Subfields?

[Venetia]

I saw a similar question on the Pol Sci board, and thought I'd ask the English crowd: does anyone know what the most popular/competitive subfields are? I'd hazard a guess, but I really do have no idea!

[luciole]

I've heard Modernism/20th century American. I know I've seen this question come up on other forums, and that seems to be the general consensus. I don't know for sure, though.

[melusine]

can't speak for current students but according to my LOR writers, they recently had a few positions opening in the dept.: one for an 18thc prof, one for medieval and one for 19thc/Modernism. The two first ones got about 40 and 60 applicants. The last got 118.

And we're not the biggest university out there.

[JennyFieldsOriginal]

i've heard 20th century/American as well. victorian is supposed to be hugely competitive also.

consensus seems to be the closer in time you get to the present, the more competitive things become.

but who the heck knows (i'm thinking of getting this tattooed on my face).

least competitive for grad school is supposed to be medieval (though i think this requires a pretty extensive skill set). reniassance and early american are supposed to be less competitive than others. (disclaimer: i'm in colonial and early 19th century american, so this could be a little wishful thinking for me on the part of my LOR writers)

can't recall if i heard this here or from a grad student, but something insane like half the grad school apps are supposed to be for 20th century something or other.

again though, people always say scary things to prospective graduate students to frighten the pants off us during the application process, so i wouldn't bet the farm on interests helping anything.

[Venetia]

Yeah, I'm not deluding myself that being in a certain sub-field will help my chances. I was just curious about what scholarship is the most popular at the moment- personally, I thought Medieval stuff was becoming trendy, but I think that's just me being biased!

[Belltolls]

Every professor I've talked to in my field (Early Modern) let me know that its one of the least popular and that alone helps my chances in so far as there are less applicants in that area. Who knows though. I've applied to programs with strong Early Modernists so I'd assume anyone else interested in that field applied to these schools as well which would make it MORE competitive. Oh, I just drive myself crazy with this stuff!

[Pamphilia]

I have also heard that Modernism and 20th C. American are among the most competitive subfields, for both grad applications and the job market. As JennyFieldsOriginal says, it seems that the closer you get to present day literature, the more competitive the subfields get. While Medieval is seeming pretty cool right now, it requires such a strong background in languages and so forth; there are far fewer applicants who are qualified to study it, so theoretically the competition should be less fierce among those who are qualified. That's my understanding anyway, which might be very wrong!

I'm hoping that my subfield (Early Modern, like Belltolls) will help a little, but (also like Belltolls) I'm guessing that the programs to which I've applied draw a LOT of well-qualified Early Modern applicants, so any advantage is probably moot.

[intextrovert]

I didn't really have a choice except to apply in Modernism - most of my major work has been done in that era - but if I could go back in time to when I was vacillating on thesis topics, I might seriously think about choosing the Romantic one I was considering instead of the 20th century one I did. Not that I didn't love doing my thesis, because I did, but I do think it makes things even more difficult for me now. But I am what I am, and I do care about Modernism, so all I can do is cross my fingers and hope I beat the odds this time around. I'm also hoping my slightly unusual methodological interests - ecocriticism, psychogeography and space - set me apart a bit. That's assuming there are faculty with those interests, but I really tried to do my research and target programs that fit.

On the other hand, I've also heard once or twice that since Modernist courses tend to be the most popular undergrad choices, there might be a few more positions in it. So even if it gets double the apps, perhaps there are a few more slots out there? But to echo JennyFields, what do I know? Probably just wishful thinking.

Edited January 28, 2010 by intextrovert

[willmpioneer]

I don't know if the closer to present day, the more popular rule of thumb completely holds. My impression is that there don't seem to be as many students interested in really contemporary literature (as in the 90s through the 21rst century). It seems that most departments do not put much emphasis on hiring people to teach contemporary American. Not that that helps me much.

I have heard too that medievalist interests are probably to your benefit when applying. The numbers you will be competing with will be much smaller than 19th or 20th century, and departments will be looking to bring in a range of students each year, including the rarer bird of the medievalist.

[Sparky]

I have heard too that medievalist interests are probably to your benefit when applying. The numbers you will be competing with will be much smaller than 19th or 20th century, and departments will be looking to bring in a range of students each year, including the rarer bird of the medievalist.

So I'm fully aware this thread is about <i>popular</i>, not <i>most competitive</i>, subfields, and I'm in history and religion, so my knowledge here is secondhand.

The thing you have to keep in mind about medieval, especially with respect to English lit, is that it's really two subfields--early and late medieval. I say "especially English" because, while Latin is essential for both, early medievalists need Anglo-Saxon (Old English) and late medievalists need Middle English, which are...rather different. There are also differences in general themes and such, of course, but the language issue is the real deal-breaker for most people.

The big problem with medieval, of course, is that of the people who are qualified--meaning they (we) have put in the time and effort to learn Latin and 1+ vernaculars--nearly everyone is really qualified.

But again...secondhand.

[Venetia]

The big problem with medieval, of course, is that of the people who are qualified--meaning they (we) have put in the time and effort to learn Latin and 1+ vernaculars--nearly everyone is really qualified.

