Courses
Besides the two courses, either seminars or tutorials, that must be taken in the third year of study, much of the student’s time (especially in the second term) will be occupied with preparation for the qualifying exam, which takes place in the sixth term.
Language Requirements
Students specializing in pre-modern Japanese literature must pass a reading test in literary Chinese. The exam must be completed prior to registration for the fourth year of study, so arrangements for taking the exam should be made before the end of the spring term of the third year.
The Qualifying Exam and Admission to Candidacy
A qualifying oral examination demonstrating both the breadth and specialization of the student’s knowledge in three fields, will take place by the end of the sixth term. The three fields should include different periods of literature (traditional or modern), and may also focus on a second East Asian literature, on a genre (poetry, drama, narrative fiction), or on a field that supports the student’s developing specialization (theory and criticism, film, art history, history, etc.). At least two of the fields should be from the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures. For example, a student in Chinese literature could choose to have the fields in traditional Chinese poetry, modern Chinese fiction, and film. In preparing for the oral examination, students are required to compile reading lists in the three fields, in consultation with the advisers in those fields. The lists must be approved and signed by the student’s examiners and the Director of Graduate Studies before the oral examination can be scheduled. The examination lasts two hours with about thirty minutes devoted to each field. For additional detailed information see The Qualifying Examination for the Ph.D. Degree.
Dissertation Prospectus
After having successfully passed the qualifying oral examination, students are required to submit a dissertation prospectus to the department for approval. In order to be admitted to candidacy for Ph.D., students must complete all pre-dissertation requirements, including the prospectus. Students must be admitted to Ph.D. candidacy by the end of the seventh term.
The M.Phil. Degree
For this degree, completion of fourteen courses, the language requirements, the qualifying exam and dissertation prospectus are necessary. Most students petition for this degree en route to the Ph.D., upon completion of the requirements.
Teaching
As stated in each student’s letter of admission, the Graduate School considers teaching to be an important part of every student’s program at Yale. In most cases, teaching in the EALL doctoral program will consist of four terms of teaching in years three and four. There are usually opportunities for eligible students to teach in Chinese or Japanese language courses or in literature in translation courses, with most students teaching two terms of each. Additional teaching opportunities can be pursued if the student opts to take advantage of the sixth year of support as offered in their Yale University Fellowship. The department aims to provide all students with ample and appropriate opportunities to teach in both language and literature courses. Although the GSAS requires that students serve four terms as TFs or PTAIs, specific teaching assignments are made at the departmental level by the DGS in active consultation with students and their advisers.
For most content courses and many language courses, the standard assignment is a Teaching Fellowship (TF) of up to 10 or 20 hours per week. Students teaching in the language programs will also have the opportunity to serve as a Part-time Acting Instructors (PTAI) with primary responsibility for a language section under the supervision of a full-time language lector. Students who teach as PTAIs normally do so in the spring term after gaining experience as language TFs in the fall. Students interested in serving as PTAIs should reach out to the DGS and the respective language coordinator well in advance of the term in question. Students coming to Yale with language teaching experience can petition to serve as PTAIs without first serving as TFs.
Note that for most students pursuing an academic career, language-teaching experience is a vital part of their teaching portfolio. Students who forgo language teaching in their third and fourth years should not expect to be able to add language teaching to their portfolios when on the job market in their final year.
Teaching opportunities may also be available in other departments and programs. Each student should refer to the statement in his or her admissions letter regarding the Graduate School’s expectations about teaching and the relationship of such appointments to the student’s on-going fellowship support. Also consult the section on “Supplementation of Yale Fellowships” in Programs and Policies.
Summer Funding
The Graduate School provides doctoral students with five summers of support. Grants from other sources such as the Council on East Asian Studies are available.