Graduate Program
Requirements for Advanced Degrees

The degree of Master of Arts is offered with a concentration in French, Italian, or Hispanic literature. The program for the MA degree is open to students holding the Bachelor of Arts degree or the equivalent, and whose major field of undergraduate study was normally a Romance language and literature. Students are expected to have proficiency in the Romance language and in English upon admission to the program. MA candidates in all of the Department's programs must complete 30 semester hours, of which 6 hrs. are in required courses: ROML 700 (Methodology, 3 hrs.) and Thesis credit (3 hrs.). The remaining 24 hours are elective.

The degree of Doctor of Philosophy is offered with concentration in Romance Languages and Literatures; Romance Philology; French, Italian, Spanish American, or Spanish Languages and Literatures. The doctoral programs focus primarily on literature and literary criticism and require a minimum of 54 credit hours. Included within this number are 30 credit hours for appropriate graduate courses taken for the MA degree at UNC-CH or at another accredited institution. Excluding thesis credits, these courses may be used to complete requirements in either the doctoral major, minor or a supporting program. The entering PhD candidate who holds the MA in a Romance language should expect to take six additional courses (18 credit hours) and six credit hours of 394-Doctoral Dissertation, to complete minimum requirements for the PhD Should any questions arise regarding the acceptability of any courses taken prior to admission to the PhD program, the Director of Graduate Studies, in consultation with the Graduate Advisory Committee, will review the students dossier and determine which courses will be acceptable.

Upon consultation with the Graduate Advisor in their section, doctoral students may decide to take additional courses beyond the required number of courses, either within or outside the Department. In all such cases the purpose of additional coursework must be to strengthen preparation for the written comprehensive examination, to lay the groundwork for the dissertation, or to develop a wider range of teaching fields. Furthermore, insofar as interdisciplinary studies may be appropriate to some research projects and career plans, a certain number of courses or a minor, in addition to the required credit hours, may be highly desirable or even recommended.

Teaching experience is an essential part of professional training. Therefore, teaching assistance or lecture instruction equivalent to at least three contact hours a week for two semesters, or until teaching competence is acquired, is required of all doctoral candidates.
Research Facilities


MA Degree Programs
Course Requirments l MA Writtens l MA Thesis l Thesis Committe l Oral Exam l Recommended Reading
The Department of Romance Languages offers two-year M.A. programs in French, Italian, and Hispanic literature. Students entering any of these programs should have a general knowledge of the field through their B.A. degree. Although the Graduate School requires a minimum number of semester hours for the M.A., our emphasis is not on hours but on the acquisition of knowledge of the field through course work and independent reading. Students should begin to read or review all of the titles on their program reading list as soon as they arrive, and every semester, in consultation with their major-field and thesis advisors, they should choose courses that will help them to complete a comprehensive program of studies. Students should take courses in as many different areas and with as many different professors as time permits.

MA Course Requirements
M.A. candidates in all of the Department's programs must complete 30 semester hours, of which 6 hours are in required courses: Roml 700 (Methodology, 3 hrs.) and Thesis credit (3 hrs.). The remaining 24 hours are elective.

Sample MA Program

Fall - Roml 700* - 3 hrs.
Elective - 3 hrs.
Elective - 3 hrs.

Spring - Elective - 3 hrs.
Elective - 3 hrs.
Elective - 3 hrs.

Fall - Elective - 3 hrs.
Elective - 3 hrs.
Elective - 3 hrs.

Spring - Thesis* - 3 hrs.

Total : 30 hrs.
* required


MA Writtens
Each M.A. program is divided into periods or areas. These periods are the basis for the M.A. Written examinations are to be taken during the Spring of the second year. Candidates prepare for the writtens by taking courses and by reading the books on the M.A. reading list. The number of periods or areas varies according to the program.

EXAM PERIODS OR AREAS

FRENCH
The M.A. written exam in French is offered twice a year, at the beginning of fall semester and at the beginning of spring semester. The M.A. candidate begins preparing for the exam by choosing an advisor (who is also the exam committee chair and the thesis director) in consultation with the Graduate Advisor in French and the Director of Graduate Studies. The student should choose an advisor and meet with him or her to plan the exam no later than February 1 of the second semester of the M.A. program. The purpose of the meeting is to begin formulating a thesis topic, choose two other exam committee members from the French faculty, and plan the exam bibliography.

