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Graduate Program Handbook 2010-2011
I. Introduction and General Information For decades one of the world's great centers for the study of East Asia, the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations at Harvard is home to a superb faculty offering courses in the languages and cultures of China, Japan, Korea, and Inner Asia, from ancient times to the present. With the strong support of the world-renowned Harvard-Yenching Library and the various regional centers and research institutes, EALC strives to maintain the highest levels of academic achievement at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. This handbook is designed to provide essential information regarding Department organization, the PhD program, and EALC faculty. Much of this information may also be found on the Department website which is updated throughout the year. Further information on GSAS regulations and requirements may be found in the Graduate School’s Handbook, published annually. Detailed information on many topics covered here is also available on the GSAS website. About EALC The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations, informally referred to as EALC (ee-ay-ell-see), is one of 40 or so departments and separately constituted committees of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS) authorized to grant the PhD degree. While the broad structure of the program conforms to the standards set by the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS), the particular requirements are determined by the Department itself. As far as departments at Harvard go in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences (FAS), EALC is a middle-sized program. Some key numbers (current for Fall 2010) are as follows:
In addition, several hundred undergraduate students enroll every year in the Department’s language courses. Like many doctoral programs at Harvard, the Department is decidedly international in its makeup, both in terms of faculty and of students. A little less than one half of EALC and HEAL graduate students are Americans; the majority come from outside the US, mainly Canada, East Asia and Europe. Student disciplinary interests are divided roughly evenly between History/Philosophy on the one hand and Literature/Religion on the other. About two-thirds of EALC and HEAL students state that their primary focus is on China or China/Inner Asia, the remaining third divided approximately evenly between Japan and Korea specialists. All these divisions are in many cases arbitrary, as more and more students are taking interdisciplinary and interregional approaches in their work. Apart from English, the other linguae francae in the Department are Japanese and literary Chinese, competency in those languages being required of nearly every student. Department Structure EALC is classified for administrative purposes within the Division of the Humanities, one of three divisions in FAS (the others are Social Sciences and Natural Sciences). The dean of the Division of the Humanities, to whom the Chair reports most directly, is Diana Sorensen. The Department is led by the Chair, Professor Wilt Idema, assisted by the Department Administrator, Denise Oberdan, and is governed by the faculty, which meets monthly during the academic year. Votes on policy generally include senior faculty (i.e., full professors), junior faculty (associate and assistant professors), and language faculty (senior preceptors, preceptors, and instructors). In some matters, Department policy is determined by GSAS guidelines and requirements. GSAS policy in turn is shaped by the dean of the Graduate School, Allan J. Brandt, together with the GSAS Administrative Dean, Dr. Margot Gill. Dean Brandt reports to the Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, Michael Smith, who reports to University President Drew Faust. Matters pertaining to the undergraduate concentration are handled by the Head Tutor (in AY 2010-11, Professor Michael Szonyi), and the Tutorial Committee. Graduate affairs are the responsibility of the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) (in AY 2010-11, Professor Melissa McCormick) and the Graduate Policy Committee (GPC), assisted by the Graduate Program Coordinator, James Zigo. Other permanent committees of the Department include the Planning Committee and the Language Committee. Various ad hoc committees may also be appointed by the chair as needed. Department Quarters The EALC main office is located on the second floor of the building at 2 Divinity Avenue (“2 Div”). This building is marked on many Harvard maps as “Harvard-Yenching Library.” The offices of most ladder-rank faculty in the Department are found here, as are faculty mailboxes. The Department office is open from 9 am to 5 pm daily. There are three classrooms upstairs at 2 Div, in which many Department classes take place. Downstairs, apart from HYL and a few faculty offices, are found the offices of the Harvard-Yenching Institute and the Harvard-Yenching Common Room. The Common Room is the site of many Department functions. At times when the Common Room is not otherwise reserved for use by HYI or the Department, students are free to meet here, eat lunch, socialize, etc. The EALC Tutorial Office and the Graduate Program Office are located on the first floor at 9 Kirkland Place. This is a three-story yellow clapboard house just behind (east) of 2 Div. The graduate student lounge and graduate student mailboxes are here, as is an often-used seminar room. Upstairs at 9 Kirkland Place are offices of emeriti and visiting faculty. The EALC Language Programs in Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and Vietnamese are housed at 5 Bryant Street. This is a large house converted to classroom and office use, about a 7-minute walk from 2 Div. Most language classes are held in Vanserg Hall, located about halfway between 2 Div and 5 Bryant St. Administrative Staff To sustain its activities and campus role, the Department relies upon its dedicated staff, led by Ms. Denise Oberdan, Department Administrator. She is assisted by the following people, all of whom you are likely to come to know during your time here.
Electronic Mail Upon registration, new students are assigned e-mail accounts by the FAS Information Technology Office. The typical address contains one’s last name (or some variation thereon), followed by the @fas.harvard.edu domain name. If you do not have an FAS e-mail account, contact FAS IT. Please inform the Graduate Coordinator of your preferred e-mail address (either the fas address or another address) so that you may be added to the Department’s mailing aliases. Your address will be published on the Department website and will also be available to anyone who searches the University’s phone book. The Department relies heavily upon e-mail to communicate with students and faculty alike. Important announcements from the Chair, the DGS, and the Graduate Coordinator arrive regularly by e-mail, and many seminars depend upon e-mail contact as well to deliver necessary information, last-minute changes, etc. In addition, the Harvard libraries deliver all notices via e-mail. Students are responsible for checking – and reading – e-mail on a regular basis during the term (this includes looking into the “junk” and “spam” boxes for mistakenly diverted messages). Failure to check e-mail daily may lead to missed deadlines, missed classes, and missed opportunities. Department Website The Department maintains a website that is updated periodically through the year. The website contains essential information on all aspects of Department activities, including a calendar of events and notices of upcoming deadlines. The URL for the homepage is www.harvardealc.org. Graduate Life The relationships one forms in graduate school are very often among the longest-lasting relationships in one’s life, since today’s teachers and classmates are tomorrow’s colleagues. The Department believes that the vitality of its intellectual community depends greatly upon the participation of its graduate students in the life of the Department. “Participation” involves much more than simply attending classes and turning in one’s work. There is a whole host of activities – lectures, seminars, workshops, conferences, screenings, readings, performances, and so on – which students and faculty jointly attend and which are just as important in providing the stuff of conversation and intellectual exchange and the inspiration for future collaboration. Taking active part in such events is especially important in EALC, as the Department differs from many others in that its students are unified by a common interest in the languages, literatures, histories, and cultures of East Asia, and not by a shared discipline. The number of Asia-related events at Harvard is very great; in some weeks, there are two or three events every day, and on weekends during the term there is as likely as not some kind of workshop taking place. One ends up having to choose carefully what to attend. But not to attend would be to miss out on a major part of one’s education, since it is frequently at these events – and particularly the discussions following presentations – that one sees ideas (and sparks!) fly most passionately. To be notified in advance of upcoming Asia-related events, students are encouraged to sign up for the Asia Bulletin, a weekly electronic listserv published by the Asia Center with comprehensive information on all relevant goings-on. Students should also pay attention to posters and flyers in mailboxes and in the halls, and to e-mails sent directly by the Asia Center, the Fairbank Center, the Reischauer Institute, and the Korea Institute. Students in a particular discipline should be aware of activities outside EALC. For instance, HEAL students should be aware of events sponsored by the Department of History; students in literature, of activities at the Humanities Center and the various literature departments, such as Comparative Literature; and students in Buddhism, of talks in the Buddhist Studies Forum and activities at Divinity School. Special attention is called to those events of which the Department itself is the primary sponsor, such as the China Humanities Seminar (on Monday afternoons in the Harvard-Yenching Common Room). To complement these extracurricular academic offerings, the Department supports a number of casual social events during the year, including Fall and Spring parties. Receptions typically follow talks held in the Department, and take place on the second floor at 2 Divinity. Announcements of these events are made a few weeks in advance. Graduate student social life is centered on the EALC Graduate Student Lounge, an admittedly modest space located on the first floor at 9 Kirkland Place. The lounge offers computers, wireless access to the internet, and a couple of comfortable chairs. Graduate student mailboxes are here, too, and job postings and announcements of talks are posted for easy reference. The lounge is adjacent to a kitchen and a refrigerator, which is at the disposal of all. There is another refrigerator in the kitchen upstairs at 2 Div, and a very small refrigerator in the H-Y Common Room. Department social life has been greatly enhanced by the Ta-ko Chen Social Fund, a recent gift to the Department. The Fund is managed by the student-led Graduate Social Committee, which is responsible for organizing events such as the Friday Happy Hour. More information on the activities of the Social Committee is available from Jim Zigo or from current members of the Committee: Ariel Fox, Martin Kroher, Andy Rodekohr, and Jonathan Service. The Harvard-Yenching Library The Harvard-Yenching Library (HYL) was founded in 1928, at the same time as the Harvard-Yenching Institute. It thus predates the founding of the Department and indeed laid the foundation for the growth of the Department and of East Asian studies generally at the University. HYL is the third largest of Harvard’s libraries (only Widener and the Law School libraries are larger), and houses the largest East Asian collection of any university outside Asia. Its collections include over one million volumes, including approximately 659,000 in Chinese, 296,000 in Japanese, 129,000 in Korean, 47,000 in various Western languages, plus extensive holdings in Vietnamese, Tibetan, Manchu, and Mongolian. In addition, the library subscribes to over 6,700 current periodicals and journals and hosts access to a rapidly expanding array of electronic databases. More information and links to these and other resources (such as the “Digital Resources” and “Research Guides” pages) may be found on the HYL webpage. Housed together with HYL at 2 Divinity Avenue, the Department has always enjoyed a close relationship with the Library. Faculty members are regularly consulted in collection development, and their research needs, as well as the research needs of graduate students, are significant factors in shaping future growth. Incoming graduate students are given introductory tours of HYL, and Library staff offer a number of orientations and research workshops throughout the year for all users.
