Brander
Matthews |
Degree Programs:Full-Time: M.A., M.Phil., Ph.DCo-Chairs: Arnold AronsonProgram Coordinators: Joy Hayton
Department of English and Comparative Literature 602 Philosophy Hall (212) 854 3215 jh20@columbia.edu Ria Cooper Department of Theatre 601 Dodge Hall (212) 854-3408 rc2174@columbia.edu |
Admission Requirements
The program leading to the Ph.D. degree is designed to encourage students continually to examine the reciprocal relationships between scholarship and performance, criticism and creativity, theory and practice. Theatre and performance are considered in relation to broader cultural and historical questions.Students entering the program have strong backgrounds in both the academic study of performance and performance practice, and the program is designed to enable the further exploration of the relationship between the study and the practice of performance. The program, strongly interdisciplinary in nature, is run by an interdepartmental committee and partakes of the resources of the Department of English and Comparative Literature, the School of the Arts, the Center for Comparative Literature and Society, and such departments as Germanic Languages, Anthropology, and Classics. Because of its New York location, the program is attuned to emerging events in contemporary theatre and society.
Application deadline: December 15
Degree Requirements
The requirements listed below are special to this Ph.D. program and must be read in conjunction with the general requirements of the Graduate School. Interested students should also refer to the bulletin of the School of the Arts.The requirements for students in the Doctoral Subcommittee on Theatre are the same as those for graduate students in the English Department, except as noted below. Any divergences from these requirements must be approved by one of the Doctoral Subcommittee Co-Chairs. For further information and a detailed explanation of requirements, see the English Department Graduate website:
http://www.columbia.edu/cu/english/grad_index.htm (“Degree Programs”).
For the M.A. Degree
To earn the MA degree, students must take eight (8) courses made up of the following (3 points each unless otherwise indicated):
M.A. Seminar (G5001x) or designated equivalent, fall term; taken in conjunction with the non-credit M.A. Colloquium on Theory and Method (G5005x lecture), fall term (students must sign up for both).
M.A. Thesis Tutorial (G5005y), spring term (independent study, leading to M.A. thesis)
Two (2) workshop courses (generally offered in the School of the Arts)
Four (4) courses in dramatic literature, or the history and theory of theatre and/or performance. At least two of these must be 6000-level seminars or the equivalent. (With the instructor’s permission, some 4000-level courses may be taken for 6000-level seminar credit).
For the M.Phil. Degree
To earn the M.Phil degree, students must take eight (8) courses made up of the following (3 points each unless otherwise indicated):
Teaching Tutorial (G6910, fall or spring term (R credit) (accompanies service as section leader in an undergraduate lecture)
Teaching Writing (G6913y), Spring Term (P/F)
Two (2) workshop courses (generally offered in the School of the Arts)
Four (4) courses in dramatic literature, or the history and theory of theatre and/or performance. At least three of these must be 6000-level seminars or the equivalent. (With the instructor’s permission, some 4000-level courses may be taken for 6000-level seminar credit). No more than three courses per year should be taken through the Inter-University Doctoral Consortium (IUDC) (courses taken through the Consortium must be approved by one of the Co-Chairs).
Students must also pass an oral examination.
Oral Examination: In the oral examination, students must show knowledge of a substantial body of dramatic literature, as well as substantial knowledge of several fields in the history and theory of theatre and/or performance. Students are examined in one major field (two examiners, one hour) and two minor fields (one examiner each, one half hour each). Fields should be modeled on courses or traditional areas of specialization (though one of the minor fields may provide a first chance to delve into the subject and principal texts of the dissertation topic, if known). Unlike in the English Department, students are not asked to develop fields that are formally “related” to one another. Instead, they are encouraged to develop fields that show knowledge of a range of periods, geographical locations, and methodologies.
Distribution Requirements: There are no formal period or geographical distribution requirements for Theatre PhD students, but students are strongly encouraged to take courses on the drama and performance history of a range of periods and geographical locations.
Language Requirements: Theatre PhD students must complete the first language requirement by the end of the MA year, and the second language requirement before scheduling their oral examinations. Unlike students in the English Department, Theatre PhD students must attain proficiency in two different languages, and cannot fulfill the requirement by attaining advanced proficiency in only one language (though advanced proficiency is, naturally, encouraged).