In preparation for the exam, the student compiles the bibliography in consultation with the three committee members. Each member works with the student on one section of the bibliography. Each of the three sections of the bibliography consists of five to seven literary works and five critical articles and/or chapters. The student submits a preliminary version of the bibliography to committee members no later than April 1. The final version is due to all committee members and the Graduate Student Services Manager (Tom Smither) no later than April 20. Students who do not meet these deadlines must postpone their exams until the following spring semester.

For students taking the exam in the spring semester, the student should meet with the advisor by September 15, submit the preliminary version of the bibliography by November 1, and the final version by November 20.

The exam consists of three questions, each written by a member of the French graduate faculty on the basis of the section of the bibliography that he or she develops in consultation with the student. Each question is relevant to the general topic of the M.A. thesis as well as to a critical perspective on the topic.

The questions focus on at least three of the following areas of French studies: the Middle Ages, the sixteenth century, the seventeenth century, the eighteenth century, the nineteenth century, the twentieth-twenty-first centuries, and Francophone studies. The questions may each bear on more than one of the areas. In consultation with the Graduate Advisor each student designs his or her series of courses and ensures that he or she takes at least one course in five of the seven areas. Each exam question addresses a topic agreed on by the student and the faculty member; the topic may bear on one, two, or three of these areas. The M.A. thesis director assures that the three questions cover at least three of the areas.

The examinee must answer two of the three questions in French and may answer the third in English. The student may choose the order in which he or she will answer the questions; he or she must inform the Graduate Student Services Manager of his or her choice at least one week before the date that the exam begins.

ITALIAN
1) Medieval
2) 15th - 16th centuries
3) 17th - 18th centuries
4) 19th century
5) 20th century

HISPANIC LITERATURE
1) Medieval/Golden Age (Span.)
2) 18th - 19th/20th centuries (Span.)
3) Colonial to Modernism (Sp. Am.)
4) Modernism to Present (Sp. Am.)

By the time of the writtens, students should have read all of the works on the M.A. reading list and be familiar with the major critical problems associated with them. Questions are based on works and authors in the reading list and, in a general way, on course offerings. Students are given two questions in each period or area in the major field from which to choose one question. Where possible, questions are prepared by different professors in the period and always carry the name of the professor who has drafted them. Half of the questions must be answered in English, the other half in the language of the major field. The examination in each language is supervised by a committee named by the Director of Graduate Studies. Depending on the language or area, the examination takes two to four days with a day in-between. Students write one question in the morning and one question in the afternoon. There is a limit of three hours for each question. Grades are S (Satisfactory) or U (Unsatisfactory) but, in exceptional cases, graders may award an H (Honors). Students who receive one U may repeat the period or area question after an interval of at least three months.

Students who receive more than one U will repeat the failed period or area questions at the next scheduled exam period. Students may not petition to take writtens at times other than those assigned for all graduate students. Registration is required during the semester(s) in which the writtens are taken.



The MA Thesis
The M.A. thesis may be an expansion of a term paper or a new research paper on any topic that you and your advisor have agreed upon. In format it is similar to the dissertation, though much reduced. There is no set number of pages for a thesis. Theses in our department are normally less than one hundred pages long. Most fall within 35 to 50 pages of text, exclusive of bibliography. You may wish to consult recent theses filed in our main office or in Davis Library for examples. All theses must follow MLA style and conform to the Graduate School's Guide to Theses and Dissertations Paper Submissions or Guide to Theses and Dissertations Electronic Submissions. You should also consult the Graduate School Handbook to insure that you have met all of the requirements for the degree prior to the writing of the thesis.

It is normally during their fourth semester that M.A. students write their thesis. To plan the thesis, the student should meet with the advisor no later than January 15. The student submits the final version of the thesis no later than April 15.


