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Romance Languages
and Literatures

The First Two Years of the PhD

Program

The first two years of graduate study are spent in coursework. Students
begin teaching after the second year. Normally, students take sixteen four-
credit courses during the first two years, with the possibility of credit given
for previous graduate work done elsewhere.

Required Courses

The sixteen four-credit courses must include:

• Three 200-level courses in the major Romance literature. (NB: A 100-
level course can be counted as a 200-level course if the work done is
at graduate level and the faculty teaching the course agrees to do
so). 
• One four-credit course in the history of the major Romance language
or a course deemed equivalent by the section. 
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• Romance Studies 201. This is a seminar on approaches to literary

and cultural theory specifically designed for all the graduate students
in RLL, and normally taken in the fall term of the first year.
• Two four-credit courses entailing advanced literary study of one or
more Romance languages (other than the language of
specialization), or Latin.
Remarks on the two four-credit courses on other Romance languages
literatures:
Depending on the student’s proposed field of research, other European or
world languages may be substituted. Students specializing in literature
before 1800 take one four-credit Latin course at an advanced level.
Students specializing in Portuguese take one four-credit course in the
Hispanic literatures. Students specializing in Spanish take one four-credit
course in Portuguese, Brazilian or Lusophone literature. If the courses are
taught in English, primary readings should be done in the language under
study. Language courses or equivalent study, as well as elementary Latin
courses do not receive credit toward the graduate language requirement.
Romance Studies courses taught by faculty outside the student’s
specialization may be proposed for credit toward the language requirement,
provided primary readings are done in the language or languages
presented for the graduate language requirement.

Elective Courses

SUPERVISED READING AND RESEARCH (320-LEVEL)

Students must obtain the formal approval of their advisors before
registering for 320-level courses. Only one 320-level course will count
toward the sixteen four-credit courses required for the PhD. However, if a
320-level course is being tailored to satisfy a specific requirement not
offered that year, the instructor should provide documentation of this to the
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graduate coordinator. Students taking 320 courses as requirements may

still take an additional 320 course for credit.

COURSES TAKEN OUTSIDE RLL AND SECONDARY FIELDS

Graduate students not pursuing a secondary PhD field will be allowed to
take a maximum of four courses outside the department over their first two
years; that is, an average of one course per term.
Those students who choose to complete a secondary PhD field during the
first two years in the program will not be allowed to take courses outside
the department other than those taken for the secondary field. Students
pursuing secondary fields must take a minimum of twelve courses in
Romance Languages and Literatures.
CREDIT FOR GRADUATE COURSES TAKEN ELSEWHERE
At the conclusion of the first year of studies, and upon completion of the
First Year Exam, students may request credit for up to four semester-long
courses taken elsewhere to their primary adviser and the DGS. Such
request will be accepted on the basis of need and plan. If it is accepted,
students may then formally request registrar to record these credits. With
registrar approval, and after the successful completion of one term of
graduate studies at Harvard, these courses will be counted among their
sixteen four-credit courses. Students may request graduate language
requirement credit for course work done at another university or equivalent
study done prior to arrival at Harvard. They may also request credit for 200-
level courses in their major Romance literature. Advisors who approve
these credits indicate in the advising journal which requirements are met by
the transfer credit.
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The First Year

Courses

Normally students take eight four-credit courses, including Romance

Studies 201. If students need to take elementary-level language courses in
order to enroll in an advanced course fulfilling their language requirement,
they should take these courses during their first year.

Assignments

Graduate students in Romance Languages and Literatures may commit to

writing a maximum of three article-length research papers per term.
Students assigned such papers in 100-level courses may request an
alternate assignment, such as an examination, a series of shorter papers,
etc.

First-year examination

All students are examined at the end of their second term of study in the
department by faculty members of their section. The goal of the
examination is to check the student's progress and provide advice on
strengths and weaknesses. It is also part of the requirements for an AM
degree. In exceptional cases, the examination may determine whether the
student should continue in the program. If the examining board so
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recommends, a student may take all or part of the first-year examination a

second time (normally within one year of the first).