The Admissions Process The Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations accepts applications only for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Students normally enter the PhD program after completing a first graduate degree, though there are exceptions. The department grants the PhD degree either in East Asian Languages and Civilizations (EALC) or in History and East Asian Languages (HEAL). The distinction between these degrees is explained below. The Department does not offer a Master of Arts degree. Students interested in the Master of Arts degree should apply to the AM program administered by the Committee on Regional Studies-East Asia. Admission to the PhD program in EALC is handled jointly by GSAS and by the Department. Prospective students are encouraged to direct inquiries to individual faculty members, but they do not apply directly to the Department. All applicants must submit a formal application to the Graduate School, which collates all required materials and forwards the student’s dossier to the Department, where it is evaluated by the faculty. Final decisions on admissions are made by an Admissions Committee, made up of a representative group of EALC faculty, in consultation with the GSAS dean. Notification of decisions is normally made in mid-March. Admitted students have approximately one month to accept or decline an offer. During that time, students are strongly encouraged to plan a visit to campus; some resources are usually available to help defray travel costs. EALC and HEAL In addition to the degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations, the Department also accepts applications from students who wish to study for the PhD in History and East Asian Languages. The requirements for the degree are similar to those for the EALC PhD (spelled out in later sections). The principal difference is that HEAL students are required to take one of the first-year colloquia offered in the History Department, usually History 3910. Admission to the HEAL PhD is handled in identical fashion to admissions to the EALC PhD, save that the initial screening of applicants is made by the Joint Committee on History and East Asian Languages, made up of faculty drawn from both the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and the Department of History. There are no hard and fast distinctions between the EALC and HEAL degrees. Which degree program to apply to is largely up to the student. One rule of thumb is that if you believe you are likely to seek a position later on in a Department of History (as opposed to a Department of East Asian Studies or a Department of Languages and Literatures), then you may find the HEAL degree an advantage in the job market, especially if your chronological focus is toward the period after ca. 1500 CE. As for the distinction between the HEAL degree and the History PhD, generally speaking, students who desire more time for language training prefer the HEAL program, which runs on a three-years-to-generals schedule, in contrast to History’s two-year time frame. Also, HEAL students, like EALC students, are examined in only three fields, whereas History PhD students must present four fields. Deadlines and Requirements The current application deadline for September 2010 admission is December 15, 2009. The following materials will be required of each applicant:
Full details on the admissions process are available directly from the Graduate School. Please note that GSAS encourages prospective students to submit application materials online. Submitting your application online is to your benefit, as it reduces the risk that parts of your application may not arrive on time and ensures that your application is as complete as possible. Students who wish to receive paper application materials may contact the Admissions Office by e-mail at admiss@fas.harvard.edu or by writing to this address:
On your application, you are asked to use the code numbers provided to indicate not just the degree, but also your planned field of study. This is to ensure that faculty members with whom you would like to work are informed when your file becomes available for review. Under GSAS rules, a student may, for a nominal additional fee, elect to submit an application to two departments or PhD programs simultaneously. In cases where an application is rejected, GSAS permits re-application up to two more times. Full details of the admissions procedures and requirements are available on the GSAS website, which all prospective applicants should consult. Getting In Admission to the EALC and HEAL degree programs is extremely competitive. In an average year, the Department receives close to one hundred and fifty applications from all over the world, whereas the typical entering PhD cohort consists of no more than twelve or thirteen students. Each admitted student is awarded a generous financial package (see next section). In evaluating applications, faculty consider proven academic excellence, the extent of appropriate language training and prior experience in East Asia, letters of recommendation, writing ability, and GRE scores, together with the student’s own statement of purpose and proposed subject of study. No student can be admitted unless it is felt there is a faculty member who can provide adequate training and supervision. Normally that faculty member will become the student’s main advisor. Typically no more than one student can be admitted in any given year to work with a particular faculty member. Students considering applying to the program may find it beneficial to establish direct contact with faculty prior to applying. Prospective applicants are also welcome to make a visit to Cambridge to see the campus, its resources, and to meet with EALC and other faculty. Questions about the application process should be directed either to Mr. James Zigo, the Graduate Program Coordinator in EALC (zigo@fas.harvard.edu), or to the Admissions Office of GSAS. III. Financial AidFunding Package All students admitted to the PhD program are guaranteed five years of full funding by the Graduate School, including tuition, fees, and health insurance. In EALC, the typical package includes 2.5 years of fellowship stipend, 1.5 years of teaching fellowship, and 1 year of fellowship during the final year of dissertation writing. (More on teaching fellowships is found in Section IX.) Current funding levels provide a stipend of roughly $21,000 per year for living expenses. Complete details of the funding package, with specific amounts, appear in the information sent to admitted students in the spring. Summer Study Outside of the regular academic year, fellowship support (equivalent to two months’ stipend) is extended during the summers following the first and second (G1 and G2) years. Additional assistance for summer language study and/or research abroad is available through Graduate Summer Language grants and Foreign Language and Area Studies (FLAS) fellowships. Both are competitive programs administered by the Asia Center. All graduate students are eligible for GSL grants, while competition for FLAS fellowships is restricted to US citizens. Research and Writing Fellowships Given the rigorous demands of the EALC and HEAL degrees, most students spend longer than five years in the PhD program. There are many forms of financial support the student may seek for years not covered by the GSAS funding package, and ample resources on campus to help students locate the funding they need. In many cases, funding is provided through additional teaching fellowships, research assistantships, part-time jobs in the Harvard-Yenching Library, and other types of campus employment. Students in more advanced years sometimes find teaching opportunities (as teaching assistants or instructors) at other Boston-area colleges and universities. The Graduate School also sponsors a range of Graduate Society Fellowships, including merit-based Term-Time Fellowships, and other grants. More information, including the titles of relevant publications, is available on the Graduate School’s fellowships web page. Of particular value is the online Graduate Guide to Grants maintained by GSAS. See also the GSAS Fellowship Office’s publication, “Dollars and $en$e.” In many cases – particularly for students engaged in dissertation research, whether during the summer or the regular school year – financial support after the fourth year comes by way of research and travel fellowships. The Department does not have any fellowship funds of its own for which students may apply, but the University sponsors a number of Harvard-only fellowships, for which EALC students may apply. Information about these grants may be found online or by visiting the GSAS Fellowship Office, located on the third floor of Holyoke Center. Dissertation and pre-dissertation research grants are also offered by the different regional institutes (Asia Center, Fairbank Center, Korea Institute, Reischauer Institute, Weatherhead Center). In addition, depending on the student’s field (and in some cases, nationality), there are other fellowship programs for which students are eligible to apply. These scholarships include the Fulbright and SSRC scholarships as well as scholarships offered by various foundations such as the Mellon, Blakemore, Chiang Ching-kuo, Japan Foundation, Korea Foundation, and others. Deadlines for these fellowships are typically in the autumn or early winter, but dates vary from year to year, as do requirements. Please check the websites for the respective funding agencies for current information. Note that applications for IIE and Fulbright-Hays Fellowships must be submitted through the GSAS Fellowships Office, which sets an earlier internal deadline. Students are encouraged to seek out all possible sources of information about fellowships. One good source of information is the publication, “Asia-related Grants and Fellowships for Harvard Students,” published by the Asia Center. Applying for fellowships is time-consuming and sometimes frustrating, but learning to write successful grant proposals is a valuable career skill. The GSAS Fellowships Office, mentioned earlier, stands ready to provide all kinds of assistance (including reading proposal essays), and runs a fellowship workshop early in the fall. Perhaps the best sources of guidance, however, are the student’s own advisor(s) and senior peers in the program. Do not forget to ask around and find out how others in your field have succeeded in the search for research support. While few students are successful in every application for funding, Harvard’s resources to support graduate students, especially for language study and research abroad, are among the best in the world. Faculty and staff will make every effort to help you to ensure that financial worries do not interfere with your progress to completion of the degree. Letters of Recommendation Most fellowships require at least one, and usually two or three, letters of recommendation from faculty who know you and your work well. Such letters are a key part of your application for funding, and to write a good one may take a professor several hours. It therefore behooves you to plan ahead carefully, both in terms of consulting with faculty who can work with you to develop a strong proposal and in terms of making your request for letters early. Bear in mind that other students may also be approaching faculty for letters at the same time, and last-minute requests may well go to the bottom of the pile. It is often a good idea to request a very general letter from faculty who are writing for you that they can put on file in your permanent dossier with the Office of Career Services (see Section XI below), in case you need a letter urgently. When approaching a professor for a letter, be sure to ask what supplementary materials s/he would like apart from the proposal itself (CV, transcript, description of fellowship, link to website, pre-addressed envelope). It is not rude to send a tactful reminder e-mail or two as deadlines approach, and it is good form to let your letter-writers know the ultimate outcome of your application once you find out the results of the competition in the spring. (All of these remarks, incidentally, apply to your future job search as well). Some fellowship programs require a letter from the department affirming that the student is in good standing. Students requiring such a letter may request one from the Director of Graduate Studies at any time (allow at least two days for this to be produced). Please contact the Graduate Program Coordinator or the DGS directly.
