The objectives of the Doctoral (PhD) in French Studies are twofold. First, this program aims to prepare students for post-secondary teaching and research in an academic environment. A second objective is to provide students with professional training in research methods and new technologies that are now increasingly required in order to be competitive in pursuit of non-academic careers in publishing, writing, editing, electronic archiving, as well as administrative positions in both the civil service and international non-governmental organizations. This degree is an asset in areas in which a very high level of eduction and training in French language and culture is required. Through seminars, experiential learning components, written and oral examinations, and the preparation of the dissertation, PhD candidates will acquire the academic and professional training necessary to conduct independent research, produce scholarly publications, and teach French Studies at the post-secondary level.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Ph.D. program is granted after a recommendation from
French Studies, approval from the Faculty of Arts and a complete
application review by the Graduate Studies Office. To be admitted to
the program, students must have an M.A. in French Studies (or in a
closely allied field). Candidates must have achieved an overall average
of at least 80% in their M.A. program. Applicants are required to
submit a plan of study, and a writing sample in French. Applicants
must also forward three letters of reference, at least two of which
must be from academic sources.The Three Fields
There are three fields in the Ph.D program. Students can be admitted into one or two of the three fields.
1. Electronic archiving, editing, and publishing in a Francophone context
This
unique field includes the study of manuscript retrieval and editing,
hypertext studies, the study of the impact of electronic media on
French and Francophone literatures and cultures, questions on the
history of the book and the e-book, electronic and multimedia teaching
of French and Francophone literatures and cultures, and also the
archiving of book illustrations and other cultural material such as
letters, personal archives, and private texts.
2. Early modern French literary studies and theory
Early
modern French literary studies and theory have long been a traditional
strength of the Department of French Studies at the University of
Waterloo. A cluster of internationally known scholars work in
innovative areas in the period ranging from the early Middle Ages to
the end of the eighteenth century. These areas include the study and
publishing of texts produced by women, research and archiving of travel
literature and epistolary documents, the study of early image
projections in revolutionary France, and the examination of the
importance of print culture in the creation a national literary
institution in France.
3. Cultural Studies in a Francophone context
This
field focusses on contemporary Francophone contexts from the nineteenth
century to the present; areas of study might include such topics as
contemporary North African literature, recent Franco-Ontarian
literature, or women’s writing in contemporary France.In addition to
considering literature as the product of conditions in a particular
place and time, the cultural studies field encourages
interdisciplinarity through the critical study of cultural artefacts
produced in a variety of media: literary texts, para-literatures,
theatre, film, music, painting, etc. This field draws upon diverse
methodologies (semiotics, feminist and queer theory, poststructuralist
theory, post-colonial theory, neomarxist and historical approaches,
minority studies, genre and media studies, etc.) to study a variety of
cultural products.
Program regulations
The program requirements for the Ph.D. program are as follows:
Residence
The Ph.D. is designed to take four years for completion. Students must
be on campus for at least two years, and enrol in the program fulltime.
Language Requirement
Students must demonstrate reading competence in one language other than French or English.
Course Work
During
their first year of study, Ph.D. students are required to complete six
half-term courses, one of which shall be the compulsory Research
Methods in French Studies course (FR600) if it was not taken during
previous M.A. studies. Students may substitute for the equivalent of
one half-term course an experiential learning component, such as an
editing or archiving project (within the framework of the Departement
of French Studies research projects), completed under the supervision
of a faculty member.
Comprehensive Examinations
During
their second year of study, Ph.D. students are required to complete two
comprehensive examinations: the Secondary Field Exam and the Primary
Field Exam.
a) The Secondary Field Exam
Students
prepare, under the supervision of a faculty member, a reading list of
primary texts and a critical bibliography in a selected secondary field
of specialization, not directly related to the Ph.D. thesis. At the end
of the first term of Year II, students take a written examination in
this secondary field.
b) The Primary Field Exam
Prepared
under the direction of the thesis supervisor, the Primary Field Exam
entails both a written and an oral component and is intended to prepare
students for the writing of the Ph.D. thesis. Students prepare, under
the supervision of their thesis advisor, a reading list of primary
texts and a critical bibliography on the thesis topic. Students then
write a 20-30 page thesis prospectus that is submitted to the thesis
committee for approval. The prospectus, the reading list and the
critical bibliography are defended orally before the committee.
Students must successfully complete both components of the Primary
Field Exam in order to proceed to the writing of the thesis.
The Ph.D. Thesis
During
their third and fourth years of study, students conduct research and
write the Ph.D. thesis. The thesis is evaluated by a committee
comprising the thesis supervisor, two additional members of the
Department of French Studies, and one external reader. The student
must also successfully defend the thesis at an oral examination open to
the public.The Associate Chair, Graduate Studies, is responsible for
the selection of the readers, in consultation with the student and the
supervisor.
Summary of the Ph.D. Programme of Study
Year I: Course work
Year II, term 1: Secondary Field Exam
term 2: Primary Field Exam
Years III and IV: Thesis