Comp Lit or Traditional English PhD

[theinforat]

Hello, everyone!

I suppose you might consider this a new thread by an indecisive, overly paranoid, undergrad senior, but here it goes: the quest for the "perfect" PhD program.

As I said, I'm a senior in my undergrad coursework for English Lit at a small Christian university in the Southern US. I'll graduate with a double major in Religious Studies and English and a minor in Spanish. I currently have a 4.0 GPA. 

On to my interests (I suppose this is where I become a mixed bag of indecision). Perhaps its because of my proximity, but I absolutely adore 20th century Southern Lit despite not being a cult worshipper of Faulkner. However, I also love British Romanticism - specifically Coleridge. Of course, as given by my other major, Religion is another area of interest. Finally, I am taken with theory, particularly the application of continental philosophy and psychoanalysis. That said, I owe more of my theoretical knowledge to personal study beyond a basic course - that is, my university is very traditional in its approach to traditional English lit.

Perhaps it is a bit too soon to be incredibly concerned, but December deadlines don't seem that far away to me. I've begun looking around, and the University of MS, UNC-Chapel Hill, Vanderbilt, UVA, and LSU (maybe University of Alabama) all seem to fit the bill of Southern Lit, adding Emory and Duke and some others for the theory side, UPenn and Columbia for British Lit, and there is Baylor with its interdisciplinary Literature and Religion Certificate program. I've also toyed with the idea of an MA in Comp Lit or Theory and then going on the PhD, but I've had several folks advise against that. 

So, I guess to my questions, 1) Does it make more sense to look at grad schools with 20th century American Literature programs and use that as a gateway for Southern lit. 2) Do I look at more "well-rounded" universities and attempt to encompass my Southern Lit and Romanticism interests? or 3) Do I look at Comp Lit programs with less emphasis on a specific tradition of English lit? Or perhaps you all read this and think I should go back to the drawing board since this all seems wild and varied, even to me.

I haven't the slightest clue of how to effectively narrow down this list by schools, interest, or any other metric, really. Any advice you have there would also be greatly appreciated. I look forward to your feedback, and I appreciate your time!

 

Thank you so much!

[Glasperlenspieler]

I'm not sure a comparative literature departments would make a lot of sense for you interests. Traditionally minded comp lit departments are going to expect that your research spans across linguistic boundaries, whereas your interests appear to by exclusively anglophone. Likewise, to be admitted to strong comparative literature departments, you will probably need to demonstrate fluency in at least one language other than English and at least a basic reading knowledge (to be expanded in the program) of one or (more likely) two more. There are some programs, of course, that are less rooted in (traditional) comparative literature and are instead more oriented toward theory, continental philosophy, and interdisciplinary approaches (Duke Literature or Stanford MTL come to mind). It's possible that the latter sort of program might be a good fit for you. However, I don't think one necessarily has to attend that sort of interdisciplinary program to pursue interests like yours. There are plenty of English departments that are theory-oriented and allow for wide-ranging interests. You'll just need to do your research to figure out which ones those are, and which ones have people working on Romanticism and Southern Lit.

[nichts]

I second @Glasperlenspieler's advice, and recommend you reflect more on your interests before narrowing down schools. What do you like about these times, places, and ideas, and how can you bring them into conversation with one another? Try reading through the essays you wrote for literature courses, and looking into the GRE subject test if you plan on taking it. Of course the best way to make sense of your interests would be to seek advice from professors you trust, and preferably more than one. They can also help you decide between English and comparative literature and whether you should apply for an MA or PhD. Finally, my mentor told me to to think more broadly about potential advisors, to focus less on what they study and more on how they study it, so you may want to keep that in mind as well. For example, I identified one advisor for the exceptional work she does in literary history and by looking through her previous students' dissertations. She specializes in South African literature, which I know almost nothing about, but her research background could be applied to my area of study.

[hotpotato]

2 hours ago, theinforat said:

1) Does it make more sense to look at grad schools with 20th century American Literature programs and use that as a gateway for Southern lit. 2) Do I look at more "well-rounded" universities and attempt to encompass my Southern Lit and Romanticism interests?

Yep!

2 hours ago, theinforat said:

3) Do I look at Comp Lit programs

I don't think so. I'll echo what was said earlier--it doesn't sound like you fall under comp lit, although if you were a Spanish minor you'd have part of the language requirement down.

Past that though, I think finding the right program involves reading a lot of professors' pages to find faculty whose subjects or methods you're interested in. If the program has a good reputation for Southern lit, it could still be a poor fit if there's really nobody you could see yourself working with/whose approaches resonate with you.

