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The Graduate Program

Ph. D. Degree in Romance Languages and Literatures with Emphasis in Spanish (RLL)

The Ph. D. in Romance Languages and Literatures is a doctorate in three Romance languages and literatures (French, Italian and Spanish, including Spanish-American), prepared with emphasis in the literature or in the linguistics or philological history of one of the three. Students applying through the Department of Spanish and Portuguese will do most of their work in Spanish and Spanish-American literature and culture.

This degree program should not be confused with the Hispanic Languages and Literatures (HLL) Ph.D. program. Students should not apply to this program unless they are committed to extensive training in French and Italian in addition to Spanish as part of their degree. Students should become thoroughly acquainted with both degree programs (HLL and RLL) and determine which program best reflects their objectives. Any questions concerning the two degree programs should be directed to the staff Graduate Adviser before applying.

Prerequisite for Admission, emphasis Spanish:

A)     Plans I and II: A B.A. degree with studies in Spanish approximately equivalent to the undergraduate major (Option A) at Berkeley (30 upper-division semester units, including general surveys of both Spanish and Spanish American literatures).

B)     Plan III: A B.A. degree or equivalent in Spanish; or in Linguistics with expertise in Spanish and at least one other major Romance language (French or Italian).


Selection of Plan:

The student will be admitted for Plan I, II, or III and follow a combination of courses and personal study to satisfy the requirements of the particular Plan chosen, developed in consultation with a Graduate Advisor and designed to prepare the student for the Qualifying Examination. Work beyond the requirements may be added in other Romance fields (such as Catalan, Portuguese, Occitan, or Rumanian). Area requirements for each plan are:

A)    Plan I:

  1. A detailed knowledge of Spanish and Spanish-American literatures.
  2. First Collateral: knowledge of the masterworks of French or Italian literature (as prescribed in a supplied reading list of 15 items).
  3. Second Collateral: Knowledge of the masterworks of the literature not chosen under the First Collateral (as prescribed in reading list of 10 items).
  4. Familiarity with the linguistic history of the Romance Languages, emphasis Spanish, (as described below in General Requirements).

B)    Plan II:

  1. A detailed knowledge of Spanish and Spanish-American literatures.
  2. Collateral Studies: A detailed command of one broad, integrated field (period, movement, problematic or genre) in both French and Italian literatures, to be chosen by the student, in consultation with a Graduate Advisor and in accordance with the student’s special area of interest in Spanish or Spanish-American literature. Individually tailored reading lists for both the collateral literatures (15 and 10 items respectively) are to be developed by the student, as advised and approved by a Faculty member of the department concerned (see General Requirements).
  3. Familiarity with the linguistic history of the Romance Languages, emphasis Spanish, (see General Requirements).

C)   Plan III:

  1. An in-depth knowledge of the structure and history (internal and external) of Spanish.
  2. First collateral: in-depth knowledge of either the history or the structure, depending on whether the student's’ preferred orientation is diachronic or synchronic, of French or Italian.
  3. Second collateral (3a, 3b, or 3c):
    • 3a) Familiarity with the history and structure of the language not chosen as the First Collateral.
    • 3b) Familiarity with the history or structure of a related Romance language (Catalan, Galician, Occitan, Portuguese, Rumanian, or Romance-based creoles).
    • 3c) A broadly-defined field of linguistics (phonology, morphology, syntax, semantics, pragmatics, sociolinguistics), philology (textual criticism, medieval literature), or the application of linguistics to literature, the field to be chosen by the student in consultation with a Graduate Adviser. An individually tailored reading list for the option chosen will be developed by the student, in consultation with and approved by an appropriate Faculty member.
  4. The course entitled Linguistic History of Romance Languages, taken as either French C202, Italian C201, or Spanish C202.

General Requirements and Study Program: (all Plans)

     1) Screening Evaluation:

A breadth of knowledge in the major field is expected for entrance to the program. Experience shows, however, that many students enter with gaps in their preparation. Students will therefore meet with the Executive Committee of the degree program during their first semester of enrollment for an evaluation of their previous preparation, familiarization with the program, and to determine a plan of study for the first years of residence. The Committee then prepares a brief statement of its evaluation for delivery to the student’s graduate adviser, indicating any special provisions or studies that must be completed before the student’s admission to the Qualifying Examination. The Executive Committee is composed of the Chairs and Head Graduate Advisers of the administering departments.

     2) Progress Report:

Early in the fifth semester, students will prepare a three-page self-review of the first 2 years (courses taken, requirements completed, papers written, new areas explored, etc.); a statement of developing research interests; and major research paper preferably written in English. The Executive Committee, represented by at least one member of each department, will evaluate the student’s progress and advise him/her regarding future courses, preparation for the Q-E and possible composition of the Q-E committee.

     3) Foreign Language Requirements:

A reading knowledge of Latin, French, and Italian, as attested by passing the Language Reading Examinations offered for the program by the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, is required. A reading knowledge of any one of the three languages must be shown by the written examination. For the other two, the requirement may be satisfied either by the written examination, by holding a GSI-ship in the language in question, or by passing, with a grade of B or better, an upper-division or a graduate level course in the literature of those languages, or, in the case of Latin, by passing Latin 1 and 2.

The requirements should be satisfied as early as possible in the student’s doctoral career, and must be completed prior to the term proposed for the Qualifying Examination. A reading knowledge of German is also recommended.