Teaching requirement: Students are required to participate in the instructional activities of the Department of English and Comparative Literature and the Undergraduate Writing Program. Students who are interested in broadening their teaching apprenticeships are eligible to teach in the Core Program once they have received the M.Phil.
Successful completion of all M.Phil. requirements and approval by the interdepartmental committee are both conditions of entry into the Ph.D. program.
For the Ph.D. Degree
To earn the Ph.D. degree, students must submit a dissertation, the topic and research of which have been approved by the Doctoral Subcommittee co-chairs and a faculty sponsor. Candidates for the M.Phil. and Ph.D. degrees should note that six Residence Units (three years of full-time residence) are required. However, transfer Credit may be awarded to students who have completed graduate-level coursework at Columbia or elsewhere. Students who wish to use these credits towards the completion of their degree may transfer no more than 12 points (or 4 classes) and 1 Residence Unit. Classes taken to enhance undergraduate preparation are not transferable.
Financial Aid
The department provides fellowships (which includes the prevailing stipend and appropriate tuition and health fees) to all M.A./M.Phil./Ph. D. students.
Fellowships are renewed annually as long as satisfactory progress is maintained. Students complete an annual progress report which is reviewed by the Committee on Guidance and Evaluation. Teaching is considered an important part of graduate training, thus the fellowship program normally includes four years of teaching apprenticeship. A dissertation fellowship free of teaching obligations is available to qualified students in the fifth or sixth year of study. All students are, additionally, required to seek external fellowships.
Faculty:
- Arnold Aronson. Professor; Department of Theatre, Ph.D., NYU, 1977 Interests include: History and theory of theatre; scenography
- Helene P. Foley. Professor of Classics; Barnard College, Ph.D., Harvard, 1975 Interests include: Greek drama and performance; women in antiquity
- Jean E. Howard. Professor; Department of English and Comparative Literature; Ph.D., Yale, 1975 Interests include: Renaissance drama and performance; feminist theory
- Andreas Huyssen. Villard Professor of Germanic Languages; Ph.D., Zurich, 1969 Interests include: 18th- to 20th-century German drama and performance; critical theory; the Avant Garde
- Martin Meisel. Brander Matthews Professor of Dramatic Literature; Ph.D., Princeton, 1960 Interests include: Comparative drama and performance; theatre and other arts; Irish drama
- Julie Stone Peters. Associate Professor; Dept. of English and Comparative Literature; Ph.D. Princeton, 1987 Interests include: Comparative drama and performance; European theatre history;
- Martin Puchner. Assistant Professor, Dept. of English and Comparative Literature; Harvard, 1998 Interests include: Avant Garde Drama, Aesthetic Theory. Website: http://www.columbia.edu/~hmp10/
- Austin E. Quigley. H.G. Garbedian Professor of English; Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz, 1971 Interests include: 19th and 20th century comparative drama and performance; performance theory
- Andrei Serban, Professor; Department of Theatre; Theatre Institute of Romania Interests include: Acting and directing
- James S. Shapiro. Professor; Department of English and Comparative Literature; Ph.D., Chicago, 1982 Interests include: Medieval, Tudor, and Stuart drama and performance
history of the dramatic text; performance theory; law and performance
Other Faculty at Columbia / Barnard:
The faculty who make up the Subcommittee for the PhD in Theatre are only a few of the distinguished professors at Columbia and Barnard who offer valuable courses related to the study of Theatre.The Columbia
Theatre
PhD student may choose useful courses from many other departments or
colleges,
including:
The New York City Doctoral Consortium:
Students of the Columbia PhD program in Theatre are not confined to the courses offered by the faculty of Columbia and Barnard. Through "The New York City Doctoral Consortium" they may also take courses offered by several other New York City graduate programs:New York City As a Theatre Study Resource:
The classroom and studio are only the beginning for the Columbia Theatre student. New York City offers a diversity of theatre and performance art experiences unmatched in the world.Here is a partial list of New York Theatre Resources.
Students:
- Julie Bleha
- Donna Marie Fusco
- Kélina Gotman
- Ewa
Kara
- Daniel
Larlham
- Mimi
McGrath
- Nathaniel G. Nesmith
- Mirabelle
Ordinaire
- Elizabeth A. Ruf
- Michelle
Shafer
- Alexis Gaynor Soloski
- Shilarna
Stokes
- Alvaro M. Varela
- TimothyYouker