The MA Thesis Committee
M.A. candidates should approach a member of the faculty to direct the thesis. Once a director has agreed to oversee the project, the candidate, in consultation with the director, selects two additional members of the Romance Languages faculty to serve on the thesis committee. The candidate or the thesis advisor must submit the names of the proposed committee members to the Director of Graduate Studies who, after consultation with the appropriate graduate advisor, will formally appoint the student’s thesis committee. The committee is not officially formed until appointed by the Director of Graduate Studies. The committee names should also be given to the Graduate Student Services Manager


The MA Oral Exam
The MA oral exam has two parts:

1) Textual analysis (approx. 20 min.) and discussion (approx. 10 min.)

2) Presentation of the thesis and discussion, 1 hr.

In Part 1, the candidate presents an explication de texte (except in French) and answers questions on a text selected by the thesis advisor and given to the candidate 24 hrs. before the exam. During Part 2 the candidate presents the thesis and answers questions based on it. Registration is required during the semester in which the thesis is defended.


Recommended Reading
The Graduate Student Services Manager’s office houses a selection of current imprints on how to do research and how to write a thesis or dissertation for you to consult (David Sternberg's How to Complete and Survive a Doctoral Dissertation, Miller and Taylor's The Thesis Writer's Handbook; Writing and Defending a Thesis or Dissertation in Psychology and Education, and Harman and Montague's The Thesis and the Book). Some of these offer good advice though not all is pertinent to a literary thesis. In all matters of format, the Graduate School's Guide to Theses and Dissertations Paper Submissions or Guide to Theses and Dissertations Electronic Submissions take precedence.

- Italian Reading List
- Spanish Reading List
- Spanish-American Reading List

PhD
The Department offers doctoral programs in Romance Languages and Literatures, Romance Philology, French, Italian, Spanish, and Spanish-American Languages and Literatures.
- General Information
- PhD in French
- PhD in Italian
- PhD in Spanish


How to Apply
[rev. Fall 2006]

Information on the program in which you have expressed an interest and the Graduate School admissions application are electronically available at http://gradschool.unc.edu/students_prospective.html. The application is sent to the Graduate School, which then forwards it to us. Applications are only accepted for the Fall Semester. All recommendations are done electronically through the electronic application system. The application deadline is March 1.

Please note that in addition to the application materials requested by the Graduate School (such as the GRE), the Department would like to receive three items:

· A one-page statement (written in English) in which you explain your reasons for pursuing your particular course of study. This should be saved in Microsoft Word for PC. This will be uploaded when you initially apply.

· A sample of your writing (may be a term paper or anything that you may have published in your target language). This should be saved in Microsoft Word for PC. This will be uploaded when you initially apply.

· An mp3 file of a few minutes' duration, on which you identify yourself by name in English; then, in the target language, chat about your professional goals and read a short literary passage of your choice.

This last item is particularly important if you are applying for a teaching assistantship.

Email your mp3 file to Please do not use this email address to obtain information -- please send requests for information to Tom Smither at

Practically all of our graduate students receive some form of financial support. Financial assistance offered by the Department consists of Fellowship awards and Teaching Assistantships. Teaching Assistantships are $14,400 and $18,500 per academic year (2007-2008). This amount is based on your teaching either two or three sections per year. The stipend is subject to State and Federal income tax. Students are responsible for the payment of appropriate fees ($811.54 in 2007-2008). Graduate students who are offered Teaching Assistantships have their health insurance paid and are recommended to have the tuition paid.

Students are eligible for a number of Graduate School Fellowships and Merit Assistantship awards. The Department may also offer other fellowships from its own trust fund. All applicants are automatically considered for these awards. In order to be eligible for nomination for Graduate School Merit Assistantships (as distinct from Teaching Assistantships and Departmental Fellowships), your application should be completed by January 1st for Fall admission.