IV. Orientation, Registration, and Advising Orientation Prior to their arrival on campus, new students are provided with a wide range of information intended to facilitate a smooth adjustment to the PhD program. The GSAS website (under “Prospective students”) has a host of informative pages covering all aspects of the first-year experience. Another very handy page is “Harvard Speak,” a list of common acronyms and abbreviations you are likely to encounter as a Harvard student. The week before classes begin, students are invited to attend a number of special orientation events. These include a general GSAS orientation and “Septemberfest” information fair, providing an introduction to the opportunities offered at the Graduate Student Center at Dudley House and a rare chance to eat lunch in a tent in Harvard Yard. If they have not already done so, many students get their Harvard ID photographs processed this day. Later that week, there is also a Department Orientation luncheon with the Chair, DGS, and Graduate Coordinator, and an introduction to the Harvard-Yenching Library. At the first Friday afternoon “happy hour” there is a chance to meet continuing students in the program and find out more about the activities organized by the EALC Graduate Social Committee. Registration There are two kinds of registration. The first is registration in GSAS at the start of each academic year, which most students can take care of online. This is basically to say, “I am here.” Note, however, that incoming international students must report first to the Harvard International Office, located on the 8th floor of Holyoke Center, to present their passports and evidence of immigration status. The second kind of registration is registration for classes. There is no pre-registration for classes at Harvard. Instead, at the very beginning of the term students are free to “shop” for classes that best suit their needs and interests. If you are thinking about taking a certain class (whether in FAS or in another school), you can simply go to that class, sit in, and then decide whether to enroll or not. In some cases, it is necessary to get the permission of the instructor – in the form of a signature on your Study Card – before formally enrolling. It is highly recommended that in devising your course plan you consult your academic advisor (see below). Four graded courses is considered a normal academic load (see Section VI, “Coursework”). You must sign up for the equivalent of four courses every term to be considered a full-time student. For most students, this will include a mix of language courses, subject seminars, and perhaps the occasional lecture course. More advanced students may sign up for independent “Reading and Research” with a professor (indicated by a 300 number) or for TIME, defined according to type:
Note that both 300-level courses and TIME are ungraded (SAT/UNSAT) courses and do not normally count toward department requirements. 300-level courses are often used by students preparing intensively for the general examinations. A complete list of all classes is found in the Courses of Instruction, published annually by FAS. Students are encouraged to check also the online catalogue, which contains many important updates and corrections. Graduate courses (in EALC, 200-level or higher) are indicated as such in the catalogue, but some undergraduate courses may be taken for graduate credit. There is no distinction between graduate and undergraduate courses in the language curriculum. If you are interested in courses outside of FAS, you will need to consult the online listings for those schools (e.g., Business School, Law School, Divinity School, etc.). About one week after classes have started you are required to commit to a specific set of courses by filing a Study Card, signed by your advisor, with the Registrar (you can print this out yourself using the link on the Registrar’s website). If you advisor is not available, the DGS can sign instead. In contrast to GSAS registration, you must physically take your card either to Dudley House or to the Registrar’s Office at 20 Garden Street. There are fines for late registration, both with GSAS and with the Registrar. To keep deadlines in mind, it is useful to refer to the online Academic Calendar. Advising Each student in the program is assigned an academic advisor, who may be a tenured or untenured professor, usually someone whose interests and expertise are close to the student’s and who can provide informed guidance at each stage of the graduate career, and often beyond. Typically, though not always, the same advisor is the chair of the general examination committee and the director of the dissertation. Students are notified by the Department of the assignment of a faculty advisor when they are admitted. Minimally, you will need to meet with your advisor at least twice a year in order to get your Study Card signed, but more frequent consultation is beneficial, especially for pre-generals students. Advisors provide help on all academic fronts, from course selection, paper topics, and bibliographic queries to dissertation sources and job choices. When you need a letter of recommendation, the first person you will go to will likely be your advisor. If you encounter difficulties in your studies at some point, you should let your advisor know; s/he may be able to help sort things out. While different faculty members have different advising styles, your advisor will probably be your single most important mentor at Harvard. For this reason, students are encouraged to meet with faculty advisors regularly to discuss the program of study and progress toward the degree. This is valuable also in that advisors are responsible for writing a brief annual report to the DGS on each advisee. The advising relationship is crucial in your development as a scholar. If a problem arises between you and your advisor, you should be sure to report this to the DGS. The DGS will usually convene advising meetings in the spring with rising G2, G3, and G4 students to discuss issues of general concern.
V. Satisfactory Standing and Residency Status
Satisfactory Standing To remain enrolled in the program, students must be in satisfactory standing. The minimum standard for satisfactory work in the Graduate School is a “B” average for all courses taken in each academic year (please refer to the GSAS Handbook for a more detailed explanation). The Department evaluates the progress of each student annually and reports its evaluation to the GSAS Dean in February; the DGS also makes a report to the Department in May. Among the criteria taken into consideration are: coursework and grades, language preparation, number of incompletes, performance in the general examination, performance as a teaching fellow, presentation of an approved dissertation prospectus, evidence of an active research and writing schedule, and submission of completed dissertation chapters. The advisor’s annual report is also carefully reviewed. Students who, for whatever reason, are found lacking in their academic performance may receive a warning (“probationary”) letter from the DGS and/or advisor, informing them of the particulars of the Department’s concern and explaining the steps the student must take to avoid lapsing into Unsatisfactory Standing. Unsatisfactory Standing may lead to a student’s being withdrawn from the program. Should that occur, the case will be first reviewed, in consultation with the student’s primary academic advisor, by the Graduate Program Committee headed by the Director of Graduate Studies and consisting of members of the department, with department chair being present ex officio; and the student will be given an opportunity to present her or his case formally in writing to the committee. The final decision reached by the Department will be communicated to the student after the Graduate Program Committee meets and discusses the case. Note that students who are in Unsatisfactory Standing may be prohibited from teaching. Time to Degree From the first year of registration in GSAS, whether in an AM or PhD program, the Registrar’s Office begins counting your years of enrollment. These are marked in the record as G1, G2, etc. The Registrar’s count of G-years is never subject to adjustment. The department “G-year clock,” as it is called, may be stopped for up to one year, but only under certain clearly defined circumstances: a) maternity or paternity leave of absence b) leave of absence for documented medical reasons c) leave of absence for military service d) participation in a Harvard coordinated degree e) family disruption This is a matter of GSAS, not Department, policy. Military exemptions aside, exceptions to the one-year rule are uncommon and necessarily involve the approval of the Dean. Additionally, by agreement with GSAS, students admitted (“transferred”) to the PhD from a Harvard Master’s degree program automatically have their department G-year clocks turned back by one year. For example, the typical EALC transfer student from RSEA will have spent two years at Harvard before entering the PhD. Such a student will for practical purposes be grouped together with G1 students, but for internal accounting purposes will be considered by the Department to be a G2. It is thus expected that RSEA transfer students will take general exams at the end of the departmental G3 year, i.e., the end of their second year in the PhD program. Note that the Registrar’s official G-clock will not reflect this internal adjustment, so that former RSEA student will take generals at the end of what is actually their fourth year overall at Harvard (the Registrar’s G4 year). As a rule, EALC students are expected to have satisfied all language and seminar paper requirements and to be prepared to sit for the General Examination no later than the end of the third year in the PhD program. Students who successfully pass generals go on to the next phase of the program, which involves the preparation of the dissertation prospectus. Once the prospectus is approved, the student may proceed to researching and writing the doctoral thesis. From start to finish, it takes an average of seven or eight years to earn a doctorate in the Department. Below, for reference purposes, is a normative timetable for students in the EALC and HEAL PhD programs.
For students who transferred to the PhD from the RSEA AM program, examinations should come at the end of the G2 year, the prospectus at the end of the G3 year, etc. The Department understands that everyone works at a different pace, so you should not be too concerned if you are a little behind this schedule. If, on the other hand, you are more than a year behind, then this might be a cause for concern. If you feel yourself falling irretrievably behind in your work or if you feel you are not making good progress, you should make an appointment to speak with your advisor and the DGS to discuss the circumstances and possible remedies. The Bureau of Study Counsel and the GSAS Office of Student Affairs are other important resources. See also: What to Do if You Need Help Progress Reports In April, the Department asks each student to submit a brief statement on his/her progress during the preceding twelve months. The purpose of the form is to confirm which milestones the student has passed and which remain, and to learn of any problems the student is experiencing or potential problems the student foresees. Students experiencing difficulties should not wait to report them here, of course, but should consult as soon as possible with an advisor and/or the DGS. G10 Enrollment Cap Students are permitted to register in GSAS only up to the G10 year (i.e., the department G10 year). An exception is EALC students who have received a GSAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship, who are permitted to register only through the G8 year (see under Section X, “Dissertation Requirements”). Students who, at the end of the tenth year, have not yet completed the requirements for the PhD are withdrawn from the Graduate School. In such cases, students may re-apply when they have finished the dissertation, and may be re-admitted for the purposes of filing the thesis and receiving the degree. Students in the G9 and G10 years can expect to receive letters from the DGS reminding them of the G10 rule. Exceptions to the G10 limit are extremely rare and require the approval of the Dean of the Graduate School. The form for readmission (together with many other forms) is available on the Department website. Residency The minimum academic residence requirement for graduate study for the PhD in the Department is two years of full-time study. All students, including those who completed the AM-RSEA program, are subject to this requirement. Non-Resident Status Students who plan to be away from campus for one term or more must file for non-resident status. The application for non-resident status depends on the category one applies for. There are three categories: Traveling Scholar Status, Leave of Absence, and Registration at Another Harvard School. Traveling Scholar Status Students who plan to travel in connection with their research; who take part in the Exchange Scholars Program; or who, for personal or other reasons, will be living outside the Boston area but will remain actively engaged in degree-related work should apply for Traveling Scholar status. Note that Traveling Scholars are by default covered under the UHS and Blue Cross/Blue Shield insurance plans and will be charged accordingly; if you do not want this insurance because you have other coverage, you must submit a waiver form. Traveling Scholar status may be renewed annually, provided the student remains in satisfactory standing. Leave of Absence A student may request a Leave of Absence (LOA) at any time after the first year in the PhD. LOA status implies that the student’s time will primarily be given over to non-PhD-related activities. The reason for the leave must be stated clearly on the application. Depending on the reason for the leave, the department G-clock may be stopped, but generally only for one year (see above). The maximum length of leave that can be taken before the General Examinations is one year. After the General Examinations, students may take up to two consecutive years of leave. Note that Students on LOA do not receive health insurance coverage unless they request it and agree to purchase it. Taking leave may also have serious implications for international students and for students who have outstanding student loans. All students contemplating LOA are urged to read the relevant sections of the GSAS Handbook before consulting with their advisors and eventually the DGS. Registration at Another Harvard School The University has a small number of Coordinated Degree Programs (e.g., JD-PhD). Students in these programs may not register simultaneously in GSAS and another Harvard school, but must request LOA from GSAS while they are registered elsewhere at Harvard. The deadlines for applications for Non-Resident Status (all categories) are August 1 for the fall term or the full academic year and January 1 for the spring term. Late fees apply. The required forms are available on the GSAS website. Forms for Traveling Scholar status and LOA are also available on the Department website. Forms must be signed by the advisor and by the DGS before being submitted to GSAS, and a copy should be filed with the Graduate Coordinator. Non-resident students may elect to pay Active File Fees to maintain access to the University’s electronic resources, or they may pay the Facilities Fees if in addition they wish to maintain access to University buildings. PhD students on leave who remain in the Boston area are normally charged Facilities Fees. Please be advised that students who choose to go on leave during the G3 and G4 years forfeit their priority claim on teaching opportunities normally guaranteed in those years. A student may not “bank” the TF positions they would have been given in those years and return to claim them in later years, though every effort will be made to accommodate the needs of advanced students who have not yet acquired teaching experience.
