Philosophy -> Literature

[MickeyJr]

Hi,

I wonder if anyone here has switched from another discipline to lit. I've completed an MA in philosophy and another in theology. Now I am finding myself drawn to the notion of a literature PhD. 

What's the experience like to switch disciplines? 

What are the benefits/drawbacks to such a move?

Am I nuts? 

[mandelbulb]

i didn't personally make this move, but i have a friend who did an MA in philosophy and then did an MA in english. their experience was that they were particularly strong in regards to theory and critical thinking, but that applying theory to text was difficult because they hadn't had much practice. that said, they were pretty brilliant. benefits/drawbacks are -- i'm imagining -- about the same as a philosophy PhD. a big commitment paired with less-than-stellar job prospects in academia afterwards.

i think the real question is why do you feel drawn to a literature PhD after your time getting an MA in philosophy and theology?

Edited March 11, 2019 by mandelbulb

[silenus_thescribe]

I went to a SLAC and got two BAs, one in English, the other in philosophy. 

I debated the merits of getting PhDs in either subject, and ultimately chose English because (a) it was my first disciplinary love, (b) the job market for philosophy is substantially worse -- yes, that is possible, and (c) I knew that whatever my research was, it would ultimately involve English and philosophy. By and large, the English programs I got into (and the one I'm currently at) not only make it easy but actively encourage that kind of interdisciplinary work, whereas it's harder to do so in philosophy departments, particularly if they're analytic as most American unis are. 

In short: you aren't nuts. But you'll need a clear rationale as to why you feel your philosophy education equips you for an English PhD, especially if you want to continue your MA work into a lit dissertation. My committee is letting me write a somewhat heterodox diss that involves a lot of philosophy, but in my prospectus I made the links to literary scholarship clear, as I did in my writing sample. 

[victoriansimpkins]

I had a friend in my MA who did that, though he made the switch at the MA level. He ultimately took a job editing after our MA, but used his philosophy and religion degree in his scholarly work and his creative thesis (a graphic novel he wrote and drew)