Incompletes

The department faculty strongly discourages students from taking an

Incomplete in a course. The Department of Romance Languages and
Literatures adheres strictly to the policies established by the Graduate
School of Arts and Sciences regarding unfinished coursework. A grade of
Incomplete (INC) must be converted to a letter grade before the end of the
registration period following the one in which the course was taken.
Otherwise, it will become permanent unless the student has successfully
petitioned the GSAS Dean’s Office for an extension of time.

The Second Year

Courses
Students should take all the remaining courses needed to fulfill their
requirements.

Incompletes
Students must make up Incomplete grades in required courses before
sitting for general examinations.
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Toward the general exams

By the end of the second year, students should begin discussing plans and
preparations for their general exams which they must complete by the end
of their third year.

Master of Arts (AM)

Students do not enroll in the graduate program for the sole purpose of
obtaining a master’s degree, and there is no AM program separate from the
PhD. However, students who came in the program without a Master of Arts,
may apply to the master's degree, which is not conferred automatically. In
exceptional cases, faculty may decide to confer a terminal AM on students
who will not be completing requirements for the PhD.
To be eligible for the AM degree, students must complete one year of
residency, eight four-credit courses, and the first-year examination, as
described in the First-Year section.
Successful completion of all AM academic requirements is a prerequisite
for the PhD program.
Students who have not met all the academic requirements for the AM
degree may not hold appointments as teaching fellows.
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Teaching
Support through teaching is guaranteed to graduate students in their third
and fourth years provided they have met the necessary requirements.
Possible teaching assignments include a section of an undergraduate
language course or a discussion section of a literature course. Teaching
opportunities in the Core program and in other departments may
sometimes be available as well. NB: the two-year guaranteed support
through teaching can be moved to the fifth and sixth years, for instance if a
student obtains other funding for research abroad in their third or fourth
year.
Romance Language 210, to be taken at the beginning of the first year of
teaching, is a requirement for all graduate students but does not count as
one of the sixteen courses toward the doctorate. Graduate students with
previous teaching experience who have already taken a course in
pedagogy through another graduate degree program may petition to be
exempt from Romance Languages 210. To do so, they must submit a
dossier including the syllabus, and papers or projects completed for the
course. After considering the dossier, the Director of Language Programs
and the DGS will choose one of three options: a) exemption from the
Romance Languages 210 requirement; b) completion of some of the work
for the course as an independent project in addition to the sixteen courses
required for the PhD; or c) enrollment in Romance Languages 210.

Advising
While specific procedures may vary from section to section, the general
procedure for advising is as follows:
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In the first year of graduate study, all students are assigned a faculty
advisor in the specialty stated in their dossiers or elsewhere. This faculty
advisor may work with the student until the end of their general
examinations, and beyond. However, a student may change advisors at
any point, provided the student obtains the agreement of the newly
selected advisor. Once this agreement is obtained, the student should
notify both previous and new advisors, the DGS and the coordinator. This
information will be incorporated in the student record on my.harvard. After
the PhD general examination, the dissertation director serves as the
student’s advisor, in consultation with the other members of the dissertation
committee. Conflicts between a student and his or her advisor are ordinarily
resolved through discussion with the DGS or the department chair.

PhD General Examinations

Students must complete the general exam by the end of the third year of
graduate studies
On April 25, 2017, RLL faculty members voted to adopt a new general
examination common to all sections. All RLL graduate students entering the
program in 2017 and later will take general examinations in their new form
common for all sections. Students who entered the program before fall
2017 and who have not yet taken their examination will have the choice
between taking the examination in its old form, according to their section
guidelines, and taking the examination in its new common form.
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New Form Common to All Sections

Purpose

Candidates are expected to demonstrate breadth of knowledge and

acquaintance with their field, to define their area of specialization and show
their mastery of it, and to present their methodology and perspective. As
they move to the status of ABD, candidates are recognized as sufficiently
prepared to teach broad overviews of their fields to non-specialists.

Timing

The general examination is taken in May, during the spring term of the third
year in the graduate program. In some cases, and with approval of
advisers, it may be taken in December of the fall term of the third year.

Examination Committee

The DGS constitutes an examination committee for each student at the end
of their second year. Its role is to advise candidates as they constitute their
lists and draft their essays, and to administer the examination. Normally the
academic adviser of the candidate chairs the committee. It comprises at
least two RLL faculty members, and at least one faculty member who
represents the candidate's field. When possible, the committee should
include more than two RLL faculty, including faculty members representing
other areas of specialization than the student's chosen area. It is also
recommended that one faculty member from another section be included
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whenever possible. In some cases, a faculty member from another

department may join the committee.