VI. Coursework and Language Requirements
The Department offers an extremely wide array of courses and students are encouraged and expected to familiarize themselves with the range of the curriculum and the opportunities it presents, even as they prepare to specialize in one or more areas. A creative and flexible approach to planning is best: there is no “orthodox” set of courses that everyone takes nor, with the exception of language requirements, are there many prerequisites to be satisfied. This means there is usually room in most programs of study for some judicious experimentation. At a minimum, you should discuss with your advisor the courses you plan to take before signing up for anything; some advisors will ask you to rough out a plan for the entire year, or beyond. Remember to plan ahead to take faculty leaves or certain course sequences into account. Within the limits of your program requirements, you should try to take advantage of the extraordinary range of courses offered at Harvard. Students who do tend to find their overall program more fulfilling. Coursework Requirements The Department requires students to meet the following coursework requirements for the PhD in EALC and HEAL before being allowed to take the General (“qualifying”) Examinations:
Note that, depending on one’s field, some specific seminars may be required of EALC PhD candidates. Your advisor can inform you of these requirements. Candidates for the HEAL degree must satisfactorily complete History 3910, The Writing of History. This introductory seminar on historical methodology is offered every fall in the History Department. First-year HEAL students will be contacted directly by the History Graduate Coordinator with enrollment details. At present there is no minimum number of courses that must be taken within the Department. You are free to enroll in courses outside EALC, and even outside FAS, provided you and your advisor agree that such courses make sense within the context of your overall curriculum and eventual dissertation plans. Choosing Courses Deciding which courses to take is one of the great pleasures of graduate study, in EALC as in other departments. The challenge is to find a combination of courses that will provide you the knowledge and the tools needed to become a good scholar and teacher. When planning courses, students should keep in mind the usefulness of a given class with respect to research and teaching plans and also the field distribution requirements for the General Examinations and the eventual make-up of the examination committee. More on General Examinations is found in Section VII. Depending upon your field, there may be one or more courses or sequence of courses that students typically are advised to take; it is recommended that students confer carefully with their advisors early in their graduate career to learn of any such expectations. Types of Courses Broadly speaking, there are five types of courses offered in the Department:
How best to combine different types of courses is largely up to you. Though they are often valuable, the Department discourages students from relying on independent studies to fulfill course requirements and regards participation in graduate seminars as an important aspect of intellectual development. In making decisions about courses, keep in mind Add/Drop deadlines for adding and withdrawing from courses or for changing grading status to SAT/UNSAT. Language Requirements Apart from coursework requirements, the Department sets specific language requirements for the degree that are intended to ensure that all students are proficient in the primary language(s) needed for professional scholarly research in the field. These requirements are the same for EALC and HEAL PhD candidates. The minimal language requirements for the PhD involve mastery of one East Asian language and advanced work in a second East Asian language. What those languages are depends upon a student’s regional and disciplinary specialization, and there is variation across the Department. Standard requirements are defined for the different regional specializations as follows:
These are minimal requirements. In some fields, students may be expected to gain a greater level of proficiency than is indicated here or may be advised to learn additional languages. As of 2006, the Department no longer requires students to demonstrate proficiency in a European language other than English. However, in formulating a program of study, the student is strongly encouraged to discuss the desirability of acquiring such proficiency (e.g., in French, German, Russian) with his/her advisor. In some cases, students may find it worthwhile signing up for courses such as French Ax and German S, which focus on improving reading ability. Substitutions and exceptions to the above requirements must be approved by both the advisor and the DGS. All language requirements must be completed prior to taking the General Examinations. There are no exceptions to this policy. Satisfying the Language Requirement Language requirements may be satisfied by coursework, examination, or by otherwise demonstrating (e.g., by writing a seminar paper in which sources in the primary language are successfully employed) the necessary level of ability. Bear in mind that in some examination fields professors set other specific requirements that must be met before proceeding to generals. Details on these requirements are found in the listings for each field in the Description of Fields (Section XIII). Coursework Most students satisfy at least some language requirements through coursework after enrolling at Harvard, whether in regular term courses or in summer courses. These latter may be taken at Harvard or at accredited programs elsewhere in the US or abroad. A minimum grade of B- is required in any language course to be applied toward language requirements. Note that students must apply to have Harvard Summer School credit transferred to their FAS transcripts. This is a 2-step process. First, students must submit to the Registrar the "Application for Academic Credit for Graduate Work Done Elsewhere" form, available directly from the Graduate Program Coordinator. The second step is to request a transfer of the summer school transcript to the GSAS Registrar's Office, using the form specified for that purpose. Note also that only language courses taken at Harvard (including the Summer School) may be counted toward satisfying the departmental 16-course requirement. This includes language courses taken at the Harvard Beijing Academy. Examination Students with significant study experience prior to enrolling at Harvard, whether inside or outside a formal language program, may demonstrate that they have reached the appropriate minimum level of proficiency in a language by passing an examination. Arrangements for such examinations are made specially with the directors of the respective language programs in EALC after consultation with the advisor and the DGS. Under exceptional circumstances, degree candidates whose coursework has been mainly at Harvard may request that an examination be administered to confirm that their language proficiency meets the Department’s requirements. Seminar Paper Upon agreement of the advisor and the DGS, students may sometimes demonstrate the required level of linguistic proficiency by producing a research seminar paper that demonstrates mastery of sources in an East Asian language. Usually this will be limited to the literary (pre-modern) form of a language. English Language Proficiency Students whose native language is not English should be aware that the Department holds all students to a high standard of proficiency in both spoken and written English. Students who are unable to meet this standard are liable to dismissal from the PhD program. The Graduate School offers considerable resources to all students, native and non-native speakers alike, who desire assistance in improving their oral, aural, and written skills in English. Students who have concerns in this regard should consult early with the advisor and the DGS. Most new international students are required to sit an English language proficiency assessment before the start of the term. Incompletes A graduate student may, at the discretion of the instructor, receive a grade of “INC” (Incomplete) in order to gain more time to complete the requirements for a course. In such cases, unless s/he is given an earlier deadline by the instructor, the student must turn in all outstanding work no later than the end of the term following that in which the course was taken. This is true even if the student is on leave of absence during that term. Note that an Incomplete grade that is not made up by the end of one semester will automatically convert to a permanent Incomplete. Requests for an extension beyond the one-term deadline must be submitted in writing to GSAS and require the approval of the instructor. This form can be obtained from the Graduate Coordinator or off the website. The Department allows students to carry only three active incompletes at one time. If more are carried, it may jeopardize the student’s satisfactory standing, and further registration may not be permitted. Students with active incompletes on the transcript held over more than one term may receive a letter from the DGS reminding them of the need to complete work as soon as possible.