Even though it's early, I think starting to look at faculty in strong 20th century Am lit programs (or Southern lit, or any area, just pick one) would be a good thing to do when you have a bit of spare time. It'll help you narrow down your interests and find new areas or views you identify with. A week of seriously sitting down and reading faculty CVs and skimming articles took me from "I guess I want to study comp? and teach?" to a way more focused, legitimate, two-sentence summary of my research interests, which in turn helped me pick schools that seemed like a good fit, not just schools with a good program in my field.

Sadly, it took me a while to figure this out, but there is such a marked difference between the schools I applied to and the statements of purpose I submitted at first and the schools and statements after I got my shit together.

Edited April 8, 2018 by hotpotato

[heysickah]

I agree with what others have said. Comparative Literature generally emphasizes foreign language, so I would only recommend going that direction if that is genuinely something you want to focus on.

You don't sound as varied as I think you feel. You can specialize and focus in one particular area (e.g. 20th century American) and still read, enjoy, and even take courses in other areas. It's also expected that you will apply your interests in thematic areas, such as religion, to that general time period of specialization. For instance, the UNC-Chapel Hill program has you create two reading lists and two qualifying exams. One is on your basic geographical/temporal speciality to prove that you are competent and hire-able in one of the traditional slots and the other is more of your wacky interests, whatever those may be. I can only speak to this program, since it's the one I'm familiar with, but I would imagine many programs have something similar. Also, I don't think you'll be able to avoid at least some theory, even if you tried. 

I would consider work you've done previously--in which undergraduate courses do you think you did the best work (i.e. wrote the strongest papers and had the most original ideas). You are still allowed to love things outside of your area. For instance, I focus on Russian and Slavic literature, but my favorite writers recently are David Foster Wallace, Twain, and Hemingway. You can still read and love Coleridge even if you specialize in American literature.

A good number of us applying to and entering PhD programs already have MAs. Honestly, I did not have as well-defined an idea of my research interests at the end of undergrad as I do now, having done an MA and taken a few years off. Obviously, MAs have their financial drawbacks, but if you feel totally lost or even unsure that a PhD is something you 100% want to do, an MA is useful for that.

 

[theinforat]

Thanks for all your comments so far!

I spoke with my advisor today, and he gave me some good things to ponder going forward. When I addressed my sort of dual pronged interests in literature but also my love for theory, he advised that I might look at programs like UNC-Chapel Hill or Duke which have strong faculties in both areas but maintain a sort of "cross-over" nature between the two departments. He threw LSU in as a good fit for both Southern Lit and theory as well.  He also urged me to look at faculty, not necessarily just for names, but for work that they have done that might align with my interests. He noted my work with Southern authors, such as my current research on Flannery O'Connor, but also pointed out my strengths in Contemporary Lit and Culture with my past research on Margaret Atwood and feminism. As ignorant as it seems, I had been under the impression that my work in the past wasn't so important when considering this part, but he has shown me otherwise. 

He seemed to believe that I shouldn't spend time on an MA, but to continue on, though that seemed to be largely from a financial perspective as @heysickah pointed out.  

So, the process continues... Thank you all, again!

[Melvillage_Idiot]

Your advisor's given you some solid advice, and some great program recommendations, so hey, you have that much in your corner!

I mostly want to echo some of what @heysickah said with regard to interests and the value of an MA. Coming into my own MA, I had an idea for research that ended up being completely different from what I chose to do, and I am far from the only person on this forum (or in academia at large) with a similar story. We're into pretty similar things scholastically, so I totally dig what you've mentioned as previous research subjects, but they don't necessarily have to define you. That said, you've made your background sound pretty strong, so if the passion's there, totally lean into it more and build from it. Even if you do switch gears, you are in no way expected to swear off Southern lit; even if you double down, there's no reason you can't spend time with completely different subjects. "Specialization" isn't as constricting as it sometimes sounds.

Also, with regard to whether to take an MA beforehand, I would encourage you to consider that option. Yes, the financial situation does make it a bit of a hard sell, but pursuing an MA is a great chance to grow and develop as a researcher and scholar - not as high stakes and career-defining as a PhD, but also more rigorous and focused than a BA. I know when I finished my Bachelor's, I was nowhere near ready to handle a PhD program; having gone through an MA, I was able to go into the PhD search as a much stronger candidate, which has paid off. It's different for everyone -- you may well be perfectly ready to tackle the doctorate -- but I wouldn't discount the option.

[Warelin]

I'd like to add a note here that there might be some programs that offer joint degrees. Washington University in St. Louis (WUSTL) for example allows you to pursue a joint degree in Comparative Literature and English or Comp Lit with Chinese, French, German, Japanese or Spanish, as well as a certificate in Translation Studies or an emphasis in Drama. They also have a track in Comp Lit for International Writers. I'm not as familiar with Comp Lit, but the English side of things at WUSTL is very interdisciplinary.