If you prefer a print copy of the Graduate School Catalogue, it is available by writing to:

Bullshead Bookstore
ATTN: Catalogue Order
CB# 1530 - Daniels Building
UNC-Chapel Hill, 27599-1530

The fee for the Catalogue is $4.50 plus postage and handling. For more information:

http://www.store.unc.edu/bullshead


Awards for Graduate Students
Entrance Fellowships l Research & Travel l Exchange Fellowships l Awards for Excellence in Teaching

There are numerous Departmental and University fellowship and merit awards available to entering and continuing students. Entrance awards generally take the form of a Teaching Assistantship or a Teaching Assistantship plus a Merit Fellowship. Note that all applicants are automatically considered for these Entrance Fellowships, which are awarded on the strength of their application. Continuing students have access to the renewal of their teaching assistantships, and to dissertation fellowships, exchange fellowships, technology grants, travel funds, and awards. Information about the Departmental awards can be obtained from Tom Smither (E-mail TomNC@unc.edu) If you have any questions about the University awards call or contact: Sandra Hoeflich (E-mail: shoeflic@unc.edu) or Rachell Underhill (E-mail: rmunde@email.unc.edu). The Grant Source Library at the Office of Research Services (http://research.unc.edu/grantsource/) is an excellent resource for outside funding.


Entrance Fellowships
Graduate School Fellowships and Funding

For current information on fellowships and funding offered by the graduate school, please see http://gradschool.unc.edu/fellowships_and_funding/

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures Merit Fellowships

The Department of Romance Languages and Literatures distributes a set amount of Graduate School Merit stipends each year. No special application is needed. The Admissions Committee chooses the recipients from the available pool. Prospective students do not apply directly for this fellowship, but rather are nominated by the graduate program to which they are applying.

The Department of Romance Languages Teaching Assistantship

The Teaching Assistantship provides two years of support at the MA level and three years of support at the Ph.D level. The Teaching Assistantship currently pays a minimum of $14,000 per year, plus health insurance and tuition remission. Beginning students are accepted for the MA with a teaching assistantship of two years. Continuation for the PhD for internal candidates is an in-house event that requires a brief letter to the Department's Graduate Committee. PhD candidates are generally supported for three years. No special application is needed by new students for the Teaching Assistantship. The Admissions Committee chooses the recipients from the available pool of applicants.


Ph. D Research & Travel
Graduate School Fellowships

For current information on Graduate School dissertation fellowship awards, please see http://gradschool.unc.edu/fellowships_and_funding/

Summer Dissertation Fellowships
PhD candidates are eligible for the Jacques Hardré (French), Dana B. Drake (Spanish) and the Armida Marconi Falvo (Italian) Dissertation Fellowships. Award amounts are $4,000 (Hardré, Drake) and $1,000 (Falvo). Application is made by submitting a letter addressed to Dr. Hassan Melehy, Director of Graduate Studies, expressing a desire to be considered for one of these departmental awards, together with a copy of the prospectus, and a supporting letter from the director of the dissertation. Your letter should express a willingness not to seek employment during the period of the award. Application materials should be directed to the Graduate Advisory Committee through Tom Smither. Deadlines: April 13.

Applicants for the Hardré and Drake Fellowships must have defended the prospectus by April 1 and must have applied for a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship. Students who receive a Graduate School Dissertation Fellowship will be subsequently disqualified from the departmental competition. No registration is required for this award. Students must agree not to accept employment during the period of the award. Recipients of a Departmental Dissertation Fellowship may not concurrently hold McCulloch or Drake Travel Fellowships. Preference may be given to students who have advanced farther towards completing the dissertation.

McCulloch and Drake Dissertation Research Travel Fellowships
Candidates who do not apply for a Graduate School Award should write two-pages describing the nature of the project, time frame, estimated expenses, and other pertinent details. The dissertation director must endorse the request. Winners of these Departmental awards will be notified about one week after the Graduate School announces its awards. At the end of the award period, a one-page report must be filed with the Chair of Romance Languages. It should account for both the expenditure of the allotted funds and state what the award helped the student accomplish. The maximum award for dissertation research abroad is $4,000. This sum may be requested and apportioned, if the applicant wishes, over a multi-year period. Travel arrangements should be made through student travel agencies such as Council Travel. Application materials should be directed to the Graduate Advisory Committee through Tom Smither. Deadline: March 2.

Please note that the Institut Français de Washington (http://www.unc.edu/depts/institut) offers sustenance funds for students wishing to go to France for advanced research in the latter stages of doctoral studies. These funds may be combined with the McCulloch Travel Fellowship for research in France. Students who are interested in applying to the Institut should contact Dr. Catherine Maley in late Fall.

