Purdue - Lit Studies or Theory & Culture?

[Imogene]

I did a quick search to see if this discussion had played out here before, but couldn't really find anything.

Does anyone have any insights into the distinction between these focus areas/programs within Purdue's PhD programs?

I'm pretty sure I know which area, on paper, I want to concentrate in, but I'm curious about what this means from faculty, experience, and admissions contexts.

I have to identify a concentration in my application, so I wanted to see if anyone had any wisdom to share.

[themomo]

They're basically different programs of study. Check out the grad student manual on the department website and take a gander at the forms for planning your course load. Don't know what the breakdown will be this year, but admissions-wise it'll just determine which batch of folks you'll be up against in the consideration process, probably. TCS gets a couple (or has before) and literary studies gets a couple, too. My ethos: 5th year literary studies Ph.D. candidate at ol' P.U.

[Imogene]

They're basically different programs of study. Check out the grad student manual on the department website and take a gander at the forms for planning your course load. Don't know what the breakdown will be this year, but admissions-wise it'll just determine which batch of folks you'll be up against in the consideration process, probably. TCS gets a couple (or has before) and literary studies gets a couple, too. My ethos: 5th year literary studies Ph.D. candidate at ol' P.U.

Thanks for the help, themomo! This is what I had guessed, generally, and good to know there's no surprises. It sounds like they're pretty equal/balanced in terms of resources and opportunities.

Congrats on your 5th year.

[delimitude]

Whatever you do, DO NOT apply to the Philosophy and Literature interdisciplinary program. Trust me.

[DontHate]

Interdisciplinary PhDs are supposed to be hard to get a job with

[Two Espressos]

Whatever you do, DO NOT apply to the Philosophy and Literature interdisciplinary program. Trust me.

Could you elaborate? I'm not applying to Purdue's Philosophy and Literature program, but my interests fall between both of those fields, so I considered the program at one point. I remember reading on the P&L webpage that the degree takes more time than a regular doctorate in the humanities, and considering a humanities doctorate can take up to a decade, that was a major turn-off for me.

[NowMoreSerious]

Interdisciplinary PhDs are supposed to be hard to get a job with

I'm applying to one and that's what everybody tells me. I heard the trick is to make sure your dissertation brands you into one of the main disciplines.

In other words make yourself legible to literature, history, or philosophy departments, for example. This kind of takes away the point of doing an interdisciplinary doctorate in the first place, but oh well.

[delimitude]

Could you elaborate? I'm not applying to Purdue's Philosophy and Literature program, but my interests fall between both of those fields, so I considered the program at one point. I remember reading on the P&L webpage that the degree takes more time than a regular doctorate in the humanities, and considering a humanities doctorate can take up to a decade, that was a major turn-off for me.

The program is basically bankrupt. Initially, the program was the interdisciplinary brain-child of two departments working together (English and Philosophy). As time has progressed, however, both the English department and the Philosophy department (rather analytic in nature) have become rather insular, taking care of their own (in fairness, due to larger financial constraints imposed by the university at large). Most funding for students in Philosophy and Literature comes from sources outside the department/program (teaching, say, a Comm. section, as they always need warm bodies, or working in an administrative branch of the university). These forms of funding are year-to-year, on an as-need basis, and not necessarily renewable.