I was just thinking something just along these lines. It's like what @Belltolls and @Pamphilia were saying. They note that applying to a department strong in their field means that it could in fact be more competitive, and in the case of the Medievalist the sheer impenetrability of the field can act against you. I don't mean to be biased in favour of my field, but it seems as if there would be fewer applicants who would wake up one morning and say, I think I'll apply to grad school to specialize in the Medieval period. Ergo, lots of keen people apply, all of whom are highly qualified (oh, Latin? yes, I've been studying it for years. Did I mention that I can also recite the whole of Beowulf in the original Old English...). So not particularly helpful. But then again, this is all conjecture. I'm just trying to find ways to distract myself from hitting F5.

(And incidentally, no I cannot recite the whole of Beowulf in the Old English. I was just trying to create an image of an insufferably qualified candidate. And if you can? I hate you a tiny bit inside, but still wish you luck.)

[callmelilyb]

I'm putting a vote out there for modernism and 20th century as the most popular fields.

As far as competitiveness -- I'm not sure one can really say...who knows what kind of applicants each school is looking for in a given application cycle? There are so many variables at play that I think choosing a subfield "wisely" may be kind of a wash. As other have pointed out, while Modernism and 20th Century are the most popular, and hence probably have the most applicants, I'd also proffer that there's also a lot more room for them as well. I too have heard that Medievalists have a *slight leg up as far as number of applicants, but then again, most of the medievalists I know are so die-hard that they tend to be some of the most well-qualified applicants I know too.

My area of interest is one that I've sort of made up by pulling from various subfields....who knows how that will pan out?

[kfed2020]

My area of interest is one that I've sort of made up by pulling from various subfields....who knows how that will pan out?

Can't hurt to have a wider appeal!

I was the same way when I applied last year, and I think it worked to my advantage.

[melusine]

I wish I would've had more of a choice when picking a subfield.. But given that I'm applying to Comp Lit with the 3 languages I have (Eng/Fren/Russian), the timeframe I'll be working is pretty self evident: I mean something like a good third of Russian 19th century lit is actually in French (big giant chunks of War and Peace dialogue come to mind..), so it would've been really weird if I'd picked Medieval, although I do like medieval French lit quite a bit.

Anyways, the programs I've applied to are both the best and the only ones to have a good group of profs/students and a long history of researchers specializing in just that time period/languages. It's probably both a good and a bad thing since everybody with my specific focus is most certainly applying there too and we're not that small a group.

[vertige]

I wish I would've had more of a choice when picking a subfield.. But given that I'm applying to Comp Lit with the 3 languages I have (Eng/Fren/Russian), the timeframe I'll be working is pretty self evident: I mean something like a good third of Russian 19th century lit is actually in French (big giant chunks of War and Peace dialogue come to mind..), so it would've been really weird if I'd picked Medieval, although I do like medieval French lit quite a bit.

Anyways, the programs I've applied to are both the best and the only ones to have a good group of profs/students and a long history of researchers specializing in just that time period/languages. It's probably both a good and a bad thing since everybody with my specific focus is most certainly applying there too and we're not that small a group.

That's an interesting list . . . with Slavics its tough because there are some good programs, but there are not a lot of Slavicists who are *really* willing to do a lot of interdisciplinary stuff (at least as far as I'm aware, after spending a year in Brown's Slavics program and having to quit because of the politics). Be prepared to devote yourself to Jakobsen and Pasternak if you want to do some work in Slavics with your Comp Lit, unless you end up at Harvard . . .which has by far the best and most liberal Slavics department, but has a rather theoretically conservative Comp Lit department. Berkeley would likely be a good fit with all of these interests, and Columbia has a couple of cool Slavicists who will work with you in interdisciplinary stuff, but really, for Avant Garde stuff in Russia, Svetlana Boym at Harvard is as good as it gets

[strokeofmidnight]

This is going to vary by school. A program that's very strong in, say, Medieval Studies might conceivable receive mostly medieval applicants, even if that's not the norm for the rest of the field. In general, I've heard that 20th century/modernism attracts the most applicants, by far. They seems to comprise between 30-70% of the total pool. Of course, the "split" can be really complicated: some schools separate modernism from the rest of the 20th century (pomo, theory, etc). Some generally lump Americanists into their own group, separate from the British 20th/21st century people. Some programs (especially ones where this is a specialty) will separate poetics students (who tend to be in the 20th century) from the rest of the modernist/20th century applicants. If programs group faculty by research interests, there's a good chance that they separate their applicants according.

It's also worth noting...some programs shift out "theory" (poco, pomo, feminism, ethnicity studies, gender studies, etc) as a separate category. Depending on the schools, THIS can be the most competitive field. The "slot system" is also going to vary drastically from program to program. Some programs don't work with slots at all, and simply accept the best (however many) applications regardless of field. Some (many, I suspect) will tweak their slots to balance out numbers from previous cohorts, and/or based on their recent faculty hires.

