SECTION 3 - THE PH.D. DEGREE
II. The Dissertation
The dissertation prospectus, submitted for the approval of the Dissertation Prospectus Committee, should be a fairly short and succinct document (about 10-12 pages) covering the following items: 1. A chapter outline.
2. A statement of the argument. 3. A summary of relevant research. 4. A sample bibliography It is understood that the dissertation may evolve from the statement in the Prospectus, but a student does not have to submit a new
Prospectus to the Committee unless the topic is substantively changed. Before choosing a dissertation director, the student should consult with the Executive Officer. The student usually has a single director, but may, if
warranted, have two co-directors. The director must be a member of the Comparative Literature doctoral faculty. After the Prospectus Committee has evaluated the Prospectus, the student may join the Committee to discuss it.
Prospectuses to be approved during the spring semester should be submitted to the Executive Officer no later than April 15. Prospectuses to be approved during the fall semester should be submitted no later than November 15.
The dissertation proposal must receive the signed approval of the student's prospective dissertation director before being forwarded to the Dissertation Prospectus Committee. The proposal must reach the Executive Officer at least two weeks before the next committee meeting so that copies may be circulated to all committee members. The committee will not only pass on the proposal, but will confirm the supervisor and the second and third readers. After the Dissertation Prospectus Committee has evaluated the Prospectus, the student may join the members of the committee in an open discussion of the Prospectus. Although students are urged to explore potential dissertation topics throughout their graduate studies, the Prospectus Committee will not consider a dissertation proposal until the Second (Oral) Examination has been passed. If a student's dissertation prospectus is rejected by the Committee more than three times, the student will not be allowed to continue in the program. The Prospectus must be written in English.
The dissertation must be on a subject approved by the Prospectus Committee and directed by a member of the Comparative Literature faculty. After the dissertation has been approved by the sponsoring committee, the candidate defends it at an oral examination (see next page).
Aside from the director, each dissertation has two readers, one of whom must also be a member of the Comparative Literature doctoral faculty. The director and two readers must be members of the CUNY doctoral faculty. If a student chooses a fourth reader, the reader does not have to be a member of the doctoral faculty. The readers are chosen by the Executive Officer in consultation with the director and the student.
Members of the CUNY faculty who are not members of the doctoral faculty in Comparative Literature may also be asked by the Executive Officer to serve in a consultative capacity. Such consultation shall not confer membership on the doctoral faculty in Comparative Literature.
A dissertation subject is not considered approved until the student has received written notification to that effect from the Executive Officer.
A work of creative writing is not acceptable in lieu of a dissertation.
The dissertation must be written in English, except in the case of students in the Specialization in Italian.
Dissertations should be between 200 and 250 pages in length. They must be printed (typewriter or computer) and prepared according to the directions of the MLA Style Sheet. They must conform to GSUC dissertation style requirements (see below).
The student should confer regularly with the dissertation director and submit chapters for criticism to the director as the dissertation progresses. The student should also consult regularly with the other members of his or her committee. No dissertation will be accepted that has not been developed under the continuous guidance of the faculty committee.
Translation dissertations should follow the guidelines for length of other dissertations (i.e., 200-250 pp.). The work selected should be significant enough to warrant a translation into English. The secondary material (introduction, notes, appendices, etc.) should be original and of substantial length (75-100 pages). The work should be one not previously translated into English or not currently available in a good English translation. If the original is still covered by copyright, the student should secure English translation rights before proceeding. The comparative element should be treated in the introduction, which should discuss the work in terms of a larger context than that of the national language in which it was originally written.
D. The Third Examination ("Defense") The oral dissertation defense examination must be scheduled with the Executive Officer at least one month in advance. The examination will be held only after the Executive Officer has received written notification from the dissertation director that the student may defend the dissertation. The final draft (not the finished, typset copy) of the dissertation must be submitted two weeks before the defense to each of the three committee members. The Executive Officer should also receive a copy. At the defense, the student answers questions and "defends" the methods, scholarship, and conclusions of his or her work. Two hours are allocated for the examination, which is attended by the candidate, the dissertation director, and the two readers. The examining committee may (l) accept the dissertation as presented; (2) accept the dissertation but recommend minor revisions to be approved by the student's adviser; or (3) require major revisions in the dissertation and its resubmission for approval by the entire committee.
The completed dissertation, incorporating any revisions mandated at the defense, must be approved by the adviser (and the committee if the revisions are considered major), typeset in final form, and deposited in the Mina Rees Library before the degree is granted. The Program requires that students follow the style guidelines outlined by the Modern Language Association. Students will find a description of these guidelines in the most recent MLA Style Manual (the MLA Handbook is inadequate for these purposes). Certain computer programs, such as Nota Bene, allow the student to operate at all times within the dissertation guidelines outlined by MLA. Regarding the format of the dissertation for deposit, the candidate is referred to the general Graduate School "Instructions for Preparing the Ph.D. Dissertation," a copy of which may be obtained from the Registrar in Room 7201, Graduate Center.
Bound copies of dissertations must be filed with the Dissertation Assistant in the Mina Rees Library and can be consulted by anyone wishing to see them. Bound copies will also be kept in the office of the Executive Officer of the Ph.D. Program in Comparative Literature. The dissertation is automatically copyrighted by University Microfilms, with the student's signed approval. Copies are then sold to scholars who request them through University Microfilms. The student will receive royalties from any sale.