Washington University

Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures

Graduate Handbook

Introduction

This guide is intended to acquaint prospective and current graduate students in the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures with the graduate programs offered by this department: the M.A. degree in Chinese or Japanese and our Joint Ph.D. programs in Chinese or Japanese and Comparative Literature. The Handbook is to be read along with the Graduate Bulletin of Washington University, which gives general information about the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the University requirements for admission and degrees, and full descriptions of all courses offered. Please also visit our website (http://artsci.wustl.edu/~anell) which contains more detailed information about faculty research interests, library resources, university programs related to our department, and many other items of interest.

Office: Busch Hall, Room 121

Phone: (314) 935-5156

Fax: (314) 935-4399

Campus Box: 1111

Email: anell@artsci.wustl.edu

Homepage: artsci.wustl.edu/~anell

The Programs in General

The Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures provides a limited number of highly qualified graduate students with the opportunity to pursue intensive programs of study leading to the M.A. in Chinese or Japanese languages and literatures and the Ph.D. in Chinese or Japanese literature in conjunction with Comparative Literature.

The goal of these programs is to produce scholars who are well trained in their chosen languages, fully grounded in the literary traditions they are studying, and thoroughly conversant with critical discourses (indigenous and western) relevant to their fields. Ph.D. candidates gain extended first-hand exposure to the modern societies whose languages, literatures, and cultures they study in addition to significant teaching experience in both the language and the literature classroom.

Departmental Strengths

Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures encompasses faculty who teach and conduct research in five linguistic and literary traditions—Arabic, Chinese, Hebrew, Japanese, and Persian. Additionally, the department offers beginning through advanced language training in Korean and Hindi. This diverse faculty is united in its commitment to excellence in language teaching and the study of literature from various methodological and critical perspectives. In addition to obtaining training in basic philological skills, students in the program are exposed to various trends in contemporary literary study. These include the study of literature in its cultural and historical context, the interaction between literary and religious traditions, the connections between popular and elite literatures, the intersection of traditional and modern critical discourse, gender issues, and the relation between the personal and the communal in literary voice.

The joint Ph.D. programs in Chinese or Japanese and Comparative Literature allow as well for intensive course work in comparatist methodology and literary theory, as well as study of a second literature.

Graduate Programs: Individual Section Strengths

Chinese: The faculty of the Chinese section have particular expertise in poetry and poetics, vernacular fiction, theater, religious literature, women’s writing, diasporic voices and identity politics, and interdisciplinary approaches to the cultural, social, and intellectual history of both late imperial China and modern China, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.

Japanese: Strengths among the Japanese section faculty include literary modernization and journalism, modern personal narratives, women’s writing, translation theory and practice, premodern and modern poetry, medieval narrative, and issues relating to orality and writing.

Duration of Programs

The Master of Arts program is usually completed in two years. Programs leading to the Doctorate in Philosophy require five to six years to complete: two to three years devoted to course work and pre-candidacy comprehensive examinations, with the remaining period devoted to writing the dissertation.

Students who are non‑native speakers of Chinese or Japanese are strongly encouraged to apply for external funding for one or more years of language study abroad during their pre-candidacy period. In addition, qualified students are encouraged to apply for internally administered pre-dissertation summer research grants and/or external funding for dissertation research abroad.

Admission

The deadline for admission is January 15 of the year in which the applicant seeks admission. Applications should be sent directly to the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, Campus Box 1187, Washington University, One Brookings Drive, St. Louis, MO 63130‑4899, USA. The application process may be completed online: The following are also required as part of the admission file for all students:

1. Statement of Purpose

2. Three letters of recommendation

3. Pertinent financial information forms

4. Current GRE scores

5. Transcripts for all academic work since high school

6. Writing samples: Ph.D. applicants are required to submit two pertinent samples, in English, of no more than twenty pages each. M.A. applicants are required to submit one such sample.

7. Language proficiency: through the third level of Chinese or Japanese for acceptance into the M.A. program; through the fourth level and two semesters of classical Chinese or Japanese for acceptance into the Ph.D. program.^[1]

8. TOEFL and TWE scores for non‑native speakers of English

All application documents must be in English or in English translation.

Students will receive a letter from the Dean of the Graduate School informing them of the admission decision around April 1 of the same year. The Department will also send a letter to admitted students with relevant orientation materials and information. Note: Application materials will not be returned.

Financial Aid

M.A. Students:

Financial aid for M.A. students is limited. Qualified students may be granted partial or full tuition remission awards; most must rely on personal resources or student loans for their remaining expenses.

