Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Languages, Literatures and Cultures
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In addition to Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements and Faculty of Arts requirements, the Department requires:
a) Course Requirements: Eighteen units beyond the MA. Courses must include course, course, and, depending on research perspective, either course or course, unless these courses were taken in the MA program.
b) A Third Language Requirement: All students must demonstrate, at a minimum, reading comprehension of a language other than English and the target language of the PhD program, at a level sufficient for the use and understanding of scholarly material. This language will normally be related to the student's thesis research. The language requirement is deemed to have been satisfied when the student has either:
(i) successfully completed a fourth semester language course;
(ii) successfully completed a language-proficiency examination designed specifically for graduate students by a relevant academic designated specialist. Such an examination tests the student's reading proficiency, by testing their understanding of a scholarly article;
or (iii) successfully completed a B1 Common European Framework of Reference (CEFR) examination, when available.
c) A thesis.
Copyediting
The program prohibits copyediting of the students' theses written in French or Spanish for the MA or PhD degrees.
Note: Normally no more than 3 units of Directed Reading may be taken for credit.
a) All students are encouraged to attend University orientation sessions. Students enrolled in a Fall Block week course are encouraged to attend an orientation session at the earliest opportunity.
b) Students in the thesis-based programs are also expected to demonstrate their participation in university-wide research activities by attending internal or external scholarly presentations every year in their programs. A minimum of one workshop on language training (see section (d) below) and at least two other presentations are required. Students should list all presentations attended in their Annual Progress Report.
c) Our graduate students are expected to complete training that will enhance their profile as a Language Teacher. Beyond Languages, Literatures and Cultures 601, training may include further courses such as:
These courses do not count towards degree requirements.
It is also highly recommended that students avail themselves of other training offered by the Taylor Institute for Teaching and Learning.
d) Graduate students must consult with the Graduate Program Director concerning course selection, leave of absence, course or program withdrawal.
Advanced Credit
The applicant must make advanced credit requests as part of the admission process, as set out in section Advanced Credit.
Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade)
The Languages, Literatures and Culture program in the School of Languages, Linguistics, Literatures and Cultures will not permit the Flexible Grade Option (CG Grade) for any course offered by the Languages, Literatures and Culture Program.
Students may not choose the CG grade for a course taken extra to load.
The use of the CG grade will affect students' eligibility for internal awards.
Credit for Undergraduate Courses
Only in exceptional circumstances and where appropriate to a student’s program may graduate credit be received for courses numbered 500-599. No more than 6 units can be at the 500 level.
Time Limit
Expected completion time is four years for the Doctor of Philosophy. Maximum completion time is six years.
Supervisory Assignments
A student is assigned an interim supervisor on admission to the program based on the stated research interests of the student, the disciplinary expertise of faculty members and Program capacity. Students will normally have a permanent supervisor by the end of the second term of study (usually April) and must finalize supervisory arrangements no later than twelve months after first registration.
Once the student has finalized the choice of a supervisor, a supervisory committee is struck. It will normally consist of the supervisor and two other faculty members from the program. One of the two members of this committee may be external to the program. See Supervision for more information.
Research Proposal
Students must prepare a thesis proposal as part of candidacy requirements. Details can be found at slllc.ucalgary.ca/graduate/graduate-program-llac.
Required Examinations
Candidacy
Doctoral students are required to pass written and oral field of study examinations and an oral examination on the thesis proposal. Specific details of the examination format and other candidacy requirements can be found at slllc.ucalgary.ca/graduate/graduate-program-llac.
Thesis Examination
In addition to the Faculty of Graduate Studies requirements for Thesis Examinations, the program requires:
Scheduling of the Examination
All members of the Supervisory Committee must have reviewed the student’s research, including a relevant written sample of the materials related to the thesis, before an examination can be scheduled.
Composition of the Committee
The Internal Examiner may be internal to the home program.
Funding is available to qualified thesis-based students in the form of scholarships, awards and/or teaching assistantships. Students applying for departmental funding for the following academic year must submit their applications to the Department by February 1. All students are strongly encouraged to seek external financial assistance throughout their program. For information on other funding opportunities, see the Awards and Financial Assistance section of this Calendar and the Faculty of Graduate Studies website: grad.ucalgary.ca/awards.