As part of the preparation for writing the thesis, all PhD candidates in EALC and HEAL must pass a two-hour oral examination in three fields of knowledge, one of which should be chosen to demonstrate breadth in regard to a different geographical area, discipline, or period. There is no written examination. The purpose of the examination is to determine if the student is qualified, a) to carry out advanced research in the field and b) to begin teaching. Hence they are sometimes also known as “qualifying examinations.” Students are tested both on their control of information and on their mastery of the scholarship in a range of fields. Examiners and Examination Fields The student’s examination committee is normally composed of no fewer than three, and no more than four, members of the faculty, at least two of whom must belong to EALC. Non-EALC Harvard faculty members may be asked to participate, with the approval of the student’s advisor. In certain circumstances, non-Harvard faculty may be asked to participate, with prior approval from the Department. Any exceptions to these rules must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies. No exception can be made to the rule requiring a minimum of two Harvard faculty on a PhD examining committee. Similarly, in such cases where a student chooses to prepare two distinct fields with a single professor, the student must add a fourth field to the examination in order to achieve the minimum number of three examiners. In the exceptional event that it is not possible to bring all members of the committee together for the examination (for instance, because a faculty member is out of the country for an extended period), the exam may be split into two separate sessions. In such cases, the chair of the committee must be present on both occasions. Fields should be determined well in advance and in consultation with the student’s advisor and other examiners (see “Coursework” above). Of the usual three fields, one must be chosen from outside the student’s primary regional, temporal, or disciplinary focus. A listing of faculty fields is available in the EALC main office, on the Department website, and Section XIII below. Students typically will have taken one or more seminars from each member of the examining committee. Indeed, some professors make this a requirement. If in doubt, ask. Administration and Evaluation The advisor is the chair of the examination committee and is in charge of administering the examination itself. No notes, books, or computers are permitted the examinee. Each examiner has thirty minutes to question the candidate. By custom, the order in which fields are examined is determined by the candidate. At the conclusion of the examination, the candidate is asked to leave the room while the examiners confer on the grade. The deliberations concluded, examinee is then invited back in and is immediately informed whether s/he has passed. Passing grades for the General Examination are Excellent, Good, or Fair, with the possibility of a plus or minus. A mark of Excellent is uncommon and indicates an outstanding performance. A mark of Good indicates a solid performance with no real weaknesses. A mark of Fair suggests a marginal performance, with some significant limitations in performance. A mark below Fair means the student has failed the examination. All grades are final. Apart from “pass” or “fail,” the student is not informed of the grade at the examination. Examination grades may be requested from the advisor or the Graduate Coordinator one week after the examination. The examination grade is kept in the student’s file and is reported to the Registrar. But the examination grade is not listed on the student’s transcript and does not constitute part of the student’s dossier for future applications to academic positions. Generally, a student who has passed the General Examination moves on to the next step in this phase of the program, which is the prospectus (see Section VIII). Students who have passed examinations have the option of filing for the Interim AM degree. The forms for this are available from the Graduate Coordinator. A student who has failed the examination is permitted to re-take the examination at the next available departmental examination period. In cases where students are failed and permitted to try again, it is not Department policy to allow students to re-take the General Examination more than once. Students who have met all the requirements for the PhD but do not pass general examinations shall be withdrawn from the program. If they do not already have an AM degree from Harvard, they may petition the Department to receive the AM degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Preparing for Generals While most faculty will work with students to develop a syllabus of readings that will serve as the basis of the examination, they differ in the particulars of how they go about preparing students for examinations. You are advised to consult carefully with prospective examiners as to their expectations. Scheduling the Examination Students must ordinarily take and pass the General Examination by no later than the end of the G3 year (departmental G2 year for transfer students from the RSEA AM program). In the term prior to that in which the student plans to take the examination, s/he will be asked to submit a “Petition for General Examination for the Ph.D. Degree” form to the Department. This form requires students to list their fields and examiners and to verify the completion of required seminar papers and language requirements. Upon receiving this request, the Graduate Program Coordinator will schedule each student’s exam in consultation with the student and examiners. Examination periods for EALC and HEAL candidates are scheduled three times during the year: in September (during the first two weeks of classes in the fall term), February (during the first two weeks of classes in the spring term), and May (during the final two weeks of classes in the spring term). Under exceptional circumstances, off-cycle examinations may be scheduled upon consultation with the DGS and the Graduate Coordinator.
The dissertation prospectus is a document intended to allow you to formulate the foundation for the work that will lead to the writing of a doctoral thesis. Work on the prospectus should begin in the G3 and G4 years, around the same time as the student begins teaching (see Section IX). This represents a new phase in one’s graduate education. In developing the prospectus, some students find it useful to spend some time carrying out preliminary research abroad. In some fields this is necessary in order to determine the location and availability of certain source materials, to establish contact with foreign scholars and institutions, and in general to gather enough information to ascertain the viability of a proposed research project. The student should consult her or his academic advisor about the viability of such research trips. Funds for such short-term research travel are available from a variety of University sources, including the different regional institutes, the Asia Center, and FAS (see Section III above). The Dissertation Committee Like the examination committee, the dissertation committee is normally composed of three, and sometimes four, members of the faculty. In ordinary circumstances, a candidate’s principal advisor will be the chair of the dissertation committee (“dissertation director”). The membership of the rest of the dissertation committee may be the same as the membership of the examination committee, significantly overlap with it, or differ substantially. Professors from outside EALC or outside Harvard may be asked to serve on the committee, but the Department requires that the chair of the committee belong to EALC. GSAS rules require at least two Harvard faculty on any PhD dissertation committee. If, after the dissertation committee has been formed, the candidate wishes to alter its membership, s/he may do so after first consulting with the chair of the dissertation committee. Students who wish to replace the chair of the dissertation committee are asked to consult first with the DGS. In unusual circumstances, it is possible to ask two faculty members to be co-chairs of the dissertation committee. Approval of the Prospectus According to Department rules, the prospectus is to be submitted and approved within six months of generals, and no later than the end of the term after the term in which the candidate passed the General Examination. Post-generals students are encouraged to get to work on the prospectus as soon as possible. This is for two reasons. One is that the development of the prospectus typically involves revision of numerous drafts and may take a few months. The other is that, as funding deadlines for most fellowships occur in the fall, students will find it to their advantage to be well along by then in their thinking about the dissertation. In many cases, grant proposals may be thought of as condensed versions of the prospectus. How best to go about putting together a prospectus is a matter of choice, and it is vital to talk first with one’s advisor. Some students will want to consult with the principal advisor, the rest of the dissertation committee, and/or other faculty members to discuss potential topic(s), research methods, and schedule before writing anything. Others may prefer to work up a first draft and then meet. As the prospectus nears its final form, some students find it useful to invite all members of the dissertation committee to a face-to-face meeting to discuss the research project generally and the prospectus specifically. Such a meeting is up to the student to arrange. It can provide the opportunity for a single conversation at which everyone involved can exchange ideas, suggestions, and concerns. All committee members will be asked to sign the Prospectus Approval Form to indicate their approval of the final version of the prospectus. Written confirmation of approval, e-mailed directly to the Graduate Program Coordinator, is accepted in lieu of a signature on the Form. Once the approval of the final version of the prospectus by all committee members has been received by the Graduate Coordinator, the Department will notify the Registrar that the student has completed all the requirements for the degree save the dissertation. At this point the student is formally advanced to candidacy and may claim ABD (“All But Dissertation”) status. After the prospectus is approved, students should remain in regular contact with the dissertation committee. The Department recommends that updates be provided at least once a term; check with your advisor. Frequent communication becomes particularly important in the final stages of research and writing or when research difficulties unexpectedly arise that may force a change of plans. Format It is understood that the organization and substance of any dissertation is subject to revision during the process of research and writing; it is also recognized that individual faculty may vary in their specific expectations. Candidates are urged to consult closely with their advisors and dissertation committee members in formulating a satisfactory prospectus. The student may wish to consider the following issues in drafting the prospectus.
Most prospectuses end up being between 15 and 25 pages in length, double-spaced, not including the bibliography. Please note that the Graduate Coordinator maintains a file of approved proposals as a resource for students. After it is approved, yours may be added to this file. G4 Prospectus Conference An important milestone in the prospectus phase is the presentation by the student at the Department’s G4 Prospectus Conference, which is held the first Monday after the end of classes in the spring term. All eligible students (i.e., G4 students who have passed generals within the preceding two terms) will be contacted by the Graduate Coordinator in March and asked to provide a title and abstract for inclusion in the event program. Presenters are grouped into panels moderated by members of the faculty or by other students. Each panelist is given thirty minutes: fifteen minutes for the presentation and fifteen minutes for questions from the floor. All members of the Department are invited to this event, which lasts all day and is open to the entire University community. While the Prospectus Conference is primarily designed for G4 students, G3 students who have passed generals are welcome to present in consultation with advisors and the DGS, and G5 students who have missed their opportunities to present at the end of their G4 year due to extenuating circumstances (such as doing research abroad) are also encouraged to participate. Please contact the DGS and the Graduate Coordinator with questions about the process or about your particular situation well in advance of the conference.