Lists of Materials

After the end of their second year, each candidate starts creating three
lists, comprising in total about 90 to 100 items.
The first list constitutes the "field" covering a wide chronological and spatial
array including several subfields (subfields are defined by each section). It
comprises about 50 to 60 items.
The second list constitutes the "area" and represents the specialization of
the student. It comprises about 30 to 40 items.
The third list constitutes the "prospectus list" and introduces the problem
and specific sub-areas the candidate will address in the dissertation. It
comprises about 10 items.
Examples:
1) Field list: Spanish studies; area list: contemporary Latin American
cultures; prospectus list: literature written by women between the 1960s
and 1990s
2) Field: Italian studies; area: Medieval literature; prospectus list: theories
of language, discourses about language in the 13th and 14th c.
3) Field: French studies; area: 20th and 21st c. francophone literature;
prospectus list: literature and law
4) Field: Brazilian and Portuguese studies; area: 16th-17th c Portuguese
literature; prospectus list: gender and genres in poetry
The lists are structured chronologically or geographically. They are
expected to be balanced in such a way that the field list complements the
area and prospectus lists rather than overlapping with them. Therefore, the
field list should mostly comprise subfields that are not the area of
specialization of the candidate.
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Sections may decide to substitute course work for a subfield, which then
may not be represented in their lists. This should be clearly explained to
new students entering the program, so they can choose their courses
judiciously. It is up to the sections to decide how many subfields need to be
represented in the lists, and how many courses can be accepted as
substitutes. It is also up to the sections to decide what texts or items need
to be present on the lists of all students.

Written Component of the Examination

As they establish their lists, students work on two essays (8-10 page for
each) presenting two large themes broad enough to be relevant to the
different subfields represented on the list. Through examples selected in all
subfields, candidates demonstrate the breadth of their knowledge and their
ability to read critically across time, space, and genres, using their themes
as points of entry. The essays include references to theoretical and critical
works, and give the committee a sense of the methodologies used by the
candidates. They should not be a mini-dissertation prospectus, but a broad
map helping to structure the lists and constitute the indispensable
background for the prospectus. Of the two essays, one is written in English
and the other in the Romance language of the field.
Candidates start working on the essays in consultation with their main
advisor, and eventually with the other members of their committee.

EXAMPLES OF THEMES:

Memory and history; Encounters with strangers; Displacements; Aesthetics

of hybridity; Illnesses and their cures; Heroes and heroism; Food and
meaning; Poetic of the sea; Mapping knowledge; Dreams, fantasies,
illusions; Utopias and heresies; Real and imaginary libraries.
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Both the three lists and the two essays need to be finalized, approved and
shared with all members of the committee three weeks before the date of
the examination.
The graduate coordinator keeps examples of lists and themes for
consultation.       

Oral Examination

The examination lasts no less than two and no more than three hours. It
starts with a brief presentation in English of the essays, followed by
questions on the essays and on any item of the lists that faculty members
decide to address. The questions are informed by the two themes
proposed in the essays. Follow-up questions may address other topics or
matters. The questions are not seen in advance by the candidates. Their
goal is to assess the knowledge and familiarity candidates have with the
field, their ability to think on their feet, and to go back and forth between
concepts and particular traits of the works they have studied. The
conversation is divided between English and the Romance language of the
field. The examination concludes with the candidates presenting a brief oral
account of their dissertation project.
Beside the prescribed opening and conclusion, sections may structure the
oral examination differently, either around the themes in the essays, or by
subfields, or by lists. They may decide to divide the exam equally between
a part in English and a part in the Romance language, or to move back and
forth between languages. In any case, each faculty member present should
have the opportunity to ask more than one or two questions. The
expectations of the section and their particular way of carrying out the
examination should be made clear to candidates in advance.
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Grades and Feedback

The members of the examination committee evaluate and comment on the

essays and the oral examination immediately after it has been
administered, and the committee communicates its feedback right away to
candidates. The scale used is: Distinction; high pass; pass; fail.
Assessment and grade are recorded in a written report signed by all
members of the committee. The graduate coordinator is in charge of filing
the report in the candidate's dossier. If the committee judges that the
examination does not earn a "pass," the candidate is asked to take the
examination again within six months. If the candidate fails a second time,
he or she is not authorized to continue in the Ph.D. program.

