Comp Lit Applications and Foreign Language Proficiency

[rachkolnikov]

I have an MA in English Literature and will be applying to Comp Lit programs this fall; however, I feel my knowledge, or lack thereof, of the languages I want to work with (Russian and French) will ultimately result in rejection. I am currently in my second year of studying both French and Russian and would say I am not quite at the intermediate level in either but plan to continue coursework and independent study in both through the application season. Essentially my question is this: what level of proficiency is needed to be accepted into a Comp Lit program? I have seen a few people in other forums say they are fluent in at least two languages, usually native speakers, and am wondering if fluency in two languages before acceptance is essential or if time is provided to develop fluency in a program?

 

I completed my MA in 2012 and satisfied the foreign language requirement at my institution in Italian through upper-division coursework. I officially have a reading knowledge of Italian, but at this point I would say my Russian and French are significantly better.

 

Is it even worth applying with my insufficient language knowledge?

 

Thanks,

 

-R

[Sihan]

Are you going to do comparative studies between Russian and French literature, or between English literature and one of them? If the latter, then it seems your 2-year study of Russian and French is not a big problem. Actually a lot of programs only expect fluency of one language and 'knowledge' of another. If you are not sure, maybe you should just send an email to the department and ask.

Edited July 28, 2014 by Sihan

[rachkolnikov]

I appreciate your reply! And I plan to do work in English and Russian, but I know French will be helpful for 19th Century Russian texts/culture.

 

Thanks,

 

-R