Teaching fellowships are part of the financial package offered to all students in GSAS and offer crucial experience in one’s graduate career. EALC and HEAL PhD students are guaranteed three semesters of teaching in the G3 and G4 years. There are also many teaching opportunities for students in the G5 and higher years. Teaching fellows (TFs) teach part-time (nominally 16 hours per week) as part of their progress toward the doctorate degree. They ordinarily must be full-time, resident students and be in satisfactory standing. The University and the Department place great emphasis on proper training before a student goes into the classroom. In addition to guidance provided by the instructor in a course, teaching is supervised and regularly evaluated by the faculty and staff at the Bok Center. Please refer to the GSAS Handbook or the Department’s own TF Handbook for more information (see below). Applying for a Teaching Fellowship All students in satisfactory standing in the G3 year or higher are eligible to apply for a position as a Teaching Fellow (TF). In early May the Graduate Coordinator will distribute a list of courses for the coming academic year for which it is anticipated that TFs will be required and will announce the deadline for receipt of applications. These may be Department courses or courses in the Core or General Education curricula (on teaching in the Department Tutorial Program, see below). On the application form, students are asked to rank preferences for the courses they would like to teach in and indicate their qualifications and experience. Completed applications are reviewed by the Graduate Program Committee, which makes provisional assignments of teaching fellowships. Instructors are notified and asked to confirm assignments for their courses. Once assignments have been confirmed, students receive a formal offer letter from the Department. While ideally students are assigned to teach in courses close to their area of specialization, it sometimes happens that a teaching assignment is made outside that “comfort zone.” There are advantages and disadvantages to pushing one’s limits in this way. If you are unsure about your suitability to teach in a certain course, feel free to contact the professor. If you anticipate wanting to teach for a professor at some point in the future, you should also feel free to contact the professor early on to express your interest. Bear in mind that the final decision on teaching assignments must be approved by the instructor in the course and that some professors may prefer to hire students whom they have taught in a seminar or other course. At about the same time as the announcement is made for TF applications, the Department Tutorial Office advertises openings for tutors in the Sophomore, Junior, and Senior Tutorial. These positions offer the opportunity for intensive one-on-one or small-group interaction with concentrators in East Asian Studies, including advising writers of junior and senior theses. While the Tutorial is separate from regular TF positions, there is a joint TF/Tutorial application. Contact the Tutorial Office for more information. Other Teaching Opportunities It is sometimes possible for students to be hired as TFs in language courses, most commonly in the Chinese program, where it is an important source of opportunities. Native and non-native speakers alike are welcome to apply. Applications for teaching the modern Chinese language are made directly to Professor Shengli Feng. Only applicants who have received a passing grade in Chinese Linguistics 200, Introduction to Teaching Modern Chinese Language, will be considered. Applications for teaching classical or literary Chinese (wenyan) should be made to the Preceptor in Classical Chinese. Additionally, qualified students in advanced years may be considered to teach Manchu A/B, Mongolian A/B, or Uyghur A/B in years when those courses are offered. Interested students should contact Professor Mark Elliott. In searching for TF positions, do not forget to look outside the Department. EALC and HEAL students often find employment teaching in other departments or for non-EALC faculty in the Core and General Education curricula. By the same token, the Department welcomes applications from qualified students in other programs. Among recent EALC TFs have been PhD students in History, Religion, Inner Asian and Altaic Studies, and Sanskrit and Indian Studies. RSEA students are not normally hired as TFs. Presidential Instructional Technology Fellows (PITF Program) Another attractive employment option is to become qualified as a Presidential Instructional Technology Fellow (PITF). This program is managed by the University’s Instructional Computing Group (ICG). Students with strong computer skills, or who wish to develop such skills, are particularly encouraged to apply to this program. Paid training sessions take place during the summer, and project assignments are available during the summer and the academic year. PITFs are always in demand in courses across FAS, and EALC students have a strong record of accomplishment in this area. For more on this program, visit the PITF program’s own website or talk to an EALC PITF. Teacher Training and the Teaching Portfolio Learning to teach is an integral part of graduate training, and the Department takes great pride in the quality of the instruction provided by its graduate students. Ample campus resources are provided for pedagogical training of all sorts. In any course, the most immediate source of guidance will of course be the instructor, who supervises TF work in all areas. In addition, teacher training is expertly handled and evaluated by the faculty and staff at the Derek Bok Center for Teaching and Learning, which is housed on the third floor of the Science Center. The Bok Center has a wide array of programs and publications, many of which are available online. Attendance at Bok Center workshops held at the start of each term is required of all new TFs. There are also special programs aimed for international students who have not taught before in American classrooms. Assistance and advice is also available from the EALC Departmental TF, who in 2009-2010 is Brian Skerratt. The Departmental TF conducts workshops, acts as a liaison to the Bok Center, and is always available for individual consultation. The Departmental TF also can guide you in the creation of a Teaching Portfolio, which is maintained through GSAS and the Bok Center. A strong teaching portfolio can be a great asset in the job market (see Section XI below). Full information on these resources and all aspects of teaching, including tips for running sections, is available in the GSAS Handbook, and the Bok Center website. GSAS publishes a TF handbook: In addition, EALC has its own TF handbook with many useful links available here.
The dissertation, which must make an original contribution to knowledge, may deal with any subject approved by the dissertation committee. The dissertation must be written in English and must demonstrate the student’s capacity to make critical use of source material in one or more East Asian languages. There is no departmental requirement regarding the length of the dissertation. As a rule, however, most dissertations fall somewhere between 300 and 500 typed, double-spaced pages. Shorter dissertations may be accepted; students are encouraged not to exceed 600 pages. Dissertation Research and Travel Though it is not a requirement, many, if not most, EALC and HEAL students find that they need to travel and reside for some period of time in East Asia in order to carry out the research for the dissertation. Please note that the Department is not able to fund student dissertation research abroad. Students are therefore strongly encouraged to seek out funding sources for which they are eligible, both those within the University and those from outside granting agencies. Further information on dissertation research grants and fellowships may be found by consulting with advisors and by approaching the relevant offices in the different regional institutes, the Asia Center, and the Graduate School (see Section III above, “Financial Aid”). It is the student’s responsibility to keep abreast of application requirements, deadlines, etc. Dissertation Writing There are numerous campus resources available to assist students who have begun to write the thesis. Many students find that joining a dissertation writing group provides helpful support and structure. Within the Department, such groups are student-led and form each year. If you are interested in joining or forming such a group, you may do so simply by contacting other senior students and/or your advisor. GSAS resources are sometimes available to support dissertation writing groups. Applications must be submitted by a faculty member. The Bureau of Study Counsel also sponsors a dissertation writing workshop. While it mainly targets undergraduate students, the Writing Center also has a program to assist graduate students with all aspects of writing, including the dissertation. This group convenes each term and meets in Dudley House. The “Writing Resources” links on the Center’s home page provide valuable additional guidance, including the “Writing from Sources” handbook and tips for good style (worth following if you would like people to read what you have written). There are also useful links on the Expository Writing Program’s website. Candidates should not expect members of the dissertation committee to perform the duties of a copy editor. Both native and non-native speakers of English often find it helpful to solicit editorial assistance in the final stages of dissertation writing. Such assistance may be provided by peers in the program or by professional editors. Dissertation Completion Fellowship The Graduate School offers one year of full financial support to all PhD students who are engaged in the final stages of dissertation writing. The application is available directly from the Graduate Coordinator, who will notify eligible students of the year’s deadlines once these are announced by GSAS. This support ordinarily cannot be split between two academic years, but must be held continuously in one academic year, i.e., sequential fall and spring terms. To be eligible for a GSAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship (DCF), a student must meet the following requirements:
The student’s advisor must submit a letter certifying that the student has met these minimum requirements and is in a position to complete the dissertation by the end of the grant year. More information may be found here. Students who have accepted a GSAS Dissertation Completion Fellowship should be aware that GSAS rules require them to complete the dissertation by the end of the grant year. For students who hold the DCF in the G7 year, one additional year of enrollment may be permitted. For students who hold the grant in the G8 year, however, no such additional year of enrollment will be allowed. If they have not finished by the end of the G8 year, they will be withdrawn and asked to apply for readmission to receive the degree. G8 students on DCF Grants are therefore urged to plan accordingly. Questions about these requirements should be directed to the Graduate Coordinator. G10 Limit It is the Department’s expectation that students will have completed all requirements for the PhD, including submission of a satisfactory thesis, by the end of the G8 year (G7 year for transfer students from RSEA). Students who have received Dissertation Completion Fellowships are held strictly to this time limit. As mentioned in Section V, pursuant to GSAS regulations, any student who has not completed the dissertation by the end of the G10 year will be withdrawn from the PhD program. Students thus withdrawn may continue to work on the thesis and will be formally readmitted to the program once they have finished in order that the degree may be conferred. Approval of the Dissertation
The dissertation advisor and members of the Committee should send their comments and suggestions to the student within two weeks of receiving the final draft. In the remaining four weeks, students should implement the revisions, submit the revised dissertation for final approval by the Committee, and have the dissertation bound to meet the Registrar’s deadline. The dissertation is to be submitted electronically to the EALC Graduate Program Coordinator by 5:00 p.m. of the deadline date. Students who miss the deadline will have to apply for the degree in the next cycle. After the approval of the dissertation, the student must have the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate signed by all committee members. The student should contact the Graduate Program Coordinator during the second reading of the dissertation to request that the Dissertation Acceptance Certificate be prepared. The student should provide the exact title as it appears on the dissertation, including capitalization and punctuation, along with the names of the committee members. Once the dissertation is approved, the student will circulate the certificate for signatures and then return it to the Coordinator who will make a copy of the DAC for the student’s file and forward the original to the Registrar. Students not in residence should contact the Coordinator to make arrangements for obtaining the signatures. Dissertation Defense Submitting the Thesis Information on exact submission deadlines is listed in the GSAS Handbook, the GSAS “Important Dates” page, and on the Registrar’s website. No extensions or exceptions to GSAS procedures or deadlines are possible under any circumstances. Students should consult carefully with the Graduate Coordinator to ensure that they meet all stated GSAS requirements and deadlines for the submission of the dissertation in order to receive the degree as planned. Use the checklist provided in Section XIV below. Commencement The end of the academic year is marked by a graduation ceremony, called (after the Latin) Commencement. Ceremonies consist of Morning Exercises, a colorful procession of dignitaries, deans, professors, and degree candidates through Harvard Yard, followed by the GSAS Diploma Awarding Ceremony in Sanders Theatre. Details become available on the GSAS website in the spring. Families are invited to these events, with a limited number of tickets available for the Sanders Theatre ceremony. The Department can sometimes help with extra tickets. In addition, GSAS hosts a luncheon for all graduates and their families following the PhD awards ceremony. Graduating PhD candidates who plan to take part in Commencement are required to wear the appropriate academic regalia, which may be purchased or rented from the Harvard Coop. Completion of Degree Statement The Department requests that graduating PhDs file a Completion of Degree Statement. This asks for basic information about the thesis and about the graduate’s immediate professional plans, including information on jobs and post-doctoral fellowships. The Department uses this information to stay in touch with graduates and to furnish information to GSAS as to how EALC and HEAL PhDs fare in academia. This form may be downloaded from the Department website.