Ph.D. Students:

The Department, the Committee on Comparative Literature, and the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences make every effort to provide worthy students in the Ph.D. program with financial aid for up to five years. During the first year of study, students customarily receive full tuition remission plus a University fellowship. In their last year of dissertation writing (usually the fifth year of Ph.D. study), students are eligible to apply for a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship. In the intervening years, qualified graduate students are eligible for a combination of Teaching and Research Assistantships and University fellowships. Each of these awards includes remission of all tuition and fees in addition to a living stipend.

Washington University also has several special fellowship programs for doctoral students, such as the Olin Fellowship for Women and the Chancellor’s Graduate Fellowship Program for African-American students.

Advising

Upon admission, students will meet with the Departmental Graduate Advisor who will assist with orientation and initial registration. During their first year of study, students will select a primary Academic Advisor whose scholarly interests most closely match their own. Students are expected to meet with their primary Academic Advisor regularly and, in addition, to meet with the Departmental Graduate Advisor during the registration period for each semester. Students should also identify two secondary advisors, one of whom may be from a field of specialization outside the main literary tradition that the student is studying. This committee will supervise the M.A. comprehensive examinations for Master's students. Ph.D. students consult this committee to determine the topic of the qualifying examination; they advise students concerning the completion of remaining degree requirements and the writing of the dissertation. The membership of this committee might well change over time as students’ interests evolve. It is the responsibility of the Departmental Graduate Advisor to keep written records of students’ progress and to provide appropriate, regular, and timely feedback to students concerning academic progress.

Language Placement Examinations

Students who are not native speakers of the language of their major literature are required to take a placement examination prior to their initial registration. Many join our program from universities having language programs whose goals may differ from ours. For this reason the Department finds it useful to give entering students language placement examinations in their major language, unless it is their native language, and in English for non-native speakers. These examinations are diagnostic tools meant to assist faculty and students in evaluating language proficiency and areas of strength and weakness in language preparation. Based on this examination, students may be placed in the language course most commensurate with their immediate needs.

The M.A. Programs

The Master of Arts in Chinese or Japanese Language and Literature trains students to be well-informed and discerning readers of the literary texts and cultural traditions in the area of focus. Graduates with the M.A. are prepared either to pursue advanced study in scholarly, business, or other professional programs or to enter careers as diverse as banking, business, consulting, civil service, publishing, or secondary and college-level teaching.

Degree Requirements

The Master of Arts in Chinese or Japanese Language and Literature requires 36 units of graduate study in Chinese or Japanese, which may include courses from related fields such as Art History, Comparative Literature, East Asian Studies, or History. The course of study includes the following:

1. Major Language Requirements: Language proficiency through fourth level (Chi 427, 428; Japan 458, 459) and two semesters of classical Chinese or Japanese (Chi 410, 411; Japan 460, 461). No more than 12 units in either Chinese or Japanese language training may be applied toward the required 36 units. Students who enter with advanced proficiency in Chinese or Japanese may be allowed to waive the language requirement but must enroll in additional program‑related courses to meet the required total.

2. Literature Requirements: To ensure a critical awareness of the broad scope of Chinese or Japanese literature, students are expected to enroll in all relevant literature courses, reading seminars, and seminars as selected in consultation with the advisor.

3. Methodology: A research pro‑seminar in methodology in which students are introduced to research methods (Chi 536; Japan 537), to be taken early in the student's coursework

4. Final Examinations: In consultation with their primary advisors, students will opt for one of the following plans:

a. Students who plan to continue their academic training at the Ph.D. level are strongly encouraged to complete a Master's thesis in a specific area of interest to be determined in consultation with the student's advisors. Upon completion of the thesis, students defend it in a brief oral examination.

b. Students who do not plan to continue their academic training beyond the M.A. must successfully complete a comprehensive written examination focusing on two major areas to be determined by their advisory committee. This examination is administered near the end of the candidates’ term of study, and is followed by a short oral examination in which the student discusses his or her comprehensive examination.

