English vs. Literature

[topfverecords]

Hi everyone,

 

I am in the midst of putting together my PhD applications for Fall 2015, and have faced a few programs where I am not totally sure what to apply to, and nowhere is this divide more confounding than Duke.  Their English PhD description seems to suit me, but the professors I am interested in (specifically N. Katherine Hayles, Frederic Jameson, and Mark BN Hansen) are listed as profs in the Literature PhD program (only Hayles is listed in both).  Anyone have a sense of the programs, or recommendations for how to choose?

 

(a little more about me and what Im looking for)

I am a fairly recent convert to English scholarship, having studied theatre in undergrad and acting/teaching for most of my professional life. I just finished an MA at DePaul in Chicago, where my focus was Contemporary Lit. and Digital Humanities.  My thesis was on David Mitchell and social networks, with a dash of appropriation and posthumanism thrown in.  

 

thanks!

 

 

[mikers86]

This is a question that comes up fairly frequently, mainly because department websites don't clearly state the difference. From my own experience, the majority of English PhD students organize fields around period/nation (Transatlantic 18C, for instance) whereas Lit tends to be more theoretically organized. It's not a hard and fast rule. You can take courses in Lit if you're in English and vice versa. One difference in terms of applying is the Lit program uses interviews, Skype initially (I think) and then a campus visit to determine who will receive an acceptance offer. English doesn't. I'd send off emails to both DGS' if you're unsure of which program would better suit you.

 

We're both wonderful departments, but I admit deciding which is the right "fit" is tricky.

[mikers86]

And as the English Admissions FAQ site mentions, "though each program allows you to take courses in the other and to appoint faculty from either program to your committee, if you find that a majority of the faculty with whom you are interested in working are based in Literature, it would make sense to apply to that program."

 

Best of luck in figuring out your decision!

[hypervodka]

Just generally, if you're planning on focusing on the digital humanities, posthumanism, 21st century culture, and networks, my gut would be to apply to Literature programs. But there's some overlap, so it should really depend on who you want to work with at the school. It sounds to me like Literature is your best choice.

Edited October 28, 2014 by hypervodka

[Scottstein]

I have the exact same problem.I want to work with Katherine Hayles(I mean if I get in) but one reason I am applying to English is because I don't have foreign languages as a strong point.Rudimentary French, thats all

[hypervodka]

I have the exact same problem.I want to work with Katherine Hayles(I mean if I get in) but one reason I am applying to English is because I don't have foreign languages as a strong point.Rudimentary French, thats all

 

That's a larger problem depending on what you're actually interested in studying. Understanding French, Old English, Italian, or German is far more important if you're studying medieval English literature than if you're studying American literatures of the 21st century. Knowing Greek and Latin is more important when studying T. S. Eliot than when studying Paul Laurence Dunbar.

[__________________________]

This is a question that comes up fairly frequently, mainly because department websites don't clearly state the difference. From my own experience, the majority of English PhD students organize fields around period/nation (Transatlantic 18C, for instance) whereas Lit tends to be more theoretically organized. It's not a hard and fast rule. You can take courses in Lit if you're in English and vice versa. One difference in terms of applying is the Lit program uses interviews, Skype initially (I think) and then a campus visit to determine who will receive an acceptance offer. English doesn't. I'd send off emails to both DGS' if you're unsure of which program would better suit you.

 

We're both wonderful departments, but I admit deciding which is the right "fit" is tricky.

 

I'm having some similar trouble with this "fit" issue as well...particularly at Duke.  I do a lot  of theory-intensive and transhistorical work (structuralism/post-structuralism, 20th century avant-gardes), as well as working in a couple languages, which at first made me figure Literature would work better... but I'm also interested in medieval studies and if I went to Duke would most definitely apply to be part of the Center for Medieval and Renaissance studies.  As far as I'm aware, none of the Literature faculty are medievalists.  Definitely going to email the DGSs, but maybe someone here would have an inclination?  I'm leaning toward English right now since I work with English lit quite a bit, but still a little bit unsure...

Edited November 5, 2014 by mollifiedmolloy