, starting with
the following three-step process intended to get them started on
their dissertations.
1. Dissertation Advisor and a Doctoral Committee.
Students should choose a Dissertation Advisor and Committee as
soon as possible after the Area Exam has been passed. The committee
consists of at least five members of the graduate faculty, chosen
by the student with the faculty member's consent and with the
approval of the Graduate Director. The majority of the committee
must be graduate faculty from the Department of English, but at
least one member must be from another field. No more than two
members of the normal five-person committee may be from other
fields.
2. Prospectus. Students should submit a written
prospectus of the dissertation project to the Doctoral Committee.
The prospectus should be 3-8 typed, double-spaced pages in length,
followed by a selected annotated bibliography or bibliographical
essay on the topic. Sample prospectuses are kept on file in the
Graduate Office for candidates' examination.
3. Oral Comprehensive Examination. Students must
discuss the prospectus with the Doctoral Committee in a 90-minute
colloquium, at the end of which the committee will either approve
the topic and the commence-ment of the candidate's work on the
dissertation or ask that the prospectus be revised. This colloquium
constitutes the Oral Comprehensive Examination required by Graduate
Division regulations.
B. Writing and Consulting with the Dissertation
Advisor and Committee
The writing of the dissertation can be carried
out in a variety of ways. The candidate may work primarily with
a single advisor, passing the dissertation on to the other committee
members in preparation for the doctoral defense; or during the writing
process, the candidate may submit drafts of individual chapters
or complete drafts for evaluation and commentary by one or more
members of the committee in addition to the advisor, as appropriate.
In all cases, the candidate must reach agreement with the committee
about each member's role in the process and the amount of time granted
between submission and response.
Human Subjects: Students doing
research for an M.A. thesis or Ph.D. dissertation that involves
the use of human subjects, including the use of interviews, pictures,
or surveys of living persons, must report their plans for research
to the Committee on Human Studies (CHS) prior to the involvement
of human subjects in the research project. This Committee is mandated
to insure ethical treatment of the human subjects of research.
Most research in our department will be “exempt” from
full review by the Committee, but it must still be reviewed and
approved. To receive “exempt” status, researchers must
report their research using a form called the Committee for the
Protection of Human Subjects—University of Hawai‘i—Declaration
of Exemption. Categories for exemption include “educational
practices,” “educational tests,” “surveying
or interviewing,” “public observations,” “public
officials,” and “existing data.” Note that research
on “minor children,” i.e., those under eighteen, may
not be exempt. Filling out this form at the beginning of any research
for a thesis or dissertation is essential. Later applications
may be refused and the CHS has the power to disallow unapproved
research and forbid its use in the thesis or dissertation. You
may get copies of the application for an exemption from the Graduate
Program Office in Kuykendall 416 or from the CHS office in Spalding
252. Also, you may consult the CHS website at http://www.hawaii.edu/irb/.
The CHS Compliance Officer, Mr. William H. Dendle, may be reached
at 539-3945; his e-mail is dendle@hawaii.edu.
All students planning research involving human subjects should
consult Mr. Dendle at the beginning of their project.
C. The Doctoral Defense
The final step in the dissertation process is the
doctoral defense, a 90-minute discussion with the Doctoral Committee
which is advertised in department and University publications and
which is open to all members of the campus community. Ideally, all
members of the committee will have had the opportunity to comment
on the penultimate draft of the dissertation, and the candidate
will have had the opportunity to make revisions in response to these
comments. Regardless of the preceding discussions, the defense provides
the opportunity for the candidate to summarize the intentions of
the document submitted and to comment on its significance to the
field. The committee will ask questions about, comment on the strengths
and weaknesses of, and discuss the larger implications of the project.
At the conclusion of the defense, the committee will determine whether
the candidate has successfully defended the project and whether
the dissertation itself is acceptable in its current form or is
in need of further revision.
Sample Timetable:
As the Ph.D. program is designed to meet the needs
of a wide range of students, there is no single way to proceed to
the degree. The following timetable assumes that students either
are Graduate Assistants or are working part-time, and hence can
take only two courses per semester. Those who can devote full time
to their Ph.D. work may move through the requirements more quickly;
those who can take only one course per semester will proceed more
slowly.
First Year
Take two courses each semester.
Begin work on the foreign language requirements
and/or the two courses
outside the department.
Second semester: attend the workshop for new
students on planning for the
job market.
Attend Department and University lectures and
colloquia.
Second Year
Take two courses each semester. By the end of the second year,
most student will have completed eight required courses.
Continue work on the foreign language requirement.
By the end of the second semester, choose an advisor who will
chair the Area Exam Committee and formally select the three areas.
Third Year
Complete the Area Exams.
Complete foreign language requirements. Do any additional course
work.
Begin drafting a prospectus for a dissertation.
Fourth Year
Complete any outstanding requirements.
Select an Advisor and Dissertation Committee. Take the oral exam
on the
dissertation prospectus (the "Comprehensive Exam").
Begin work on the dissertation.
In the spring, attend the workshop for candidates entering the
job market.
Fifth Year
Complete the dissertation. Defend it.
Enter the job market by preparing a dossier and applying for jobs.
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