[lcampb]

I'm just curious because it has not come up in conversation, how popular "Rhetoric and Composition" is as a subfield? I know that at my mid-sized university, my English advisor told me she could only ever remember one person from the school applying to a similar program but I'm not sure if that is because our school isn't particularly geared towards this discipline (I came at it from the Communication department but eventually figured out that I really enjoyed writing studies and wanted to be looking rhetorically at literature, not, say, new media). A lot of the programs I've applied to just give general acceptance rates for the English department, though, so I really have no idea how stiff the competition is within this concentration. I realize this is off the literature beaten track, so I apologize, but I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts!

[callmelilyb]

I wish I would've had more of a choice when picking a subfield.. But given that I'm applying to Comp Lit with the 3 languages I have (Eng/Fren/Russian), the timeframe I'll be working is pretty self evident: I mean something like a good third of Russian 19th century lit is actually in French (big giant chunks of War and Peace dialogue come to mind..), so it would've been really weird if I'd picked Medieval, although I do like medieval French lit quite a bit.

Anyways, the programs I've applied to are both the best and the only ones to have a good group of profs/students and a long history of researchers specializing in just that time period/languages. It's probably both a good and a bad thing since everybody with my specific focus is most certainly applying there too and we're not that small a group.

Um, can I just say that if I could start my undergraduate career all over again today -- I'd do Comp Lit, Russian, French. Totally hate you at the moment. :]

[callmelilyb]

I'm just curious because it has not come up in conversation, how popular "Rhetoric and Composition" is as a subfield? I know that at my mid-sized university, my English advisor told me she could only ever remember one person from the school applying to a similar program but I'm not sure if that is because our school isn't particularly geared towards this discipline (I came at it from the Communication department but eventually figured out that I really enjoyed writing studies and wanted to be looking rhetorically at literature, not, say, new media). A lot of the programs I've applied to just give general acceptance rates for the English department, though, so I really have no idea how stiff the competition is within this concentration. I realize this is off the literature beaten track, so I apologize, but I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts!

I might be totally wrong here, but it's my understanding that RhetComp is usually it's own PhD program/department, rather than a subfield of English Lit PhD programs...I think this is different when you're talking undergraduate but once you get to the PhD level they are basically separate fields. Could be wrong here though...did the programs you applied to house it as a subfield under their English PhD program?

As far as competitiveness or number of applicants, I think it is generally less "popular" than the traditional English Lit route but I don't know that that makes it less competitive. I HAVE heard that it gives you a serious advantage once you hit the job market though, so if can like it, lucky you!

Edited February 1, 2010 by tlsaborido

[lcampb]

...did the programs you applied to house it as a subfield under their English PhD program?

Yup, all of the programs I applied to include Rhet/Comp in their English department... Some of them call it slightly different things (Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Language, etc.) but the programs all include core coursework in different literary periods as well. Thanks for your thoughts!

[callmelilyb]

Yup, all of the programs I applied to include Rhet/Comp in their English department... Some of them call it slightly different things (Writing Studies, Rhetoric and Language, etc.) but the programs all include core coursework in different literary periods as well. Thanks for your thoughts!

Yeah, actually I think that is more common. I was thinking Berkeley....but that's what I get for thinking that my little corner of experience represents the rest of the world!

[Branwen daughter of Llyr]

Hmm, this is actually encouraging.

I'm into Late Medieval, Renaissance, and Early Modern, and am a complete anglophile. American lit just never did it for me (although one of my honors seminars was Women's Life Writing, and was all American, pretty much). My only interest in modern lit and 20th century stuff is children's books (usually trying to incorporate older themes and re-writes of Medieval legends).

Although I don't have Latin yet, I can read in Middle English, and I even remember it pretty well, despite the 8.5 years since graduation.

Oh my. I may be esoteric and weird enough to get in

[augustquail]

wow...if you guys are correct, and the general consensus is that 20th/early modern subfield is the most competitive, then you have made my day!

I'm not sure why I thought this, but I was deeply afraid that my (kind of inchoate, at this point) subfield had become outrageously popular. I think this fear emerged from the fact that my favorite professors/the young and cool professors mostly work in this area (which is 18th/19th century transatlantic/american)

[callmelilyb]

I'm just curious.....what do you guys think about the popularity of poetry/poetics? It seems to be one of the subfields that I hear about less frequently. But I'm wondering if it's a common secondary field for many folks or something?

[PaperChaser]

I'm just curious because it has not come up in conversation, how popular "Rhetoric and Composition" is as a subfield? I know that at my mid-sized university, my English advisor told me she could only ever remember one person from the school applying to a similar program but I'm not sure if that is because our school isn't particularly geared towards this discipline (I came at it from the Communication department but eventually figured out that I really enjoyed writing studies and wanted to be looking rhetorically at literature, not, say, new media). A lot of the programs I've applied to just give general acceptance rates for the English department, though, so I really have no idea how stiff the competition is within this concentration. I realize this is off the literature beaten track, so I apologize, but I'd appreciate anyone's thoughts!

Some schools have separate PhD programs - English Lit and English Rhet/Comp. My BA and MA were in Lit, but given the tight job market, I applied only to Rhet/Comp this time around. I also went to law school, though, so I'm pretty out of touch with what's really current in academia! I do know that Rhet/Comp programs tend to have higher placement rates generally.