Travel to Conferences
These $250 grants are intended to help defray travel and subsistence expenses incurred in the presentation of a conference paper. The monies can be divided to cover more than one presentation. Students should write a letter of application to the Chair of Romance Languages, cosigned by a faculty member. Applications for conference travel should be turned in to Tom Smither. Priority will go to those student presenters who have not previously received this type of support from the Department. Submit applications September through April.

Travel to the Modern Language Association Convention
PhD Candidates who have obtained a job interview may apply for a $300 travel subsidy to attend the MLA convention. The MLA travel subsidy may not be combined with a Conference Travel Grant. Applications for travel to the MLA should be turned in to Tom Smither as soon as you have obtained a job interview. Deadline: January 31.

Applicants for Conference and MLA Travel Grants must first apply, if eligible, for a Transportation Grant Fund Award from the Graduate School. The Graduate School Awards provide up to a maximum of $500 for domestic travel and $1000 for international travel. Information and online application forms are available at:
http://gradschool.unc.edu/fellowships_and_funding/current.html#travel
A copy of the application and supporting letter should be given to Tom Smither.

Research Awards for Graduate Study in French
For graduate students in French, there will be new opportunities for research over the next three years. New applicants to our graduate program may receive competitive start up research awards up to $5,000. We also have awards available for articles published in refereed scholarly journals (up to $500 per article) in the US or abroad. These awards may also be used for travel costs to major national and international meetings once a paper is accepted (up to $700 per conference). In exceptional cases, once a graduate student has demonstrated his/her potential for publication and has written a competitive proposal for another research grant or fellowship, these awards may be used for research travel to France or to another French speaking region (up to $2,000). The awards will be considered early in November and March of each academic year.

Exchange Fellowships
The Department presently has a number of exchanges with European institutions. Other exchanges may be available through the Study Abroad Office.

Université de Montpellier Graduate Assistant/Lector
The Department of Romance Languages sends a student in French to the Université de Montpellier. The Graduate Assistant accompanies the UNC Year at Montpellier group in late August and assists the Resident Director and students on a daily basis during the month of September. Throughout the year the student will also serve as a liaison with the students for the Resident Director. The Graduate Assistant will have a lectureship at the Université de Montpellier II or III; teaching responsibilities generally involve English language courses. Round-trip airfare (Chapel Hill to Montpellier) is paid by the program as are housing and meals for the month of September. Candidates must have completed the MA by August in order to be eligible. Selection is done in early December by the Montpellier Year Abroad Selections Committee.

Universidad de Navarra
The Department of Romance Languages sends one PhD student of Spanish who is at the beginning of research for the dissertation to the Universidad de Navarra. No teaching responsibilities. The Spanish Exchange Positions Selections Committee does selection in early December.

Universidad de Sevilla
The Department of Romance Languages sends one student of Spanish to the Universidad de Sevilla. The student teaches six (6) one-hour lab classes each week in collaboration with the professors in the Department of English and American Literature of the University of Seville who give lectures in the literature, history and culture of Great Britain and/or the United States. In addition, the exchange teacher grades exams and written assignments in English and maintains six office hours for individual consultation with students. Obligations are from September 1 to July 31. The Spanish Exchange Positions Selections Committee does selection in early December.

Year at Seville Graduate Assistant
The Department of Romance Languages sends two students of Spanish as Year at Seville Graduate Assistants. Assistants work approximately 25 hours per week with the administration of the Department's study abroad program, which typically enrolls 40-80 students each semester. Duties include accompanying students to Madrid, helping with the orientation in Madrid and Seville, and office duties such as maintaining the program's library/computer lab. Proficiency in Word for Windows required. The Spanish Exchange Positions Selections Committee does selection in early December.


Awards for Excellence in Teaching
Anyone can nominate a departmental teaching fellow for one of the two Romance Languages Distinguished Teaching Awards given each year at the end of the Spring semester ($500 each). The nomination form is available on our website (Teaching Award). Completed nominations should be placed in the box provided for that purpose in 238 Dey, or they should be returned through campus mail to: Selection Committee, Distinguished Teaching Award, c/o Sheena Melton, Department of Romance Languages, CB# 3170.