5. Grade Requirements: In order to qualify for the M.A. Degree, students must maintain a 3.0 GPA.

The Ph.D. Programs

The Ph.D. in Chinese or Japanese and Comparative Literature prepares students to contribute substantially to teaching and research in East Asian literary study. Offering a creative integration of East Asian literary traditions with emphasis on critical methodology and comparative study, graduates of our program bring their linguistic skills and critical acumen to their research projects and to the challenge of becoming creative teachers of the language, literature, and culture of either China or Japan. Our graduates benefit from close mentoring not often found in larger programs; our programs combine depth of research in the major field with breadth derived from the study of a second literature as well as literary theory and critical methodology. Consequently, our graduates are fully prepared to compete successfully with those who have studied at larger institutions; some are counted among the leaders in their fields.

Degree Requirements

1. Major Language Requirements: Entering students are required to have completed the equivalent of at least four years of modern Chinese or Japanese language study and two semesters of classical Chinese or Japanese. Language placement examinations are administered upon students’ entrance in the program, on the basis of which more formal language training may be required. (See Admission, p. 3).

2. Course Requirements: The joint Ph.D. requires a total of 72 units of course work. Students who have completed their M.A. at Washington University may transfer up to 30 units; students coming with a similar M.A. from another American university may transfer up to 24 units. Transfer credits for students from non-American universities are treated on a case-by-case basis. Post M.A. students will take a total of 42-48 semester hours including the following:

a. 18 credit units in Chinese or Japanese literary and cultural studies including at least two advanced seminars

b. 6-9 credit units in a single second literary tradition

c. 6-9 credit units in theory and methodology. Required among these are Comp. Lit. 402 (Introduction to Comparative Literature) and Chi 536 or Japan 537, as relevant.

d. 6-12 elective credit units, which may include a maximum of 6 credit units of dissertation research (Comp. Lit. 590, Chi 591, Japan 592)

3. Qualifying Examination: Students must pass a written qualifying examination normally administered towards the end of the first year of the Ph.D. program. The purpose of this examination is to assess a student’s qualifications for continuing in the program. The examination consists of two parts. The first part is an assigned paper of about fifteen pages in length on a critical/analytical topic assigned by the student’s advisory committee in consultation with the student. Students have three days (normally a weekend) to complete this paper. This paper will measure the students’ analytical abilities and writing competence. In addition, the examiners must assess the student’s progress in making effective use of primary and secondary sources in the language of the major. Students who have not yet achieved sufficient language skills to carry on research in their primary language will be required to enroll in intensive remedial language study over the following summer.

4. Research Language Requirements: Reading knowledge on at least the research level of a third language (such as French, German, or a second East Asian language) is required. Students should select these languages in consultation with their advisory committee; however, Japanese is strongly recommended for students of Chinese, and Chinese is recommended for students of premodern Japanese. Mastery of the research languages must be demonstrated before students undertake their comprehensive examinations. The Dean of the Graduate School has regularly arranged for students to receive full tuition remission for such language courses.

Language Study and Research Abroad: The Department maintains ties with several graduate and research institutions in East Asia. In the past, our students have pursued advanced language study at the Inter‑University Programs in China and Japan. The Department also maintains exchange relationships with the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences, National Taiwan University, and Tsukuba University near Tokyo. Advanced students frequently visit other university library collections in North America and abroad for research purposes, usually with some degree of financial support from the University.

The Graduate School of Arts and Sciences offers limited numbers of International Pre-Dissertation Research Grants on a competitive basis. These small grants enable students to travel to prospective research sites in order to explore the feasibility of their proposed research agenda.

Our students have supported their dissertation research abroad with fellowships from such US government programs as Fulbright for US citizens and Mombusho grants for citizens of all countries. Exchange programs provide support regardless of citizenship. Students are encouraged to consult with their advisors and with the relevant study abroad advisor in the Office of International and Area Studies to investigate grant possibilities for their research topics. Under some conditions limited funds may also be available from the Graduate School to support study and research abroad.

5. Teaching Requirement: Teaching is an essential part of training for a career as a university professor. In accordance with the Graduate School’s teaching requirements, the Department of Asian and Near Eastern Languages and Literatures seeks to provide its Ph.D. students with appropriate teacher training as well as opportunities to instruct University undergraduates in the areas of language and literature.

a. Language: Serving as a Teaching Assistant in the language classroom is an expected part of advanced graduate training, starting with the second year of graduate Ph.D. study, if not before. During their first years of Ph.D. study, students should plan to take the departmental “Seminar and Practicum in Language Teaching” when it is offered. Teaching Assistants in the language classroom work under the supervision and mentorship of the faculty they are assisting.

b. Literature: Students may have the opportunity to teach three units in Comparative Literature during his/her last years in residence on a topic chosen from Chinese or Japanese literature. In this endeavor the student will be mentored by the Director of Undergraduate Studies in Comparative Literature and may team-teach with a doctoral student from another Comparative Literature program.