     4) Reading Lists:

Major language: Students are required to turn in the Q-E reading list and a field statement for the major language 5 weeks before the Q-E, in the 8th semester if not earlier.

Collaterals: Students are required to turn in the preliminary Q-E reading lists and brief field statements for the collateral languages by the end of the 7th semester.

Arrangements for setting up the 5th-semester progress report and for distributing reading lists and field statements to Q-E committees will be made by the Graduate Assistant in the student’s home department.

     5) Linguistic History of the Romance Languages:

Students in Plans I and II are offered the option of satisfying this requirement either 1) by passing, with a grade of B or better, the Graduate Course entitled Linguistic History of Romance Languages (French C202; Italian C201, or Spanish C202), or, 2) by examination during the Qualifying Examination. Study is guided, in the second case, by a Reading List, available from the Graduate Assistant. The Course is a required part of the program for students in Plan III.

     6) Qualifying Examination:

When the student and his/her Graduate Adviser agree that preparation is sufficient for the Qualifying Examination, the adviser and Graduate Assistant of the department concerned, with suggestions from the student, will determine the Qualifying Examination Committee and inform the Chair of the RLL Executive Committee of its formation.

The Qualifying Examination is oral and normally three hours long. Knowledge of Spanish and Spanish-American literatures (Plan I or II) or of the structure and history of Spanish (Plan III) is tested in the oral examination. Examination on the collateral materials may, at the student’s option, also be tested during that same oral examination, or, by separately scheduled written examination. Note the special disposition (item 4 above) for completion of the Linguistic History requirement.

The Qualifying Examination committee is composed of five members: three representing the main field of focus, a designated “outside” member from the student’s secondary language (who may also be a member of the Romance Languages and Literature program) and one other member appropriate to the topics on the exam. All members of the committee, including the “outside” member, must be Academic Senate members.” All five members of the Qualifying examination committee must be present and voting at the oral examination.

     7) Prospectus

The student will prepare and distribute to her/his dissertation committee a fifteen to twenty-page dissertation prospectus (including bibliography) no later than three months after the Q-E. A copy of the prospectus will be filed with the Graduate Assistant.

     8) Dissertation:

Once the Qualifying Examination is successfully completed, the student will arrange with a faculty member to direct the dissertation and, by consultation with him/her, propose the remaining members. It is expected that the dissertation will embody the results of original research on a subject chosen in consultation with the director.

Dissertation committees are made up of a minimum of three members, including one person from outside the Department. The chair and outside member must be a member of the Berkeley Academic Senate. The Chair of the student’s Qualifying Examination Committee cannot direct the dissertation.

After obtaining the dissertation director’s approval of the proposed topic, the student will promptly complete the “Application for Advancement to Candidacy for the Ph.D.,” a form available from the Graduate Assistant of the student’s Department, for approval by the Graduate Division. Doctoral students should bear in mind that it is to their advantage to be “Advanced to Candidacy” as soon as possible following completion of the Qualifying Examination (see Normal Progress Schedule).

Should the need for a change in membership of the committee arise, students should speak both with their dissertation director and the Graduate Adviser in their Department. To effect a change, a form entitled “Request for Change in Higher Degree Committee” must be completed and signed by the Graduate Adviser (after having informed all parties involved in the change). This form is then submitted to the Graduate Division for review and approval.

     9) Submitting a Dissertation in a Language other than English:

Special approval from the Graduate Division, acting on behalf of the Graduate Council, is required for submission of a dissertation or thesis in a language other than English. If approval is given, an abstract in English must be included with the finished work. Requests for approval should be submitted to Graduate Degrees and Petitions, 302 Sproul Hall. Please notify the Graduate Assistant the semester prior to filing the dissertation to process petition.

Normal Progress Schedule:

The minimum residency requirement for a Ph. D. degree at Berkeley is two years (four semesters). It is the general experience, however, that more time will be necessary to complete all the requirements for the program. Five to six years is a more realistic projection for completion. The Normative Time allowance for the program is six (6) years. Progress toward Normative Time is required for Dean’s Fellowships.

The following schedule is considered by the administering departments to constitute “normal progress” toward the degree in Romance Languages and Literatures. It is to be understood as a guideline. Some students may complete the requirements more rapidly; circumstances may compel others to progress at a slower pace. Each case is given individual consideration.

* Please Note: Foreign ABD students have a maximum of three-years (after passing Q-E) of waived Non-Resident Tuition (NRT) to file the dissertation. Any delay in filing will be at the student expense.

Normal Progress Schedule: Romance Languages and Literatures:

SEMESTER REQUIREMENT COMPLETED
1 Screening Evaluation by the Executive Committee of the Program in Romance Languages and Literatures.
2 One language requirement completed by the end of the second term.
3 A second language requirement completed by the end of the third term.
4 The third language requirement completed by the end of the fourth term. Major and collateral field studies.
5 Major and collateral field studies. Submission of Progress Report.
6 —
7 Preliminary Q-E reading list and field statements.
8 Qualifying examination completed no later than the eighth term.
Advancement to Candidacy.
9 Prospectus.
10 -
11 -
12 Filing of finished dissertation by the end of the 12th term.

NOTE: Depending on previous preparation, the Qualifying Examination should be taken between the fourth and the eighth semester.