XI. Professional Development and Career Planning
Strange as it may seem, it is wise for students to begin thinking about life after the PhD almost as soon as they enter the program, since the choices one makes early on in the degree will inevitably have important implications down the road. To assist in this regard, the University and the Department provide a range of opportunities to prepare in practical ways for an academic career. Bear in mind, of course, that in this, as in so many other ways, the most valuable resource for information and advice will likely be your own PhD advisor. More than can reasonably be covered in this handbook goes into the foundation of a successful career and job search. A good general guide to professional development and the academic job search process is the GSAS publication “Scholarly Pursuits.” Finding a Job The successful job search normally proceeds in four stages: identifying likely employment opportunities (see below); submission of application materials; conference interview (e.g., at the MLA, AAR, or AHA); and campus interview (“fly-back”). After the campus interview, the successful applicant is contacted with an offer of a position, but there is no expectation of an answer at this point. Only when an offer has been made in writing must you respond (yes, no, maybe). Negotiations (over salary, teaching load, leave, etc.) are sometimes needed and these take time, too. The entire process ordinarily lasts at least four months and sometimes much longer. Looking for a job can be stressful and time-consuming, and there is no guarantee that you will land a job the first time out. The good news is that the Department has an extraordinarily strong record of placing its graduates in tenure-track positions within 1-3 years of completion of the degree. Students who are not successful in finding tenure-track jobs often find it worthwhile to take temporary positions as replacement faculty at an institution while they carry out another search the following year. Though not ideal, teaching in a temporary job offers the chance to strengthen one’s CV and build up one’s teaching record – not to mention that it pays better than remaining on as a TF. Job Listings The search for a job begins, of course, by locating job openings and finding those for which you are qualified. Announcements for jobs of interest to EALC and HEAL candidates may be found in a number of publications, including (but not limited to) the newsletters and job postings web pages of the Association for Asian Studies, the Modern Language Association, the American Academy of Religion, and the American Historical Association. Note that in most cases, online job listing information is restricted to members of the scholarly association. If you do not already belong, now is the time to join. Sometimes departments with vacancies will announce them on their own websites and by circulating letters or flyers to other departments around the country. Any such announcements the Department receives will be posted in the Graduate Student Lounge. Students should also check with advisors for news of job openings. Announcements for tenure-track jobs tend to be most numerous during the summer and fall. Pay close attention to deadlines, job descriptions, and application requirements. Much depends on the strength of the initial application. Post-Doctoral Fellowships At the same time as they apply for teaching positions, many students submit applications for post-doctoral fellowships (“post-docs”). A post-doc is a salaried research position, usually held for one year, but sometimes longer, at a university, college, or foundation. Teaching, if any is called for, is usually minimal. Rather, the post-doctoral fellow is expected to contribute to the intellectual community of the awarding institute or center, either by presenting a lecture, organizing a workshop or conference, and interacting with graduate students and faculty colleagues. Most post-docs include an office; some also provide career development assistance. A post-doc is considered by many students to be highly desirable because it affords the fellow a chance to work in a concentrated fashion, with minimal outside obligations. In some cases, post-docs are awarded to fellows who are beginning new projects, or who are completing smaller, non-thesis projects. Many post-doctoral fellowships are awarded to enable the fellow to bring a doctoral thesis into publishable shape. In those cases, it is sometimes a condition of the fellowship that the fellow offer right of first refusal on the resulting manuscript to the awarding institution’s university press. The materials needed to apply for a post-doctoral fellowship are in many regards similar to those used in the job application, and announcements about post-doctoral fellowships often appear together with job listings. Eligibility periods for application to post-docs vary, but most allow for receipt of the PhD within the last five years. Career Workshops For students entering the job market, and for those who are contemplating doing so, the Department sponsors two different career-related workshops in the fall. The first, held in late September, covers the ins and outs of searching for an academic job: CVs, cover letters, letters of recommendation, etc. The second, held in early December, takes the form of a mock conference interview (an earlier mock interview may be scheduled for students planning to attend the AAR annual meeting). A third kind of event, a mock job talk, may be organized for any EALC or HEAL student who has been invited for an on-campus interview. These are often very useful for job candidates who want to do a dry run of the job talk in a critical, yet supportive, environment. Mock job talks can be arranged at the last minute with the assistance of the Graduate Coordinator. Apart from these Department events, the Office of Career Services (OCS) sponsors a series of related events in the fall, including workshops on CVs and cover letters, which interested students are welcome to attend. Building a CV A CV (“Curriculum Vitae”) is the academic’s equivalent of a résumé. It contains essential information on your education, training (including language skills), scholarly achievements (including your dissertation, plus any publications and talks), teaching record, contact information, and references. You will need a CV to apply for jobs and post-docs and also to apply to give papers at major conferences. Many funding agencies also ask for a CV. Thus even G1 students should begin to give some thought to putting together a CV. Opinions differ as to what makes a good CV, but all would agree on a couple of points: a) an academic CV should not look like a business résumé and b) a CV should be clear, easy-to-read, and free of errors. For most students, a CV of between 2-4 pages (excluding the Teaching Portfolio, discussed in Section IX) is sufficient. General guidelines may be found at the OCS website, but more detailed guidance on CVs may be gained by attending one of their graduate student workshops, by scheduling an appointment with an OCS staff person, or by speaking with your advisor. Should I Be Publishing Already? In writing a CV, one of the most common sources of anxiety for students is the blank space following the rubric, “Publications.” One often hears that the threshold for getting a job (or even a job interview) is determined by the strength of one’s publication record prior to completion of the PhD. It is undeniably true that graduate students publish much more, and much more commonly, than they did a generation ago. It is also undeniably an advantage to the prospective job candidate to have published a good article in a refereed journal. But to prepare an article for publication is a major commitment of time, and that is bound to be time taken away from research and writing on the dissertation. Since it is less clear if publishing something just for the sake of having a publication is worth the time and trouble involved, students are urged to consider carefully the pros and cons before tying up valuable time that could be used to get closer to completion on the PhD. Ultimately, the question of when, what, and where to publish is one that each student must settle for her/himself in consultation with advisors and peers. The Department takes no position, and merely notes that many graduates with little in the way of publications routinely find good jobs at good schools. Conference Presentations Even if you don’t publish, it is likely that you will have the chance to present some of your work at an academic conference before you file the thesis. Such activity also belongs on your CV. If no one invites you to join an Annual Meeting panel, you may want to consider organizing one on your own. Students who are traveling out of the Boston area to attend an academic conference may apply to the Graduate Student Council for financial assistance. The Department is sometimes able to provide limited financial aid, depending on the availability of funds. Some academic societies provide financial assistance to graduate students attending meetings and conferences.
Instruction in the languages and civilizations of East Asia began at Harvard in 1879, when courses in the Chinese language were first taught. A portrait of the instructor hired to teach these classes, Ge Kunhua (Ko K’un-hua), hangs by the entrance to the Harvard-Yenching Library. Sadly, Ge died of pneumonia at the age of 44, only three years after arriving in the United States and after having taught only five students. No further language courses were taught until Zhao Yuanren (Y.R. Chao), then a PhD student in Philosophy, offered Chinese in 1922-25, by which time a smattering of courses in Japanese and Chinese thought and religion were also being taught, most in the Philosophy Department. The foundation of the Harvard-Yenching Institute in 1928, made possible by substantial funds bequeathed by Charles M. Hall, inventor and co-founder of Alcoa (his photo as a young man hangs in the first-floor hallway at 2 Divinity – perhaps not as impressive as the aluminum statue on the campus of Oberlin College, his alma mater), provided the impetus for the true beginning of East Asian studies at Harvard through the establishment of a library and the recruitment of visiting faculty, mainly from Europe and Asia, there being no American scholars to be hired then. Instrumental in these early years was the partnership developed between Harvard and Yenching University, an institution founded by Christian missionaries and occupying grounds northwest of Beijing that are now home to Beijing University. Paul Pelliot and William Hung taught the first classes in Chinese history at Harvard in 1928-29, and Baron Alexander von Staël-Holstein taught Tibetan the same year. Japanese language courses, taught by Kishimoto Hideo, began to be offered in 1931. The awarding in 1932 of the first PhD in Chinese studies (to American James Ware, a student of early Chinese Buddhism) and the permanent appointment of Serge Elisséeff (1889-1972), a preeminent Russian émigré Japanologist, as the first professor of Far Eastern Languages and the first director of the HYI in 1934 were other early milestones, followed by the publication of the first issue of the Harvard Journal of Asiatic Studies in 1936, with Elisséeff as editor. In that same year, Elisséeff proposed to the Corporation that a Department of Far Eastern Languages be established. The new department was formally created by FAS vote in 1937. The name was changed to the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations in 1972. The indefatigable Elisséeff was also the first department chair, serving for nearly twenty years, until 1956. The first PhDs (in “Far Eastern Studies”) awarded by the Department after its founding came in 1938 (to Weng Dujian, a specialist on the Yuan dynasty) and 1939 (to Edwin O. Reischauer). The first woman to receive a PhD was Elizabeth Huff, a Radcliff graduate, who won her degree in 1947 with a thesis on Chinese poetry. The majority of degrees conferred by the Department in its first few decades were in fact degrees in History and Far Eastern Languages, overseen jointly by faculty from both Far Eastern Languages and History. This degree was introduced in 1941, primarily on the initiative of John Fairbank, when a special Standing Committee was