6. Comprehensive Examinations: Near the completion of course work (usually in the third year of residence), three comprehensive examinations are administered. These examinations are intended to test the breadth and depth of the student's mastery of her/his chosen field(s) of expertise

a. General Examination: The first in the series is a comprehensive assessment of a student’s mastery of an entire literary tradition. This combination of written and oral examinations is designed to test a student’s general knowledge of a given literary tradition. Students will be expected to demonstrate competence in all areas of the chosen national literature, from the classical through the contemporary. This examination, structured primarily to elicit responses to those crucial terms, concepts, and key developments in the overall literary history, will be administered by the student’s advisory committee.

To prepare for this examination, students will be provided with a comprehensive bibliography of the primary and secondary sources that have been selected by faculty members as representing the core knowledge in the field.

b. Field Examination: The field examination tests the student’s mastery of her primary field or area of specialization within the primary field and the theoretical approaches appropriate to that specialization. The examination process will follow that outlined above under General Examination.

c. Topic Examination: Each student selects a dissertation topic in consultation with his/her advisory committee. This will form the basis for a written examination that addresses not only the topic but also the direction that the dissertation will take. This will be followed by an oral examination. At least ten days in advance of the examination day, the student must present her/his examiners with a dissertation prospectus along with an extensive bibliography of primary and secondary materials on which the initial phases of the dissertation research will be based. During the oral examination, the student will present and justify the dissertation’s goals and methodology as set forth in the written exam, then respond to questions from the examiners.

d. Repetition of Examinations: If a student does not pass one of these examinations on the first attempt, the examiners may petition the Chair of the Department to allow the student to repeat it. If, however, the second attempt is not clearly successful, the student will not be allowed to continue through the degree program.

Candidacy/ABD Status: Students are advanced to Candidacy for the degree/ABD (All But Dissertation) status when they have completed the following:

a. 72 credit units of course work, which may include dissertation research credits

b. All language requirements

c. The relevant teaching requirement

d. All three Comprehensive Examinations

e. The Graduate School’s Scope and Procedure Form

Thesis Title, Scope and Procedure Form: The student must obtain from the Department or the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences a Thesis, Title, Scope and Procedure form, which is to be completed and returned to the Graduate School six months prior to the intended date of the dissertation defense.

7. Dissertation: Writing the dissertation is the final stage in the Ph.D. training process. As a major example of original research that displays the student’s scholarship, command of materials, writing ability, and analytic strengths, the importance of the dissertation for one’s future academic careers cannot be overemphasized. For this reason students should keep the following points in mind.

a. The subject should be chosen carefully. Precious time can be wasted if the dissertation topic is too large and ambitious or too small and obscure. Students are strongly advised not to be hasty in choosing a subject. They should be sure to consult all members of the advising committee and, where it is reasonable to do so, discuss the topic with faculty experienced in similar approaches to the study of other literatures.

b. The choice of primary advisor is critical. This person will act as principal mentor during the extended period of dissertation research and writing; he or she will continue as mentor for years following completion of the dissertation and will likely play a crucial role in the academic job search, grant application process, and eventual preparation for tenure review. Consequently, the primary advisor should be an individual with whom one is intellectually and personally compatible. The second and third members of the advising committee should be chosen for the assistance they can provide as one proceeds through the research and writing of the dissertation and in the years immediately following the completion of the degree.

In this Department, the dissertation must demonstrate mastery of primary and secondary materials and relevant historical, cultural and critical background in the literary traditions under study.

Dissertation Writing Period: Students must maintain close contact with their advisory committee members as they write. They should submit a written report describing the status of the dissertation three times each year (at the end of each academic semester and at the end of the summer). Conversely, the primary advisor must maintain close contact with the student, including prompt and timely written responses (normally within one month) to dissertation chapters submitted for feedback and comment. Students must submit each chapter of their dissertation to their advisors upon its completion.

Intent to Graduate Form: Candidates must file this form for the semester in which they intend to graduate. Check the academic calendar in the front of the Graduate School Bulletin for deadline. Forms may be obtained from ANELL or Comparative Literature.

^[1] Language proficiency in both oral and reading skills is determined by diagnostic testing administered prior to matriculation. Successful applicants with less than third-level language proficiency are strongly encouraged to make up deficiencies in language training prior to enrollment by attending summer language programs elsewhere.