Format and Timing of the Colloquium

Students should schedule the colloquium before the end of their eighth semester of graduate study. The colloquium, the capstone experience in the minor field or in the Concentration in Comparative Literature and Society, consists of a discussion of the student's portfolio. Three faculty members take part in the discussion with the student. For candidates pursuing a minor, the committee consists of an adviser with expertise in the minor field and two members of the Slavic Department selected by the student in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies and the student's mentor. For students completing the Concentration in Comparative Literature and Society, the committee should include at least one member of the Slavic Department and at least one comparativist approved by the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society. The student should prepare the portfolio in close consultation with advisers and committee members, and should submit a final copy to all the colloquium participants well in advance of the colloquium. The colloquium begins with a brief (10 minutes) presentation by the student of his or her work in the minor field, and then proceeds to a general discussion lasting an hour.

Contents of the Minor Portfolio

The portfolio for the colloquium for a minor should consist of the following elements:

• a cover letter from the student explaining how the courses taken for the minor form an intellectually coherent whole, and outlining his or her expertise in the minor field.
• copies of the syllabi for the courses taken in the minor field;
• copies of any term papers or other substantial pieces of work (such as exams) produced in the minor courses;
• copies of any additional work undertaken in the minor field (conference papers, articles, etc.);
• a bibliography of all the primary and secondary materials read in or for the minor courses.

Contents of the Portfolio for the Concentration in Comparative Literature and Society

The portfolio for the colloquium for the Concentration in Comparative Literature and Society should consist of the following elements:

• a cover letter from the student explaining his or her fields of study, outlining expertise in these fields, and discussing his or her comparative approach to them;
• copies of the syllabi for the courses taken for the concentration in Comparative Literature;
• copies of any term papers or other substantial pieces of work (such as exams) produced in these courses;
• copies of any additional work of a comparative nature or in the minor fields (conference papers, articles, etc.)
• a bibliography of all primary and secondary materials read in or for the courses taken for the concentration.