Hispanic Literature with a Minor in

Portuguese
Candidates for a degree in this specialty must prove oral and written
proficiency in the Portuguese language. They must complete a minimum of
eighteen four-credit courses (instead of the standard sixteen). These are to
be distributed as follows: fourteen courses in or related to Spanish
literature, including the required course of history of the language; four
courses in Portuguese. At least two of those four should be graduate
seminars (200-level); the other two may be advanced undergraduate
courses (100-level). Candidates are required to complete a general reading
list of twenty-four Portuguese texts. Reading lists of Hispanic texts will
remain the same for all students. The general examination will include an
additional two-hour component of Portuguese. The dissertation topic must
address significant issues from both Hispanic and Portuguese literature.
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Other Major/Minor Literature

Combinations
Other programs in one Romance literature with a minor in a second may be
arranged in consultation with the DGS and advisors in both languages,
generally following the model of the Portuguese minor.

Dissertation

Committee
Students have six weeks following formal written notification of their
general examination grade in which to constitute their dissertation
committee. Ordinarily, two members of the committee represent the
student’s major language and field; a third may come from another
language or discipline. Two of the committee members must come from
Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences. Visiting Professors with renewable
appointments may serve on dissertation committees, but may not chair
them. Note: The Dissertation Acceptance Certificate must be signed by no
fewer than three dissertation readers.
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Prospectus

A prospectus is a ten double-spaced pages essay (roughly 2500-3000

words) followed by about ten further pages of bibliography. It provides a
preliminary description of the dissertation and includes a provisional
chapter outline. In order to maintain eligibility for dissertation research
fellowships at GSAS and elsewhere, students must obtain prospectus
approval within six months of the date on which they receive notice of a
passing generals grade. Once the prospectus is approved, the student is
ABD.

Dissertation

An RLL dissertation is a substantial, original scholarly contribution to the

student’s field of specialization that typically assumes the form of an
extended, in-depth written argument, supported by a comprehensive
apparatus and bibliography that demonstrates mastery of the field in
question.
An RLL dissertation may incorporate substantial work in other media so
long as such media is integral to the nature of the scholarly argument and/
or serves as a support. Such media may include interactive maps,
databases, data visualizations, video documentaries, stage and set
designs, curated archives, and digital editions or translations. Artistic
productions in various media may also be included so long as they
contribute to the scholarly argument.
Multimedia components of RLL dissertations must be documented and
justified within the argumentative portions of the dissertation and be
developed in accord with best practices in long-term preservation and
access.
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The dissertation may be written in English or in the appropriate Romance

language.

Defense

PhD candidates are required to make a public oral presentation, or

defense, of the dissertation, followed by a question-and-answer period. It is
usually scheduled at least ten days before the deadline for submission.

Submission

The final manuscript must conform to the requirements described in The

Form of the PhD Dissertation. It should be submitted electronically by the
posted deadline.

PhD Tracks Across Sections

Hispanic Literature with a Minor in
Portuguese

Candidates for a degree in this specialty must prove oral and written
proficiency in the Portuguese language. They must complete a minimum of
eighteen four-credit courses (instead of the standard sixteen). These are to
be distributed as follows: fourteen courses in or related to Spanish
literature, including the required course of history of the language; four
courses in Portuguese. At least two of those four should be graduate
seminars (200-level); the other two may be advanced undergraduate
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courses (100-level). Candidates are required to complete a general reading

list of twenty-four Portuguese texts. Reading lists of Hispanic texts will
remain the same for all students. The general examination will include an
additional two-hour component of Portuguese. The dissertation topic must
address significant issues from both Hispanic and Portuguese literature.

Other Major/Minor Literature Combinations

Other programs in one Romance literature with a minor in a second may be

arranged in consultation with the DGS and advisors in both languages,
generally following the model of the Portuguese minor.