created to supervise the work of students who wished to pursue advanced language-intensive research in the history of East Asia. Admissions to the independent History and East Asian Languages degree ended in 2005, and the degree is now offered within EALC. By the mid-1950s, the Department had grown to include two full professors (Elisséeff and Reischauer), four associate professors (Francis W. Cleaves, James R. Hightower, James R. Ware, and Lien-sheng Yang), and two language lecturers, including one in Korean, which began to be taught in 1952. Cleaves’ long career in the Department, from his entry into the PhD program in 1933 to his appointment to the faculty in 1941 to his final year of teaching in 1986, set a record that will be hard to beat. In 1974, the Department tenured its first woman, musicologist Rulan Chao Pien, the daughter of Y.R. Chao, who earned her degree in the Department in 1960. For its first 21 years, the Department was housed in Boylston Hall, in Harvard Yard, together with the Harvard-Yenching Institute (the stele erected by Chinese alumni in 1936 still stands nearby, on the west side of Widener Library). In 1958, the Department – together with the Institute, its growing library, and the two stone lions it had been given back in 1933 –moved to its present location at 2 Divinity Avenue. Built in 1929, the building had previously been home to the Institute for Geographical Exploration, which had been closed several years earlier (the Institute was the brainchild of Dr. Alexander H. “Ham” Rice, the second husband of Eleanor Elkins Widener and a pioneer of aerial photography). Both on the exterior and interior of the building may be found design elements that recall its original purpose and remind us to be grateful that the University did not choose to name the building “Rice Hall.” The transformation of the Harvard undergraduate curriculum, combined with the shifting international scene, made for dramatically increased interest in East Asia in the 1960s and 1970s. Enrollments boomed. Vietnamese language instruction was added to the curriculum in 1971. Renewed diplomatic relations with China in the 1970s, coupled with the rising economic importance of Japan, Taiwan, Korea, and finally the People’s Republic of China, contributed to the steady increase in the size of the faculty, the language program, and also the graduate program, through the last decades of the 20th century. The Department continues to grow today to meet the changing needs of the Harvard curriculum and an ever-growing student interest in the languages, peoples, and cultures of East Asia. A complete list of faculty currently teaching in the Department is provided in Section XIII. EALC Department Chairs Serge Elisséeff (1937-1956) Edwin O. Reischauer (1956-1961) James R. Hightower (1961-1965) Howard S. Hibbett (1965-1970) Edward W. Wagner (1970-1974) Patrick D. Hanan (1974-1977, 1985-1986) Donald H. Shively (1977-1981) Edwin A. Cranston (1981-1984, 1986-1987) Harold Bolitho (1987-1988, 1994-1996) Wei-ming Tu (1988-1990, 1991-1992) Stephen Owen (1990-1991, 1992-1994) Peter K. Bol (1996-2002) Philip A. Kuhn (2002-2005) Michael J. Puett (2005-2008) Wilt Idema (2008- )
List of EALC Faculty for 2009-2010 Idema, Wilt (PhD Leiden, 1974). Professor of Chinese Literature. Chinese literature of the later dynasties: fiction, drama and performative literature. (Chair) Abé, Ryûichi (PhD Columbia, 1991). Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions. Buddhism and Japanese history, literature, and culture. Biggs, David Bol, Peter (PhD Princeton, 1982). Harvard College Professor and Charles H. Carswell Professor of East Asian Languages and Civilizations. Intellectual and social history; later imperial China. Chow, Eileen Cheng-yin (PhD Stanford, 1999). Associate Professor of Chinese Literary and Cultural Studies. Cranston, Edwin (PhD Stanford, 1966). Professor of Japanese Literature. Classical literature of Japan, especially traditional poetic forms. Dillon, Nara (PhD Berkeley, 2002). Lecturer on Social Sciences. Eckert, Carter (PhD Washington, 1986). Yoon Se Young Professor of Korean History. Late-nineteenth and twentieth century Korean socioeconomic and political history; historical aspects of Korean economic development. Elliott, Mark (PhD Berkeley, 1993). Mark Schwartz Professor of Chinese and Inner Asian History. Social, political, and institutional history of China and Inner Asia; Manchu studies. Feng, Shengli (PhD Pennsylvania, 1995). Professor of the Practice of Chinese Language and Director of the Chinese Language Program. Prosodic syntax, Chinese philology and Chinese teaching pedagogy. Gordon, Andrew (PhD Harvard, 1981). Lee and Juliet Folger Fund Professor of History. Social and political history of modern Japan (joint with Department of History). Gundry, David James Gyatso, Janet (PhD Berkeley, 1981). Hershey Professor of Buddhist Studies (joint with Divinity School). Hardacre, Helen (PhD Chicago, 1980). Reischauer Institute Professor of Japanese Religions and Society. Japanese religious history. Jacobsen, Wesley (PhD, Chicago 1981). Professor of the Practice of the Japanese Language and Director of the Japanese Language Program. Japanese language and linguistics. Kim, Sun Joo (PhD Washington, 2000). Professor of Korean History. Premodern Korean history; social history of Choson era. Kitagawa, Tomoko van der Kuijp, Leonard (PhD Hamburg, 1986). Professor of Tibetan and Himalayan Studies. Tibetan intellectual history; Indo-Tibetan Buddhist thought; pre-modern Sino-Tibetan and Tibeto-Mongol political and religious relations (joint with Sanskrit and Indian Studies). Kuriyama, Shigehisa (PhD Harvard, 1986 ). Reischauer Institute Professor of Cultural History. History of medicine and the body in Japan, China, and Europe; Japanese cultural history (joint with History of Science). Lee, Young-jun Li, Wai-yee (PhD Princeton, 1987). Professor of Chinese Literature. Early Chinese literature; late imperial China. (Head Tutor) McCann, David (PhD Harvard, 1976). Korea Foundation Professor of Korean Literature. History and translation of Korean poetry; Korean cultural formations; the literatures of war. McCormick, Melissa (PhD Princeton, 2000). John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Humanities. Japanese painting and literature; cultural history of medieval Japan. Director of Graduate Studies. Owen, Stephen (PhD Yale, 1972). James Bryant Conant University Professor. Chinese poetry; Chinese literary theory (joint with Comparative Literature). Puett, Michael (PhD Chicago, 1994). Professor of Chinese History. Intellectual, cultural, and political history of early China. Robson, James Szonyi, Michael (DPhil Oxford, 1995). John Loeb Associate Professor of Chinese History. Chinese social history. Tian, Xiaofei (PhD Harvard, 1998). Professor of Chinese Literature. Early medieval Chinese literature and culture; late imperial fiction. Tu, Wei-ming (PhD Harvard, 1968). Harvard-Yenching Professor of Chinese History and Philosophy and of Confucian Studies. Chinese intellectual history; Asian and comparative philosophy; East Asian religious thought; Confucian studies.Wang, David Der-wei (PhD Wisconsin, 1992). Edward C. Henderson Professor of Chinese Literature. Late imperial and modern Chinese literature and culture; comparative literature and literary theory. Yoda, Tomiko
Fields offered for the General Examination
Professor Ryûichi Abé Premodern Japanese Religious History Primary Research Language
1. Chinese History VIII-XVII century Candidates are expected to have a general knowledge of political, social, economic, cultural and intellectual history for this period and to be acquainted with major secondary sources for the study of Chinese history in English. Knowledge of scholarly trends in Chinese and Japanese scholarship is expected. Students for whom this is the primary field are expected to have written at least two graduate seminar papers in this area. Primary Research Language 2. Chinese Intellectual History (occasionally offered) Primary Research Language
1. Modern Chinese Literature Primary Research Language 2. Film Studies Primary Research Language
Premodern Japanese Literature Primary Research Language
Modern Korean History
Primary Research Language
1. Chinese and Inner Asian History
Primary Research Language Primary Research Language Professor Shengli Feng Traditional Chinese Philology Primary Research Language Tibetan Studies Primary Research Language
Professor Helen Hardacre Japanese Religious History
Primary Research Language
Traditional Chinese Literature (from the end of the Tang to the end of the Qing) Primary Research Language
Premodern Korean History
Primary Research Language
Tibetan Studies Primary Research Language Professor Shigehisa Kuriyama History of East Asian Science and Medicine
Primary Research Languages Professor Wai-Yee Li
1. Early Chinese Literature (beginnings – ca. 3rd century A.D.)
Primary Research Language 2. Late Imperial Chinese Literature (Ming and Qing dynasties) Students should have a good knowledge of classical, pre-modern vernacular, and modern Chinese. Professor David McCann 1. Pre-Modern Korean Literature Candidates are expected to demonstrate a general knowledge of Korean literary genres, works, and authors through the end of the Chosôn Dynasty (1910). This will include vernacular Korean prose and poetry, as well as selected major works in Chinese. Students for whom this is a primary field are expected to have completed the survey course on Korean literature as well as the graduate seminar on pre-modern literature, or their equivalents.
Primary Research Language
2. Modern Korean Literature Primary Research Language
Japanese Art and Culture Primary Research Language Professor Stephen Owen Classical Chinese Literature Because of the nature and diversity of "classical literature," some latitude will be permitted in the definition of fields. Students planning to do a dissertation in classical literature should choose one of the major fields below. Other students may choose one of the minor fields. Note that the minor fields include classical narrative (and, in some cases, drama). Major Fields Classical Chinese Literature: Classical prose and poetry, as well as literary criticism from antiquity through the Qing. Minor Fields
Primary Research Language
Chinese History c. 1200 B.C. - c. 755 A.D. All students in early Chinese history are expected to have a full proficiency in reading both received texts and paleographic materials. This must be demonstrated either through translations in seminars or through an extensive written examination.
Medieval Chinese Buddhism and Daoism (first to tenth centuries) Primary Research Languages
History of Early Modern China (Ming-Qing)
Primary Research Language Medieval Chinese Literature (first to tenth centuries) Primary Research Language
1. Intellectual History
Students will be expected to demonstrate a firm grasp of the key intellectual issues discussed in the English language literature and a general knowledge of scholarly trends in relevant Chinese and Japanese language scholarship.
Primary Research Language Candidates are expected to have a general knowledge of the major schools and thinkers in Chinese thought and religion. Because of the nature and diversity of the field, however, some latitude will be permitted in defining the scope of the field. Classical Confucianism, Neo-Confucianism, philosophical Daoism, Daoist religion, and the most recent transformations of Chinese thought and religion are some of the possible areas of concentration.
Primary Research Language Modern Chinese Literature
Primary Research Language
List of Forms Updated versions of various forms are available for download here. Included there are the following:
You may also obtain these forms directly from the Graduate Program Coordinator. PhD submission checklist
The following must be submitted to the Registrar's Office, 20 Garden Street, Rm. 109, Cambridge, MA 02138 (617-495-1489) by the appropriate due date:
The abstract, not more than a page and a half double-spaced, should be included in both copies of the dissertation immediately following the page containing notice of copyright. Dissertation title, student's name, and dissertation advisor's name should appear on the abstract. In addition to these items, students are to submit to the department:
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