Dual Track in Romance Languages and

Literatures

The Dual Track in Romance Languages offers highly-qualified students a

PhD in two Romance languages and literatures, exploring the two fields
more in depth than a major/minor program allows them to do. Students
pursuing the Dual Track should have equal command of the two languages
and literatures, and have a sufficiently clear idea of their fields of interest to
design an appropriate, consistent, and feasible individualized course of
study that explores various intellectual paths and establishes links across
languages. Qualified students are admitted into the dual track program
after one year of proven academic excellence in their single track graduate
program in the Department. Candidates must explain to both of the relevant
sections and to the Director of Graduate Studies, their intellectual reasons
for combining two languages and define the areas of interests they wish to
explore in their course of study. Criteria for selection into the Dual Track
include language proficiency, strong literary and cultural foundations in both
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literatures and languages, and intellectual focus. A Dual Track student may
revert back to a single track if it appears that this is not the best plan of
graduate study for him or her.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DUAL TRACK:

Eighteen courses (that is, two more than in the single track), to be
completed in two years. The course distribution between the two languages
should be fairly balanced, e.g.: 9:9 or 8:10, and may include Romance
Studies courses. (It must include Romance Studies 201.) Students may
take a maximum of two courses outside of the Department.
Students must satisfy mandatory course requirements in each of their two
languages.

ADVISING:

Each dual-track student has one faculty advisor in each language. Advisors
are designated prior to enrollment, according to the student’s chosen field
and stated interests. Students may change advisors later on after
discussion with their respective section head. Advisors are in charge of
supervising the plan of studies and of organizing the General
Examinations.

Dual Track General Examinations

READING LISTS

List A: Literary Canon. A list of major works from the whole historical range
of each literature (approximately 100 works; 50 from each literature.) The
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list will be established following each section’s specifications and with the
help of the advisors.
List B: Area of specialization. A list of approximately 50 texts that relate to
the student’s specific area of interest (be it period, theme or genre) in both
fields, plus 10 to 20 theoretical and critical works that are highly pertinent to
this special area.
Lists A and B should not duplicate one another.

STRUCTURE AND TIMELINE

The exam will be carried out in two sessions and is to be completed no

later than the end of exam period in the Spring of the 3rd year.
Session 1: General Knowledge (100 texts total)
Time: Students will take two separate examinations (one in each field),
preferably during the fall term of their third year. If one exam is set in the
spring term, it must be at least one month before the examination of
session 2.
Content: The materials on List A. (Students should be able to deploy
theoretical knowledge acquired from List B.)
Structure: Each section will structure its exam according to its own rules.
 
Session 2: Area of Specialization and Comparative Approach (120 texts
total)
Time: To be taken at the end of the second semester of the 3rd year
Content: List B.
 
Committee: To include three professors, one from each of the two sections
of the dual track. The third may come from within Romance Languages and
Literatures or from outside the department.
Structure: This will be an oral examination, to be completed in around 3
hours and with three parts (order to be determined). Two parts (30 – 45
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mins/part) will be in each of the target languages, testing the readings of

List B and the student’s (broad) area of specialization. The third part of the
examination (1 hour) will be conducted in English. The student will prepare,
based on the extensive bibliography of List B, a conference-style paper that
will be delivered to the committee. The paper will bring together the two
tracks and treat a topic that is related to a more specific area of interest
within the student’s field of specialization (this could be related to the
student’s dissertation topic, though is by no means limited to it). A
discussion based on the paper as well as the books on list B will follow.

Dual Track Dissertation

The successful dual track dissertation should be deeply informed by issues

pertinent to both literatures.

Double Doctorate in Italian Studies and

Renaissance Culture

This program, introduced in 2009, allows students to complete both a

doctorate in Italian Studies at Harvard University and a doctorate in
Renaissance Culture at the Istituto Nazionale di Studi sul Rinascimento
(INSR) in Florence, Italy, within a period of five to six years. After
successful dissertation defense, Harvard awards students a PhD in
Romance Languages and Literatures, while the INSR grants a “Diploma di
perfezionamento in civiltà dell’Umanesimo e del Rinascimento.” The INSR
Diploma is legally equivalent to a doctorate awarded by an Italian
university.
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Secondary field in Romance Languages and

Literatures

Please see the description of the secondary field in Romance Languages

and Literatures at the end of Chapter VI.