Department of Comparative Studies Graduate Handbook 2007-08

The Department of Comparative Studies
Graduate Programs in Comparative Studies
The Graduate Studies Committee
Criteria for Admission to the Graduate Program
Admission Procedures and Deadlines for the M.A. and Ph.D.
Requirements for the M.A. in Comparative Studies
Sample Programs for the M.A. in Comparative Studies
Requirements for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies
Sample Programs for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies
The Graduate Minor in Comparative Cultural Studies
Graduate Courses in the Department of Comparative Studies
Financial Aid
Graduation Procedures for M.A. and Ph.D. Students
Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies
Associated Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies
Staff of the Department of Comparative Studies

I. The Department of Comparative Studies

The Department of Comparative Studies promotes comparative, interdisciplinary, and cross-cultural research and teaching in the arts and sciences. The Department offers an interdisciplinary graduate and undergraduate curriculum that encourages comparative perspectives on a wide range of cultural and historical discourses and practices: literary, aesthetic, folkloric, technological, scientific, religious, political, material. Faculty and faculty associates work closely with other units at Ohio State, as well as with faculty at other colleges and universities. At the graduate level, the Department offers the Master of Arts in Comparative Studies, the Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Studies, and, for graduate students across the University, a Graduate Minor in Comparative Cultural Studies. For undergraduates, the Department offers the Bachelor of Arts in Comparative Studies with specializations in Comparative Cultural Studies, Comparative Ethnic and American Studies, Comparative Literature, Folklore, Religious Studies, and Science Studies. The Department also coordinates a new interdepartmental major in World Literatures. Several undergraduate interdisciplinary minors are also housed in Comparative Studies: American Studies, Folklore, and Religious Studies. Formerly a Center and, more recently, a Division, the Department of Comparative Studies has a more than fifty-year history at Ohio State of offering an interdisciplinary curriculum in the humanities, as well as interdisciplinary conferences, lecture and film series, and faculty/graduate student seminars.

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II. Graduate Programs in Comparative Studies

The Department of Comparative Studies offers interdisciplinary graduate degree programs in the study of culture at both the M.A. and the Ph.D. levels. For graduate students enrolled in other departments at Ohio State, the Department offers the Graduate Minor.

Graduate work in Comparative Studies is interdisciplinary and cross-cultural, addressing complex processes of cultural change, stability, and interaction, with particular attention to the construction of knowledge and the dynamics of power and authority. Questions of difference—racial, gender, sexual, class, ethnic, national—and the ways in which those categorizations inform and are informed by other discourses and practices are central to scholarship in comparative studies.

Such an interdisciplinary, comparative approach to the study of culture assumes both flexibility and rigor in terms of theory, methodology, and object of study. The M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Studies are designed for students whose scholarly interests require them to call upon the resources of several academic disciplines. Each graduate student, with the help of faculty advisers, designs an individualized academic program to meet specific research interests that cut across departmental and college boundaries. As a part of this process, students are encouraged to question the configuration of disciplinary boundaries and to place in historical context the development of disciplinary structures and their objects of study.

Students must develop a clear area of concentration and sound theoretical foundations for their individual programs in order to attain depth of knowledge, as well as breadth. Expertise of Comparative Studies faculty members is similarly focused in comparative ethnic and American studies; comparative literature; critical race theory; cultural anthropology; cultural studies; folklore; postcolonial studies; religious studies; science studies; social and cultural theory; urban studies; and visual culture, with specific attention to the interrelatedness among the cultural and historical domains these fields represent. Within their focus areas, students are encouraged to develop inquiries that attend to the cultural and historical contexts of the particular subject in question.

The element of comparison, both within and across cultures and borders, is important to faculty and student research. Comparisons may be drawn among the several discourses and practices of a single society, group of people, geographical region, or historical era. Research projects may also involve the comparison of specific genres and media—textual, performative, material—across cultures. Both approaches to comparative work are encouraged; most projects will involve elements of both, since contextualization is integral to all such studies. The function of comparison is not to discover differences and similarities, but to understand more comprehensively the political, social, economic, and aesthetic dimensions of the various discourses and practices that constitute social and individual life.

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III. The Graduate Studies Committee

The Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee oversees the graduate program. The Committee is composed of faculty members primarily from the Department of Comparative Studies, but may include faculty members from other departments as well. The Graduate Studies Committee is appointed by the Chair of the Department of Comparative Studies and is responsible for making admissions decisions, acting on students’ petitions, making fellowship and associateship nominations, determining procedures and guidelines, and acting as liaison between the graduate program and the Graduate School (http://gradsch.osu.edu/). The Graduate Studies Committee and its policies are subject to Graduate School rules, as described in the Graduate School Handbook (http://gradsch.osu.edu/).

The Comparative Studies Graduate Handbook
(Graduate Handbook [PDF]) is designed to provide information about its Master of Arts, Doctor of Philosophy, and Graduate Minor programs to prospective students, to students already enrolled, and to faculty advisers. Please send inquiries or requests for more information to the Graduate Studies Chair, Professor Maurice Stevens (stevens.368@osu.edu), or to the Graduate Program Coordinator, Dr. Margaret Lynd (lynd.1@osu.edu), at the following address:

Department of Comparative Studies
451 Hagerty Hall
1775 College Road
Columbus, OH 43210-1340

Phone: (614) 292-2559
Fax: (614) 292-6707

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IV. Criteria for Admission to the Graduate Program in Comparative Studies

Students may be admitted to the graduate program in Comparative Studies after completing a baccalaureate degree in a relevant field. Students who have completed a master’s degree in a relevant field ordinarily apply directly to the Ph.D. program. At the time of admission, the Graduate Studies Committee will decide the number of credits from the student’s M.A. program that may be applied to the doctoral program. In some cases, the student may be required to complete the M.A. in Comparative Studies before being admitted to the Ph.D. program.

Students with the B.A. degree only may apply either to the M.A. program or to the M.A./Ph.D. program. In either case, students must satisfactorily complete coursework, language, and thesis requirements for the M.A. in Comparative Studies. Students who wish to proceed to the doctoral program upon completion of the MA in Comparative Studies must follow the process described under requirements for the Ph.D. All students who satisfactorily complete M.A. requirements will be awarded the M.A. in Comparative Studies.

Criteria for admission to both the M.A. and the Ph.D. programs in Comparative Studies include the following:

A minimum of 3.0 cumulative point-hour ratio (on the 4.0 scale used at this University) in all previous undergraduate work. Students with an undergraduate cumulative ratio below 3.0 who wish to be considered for admission must petition the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee for special consideration.
A minimum of 3.0 in all previous graduate work.
Graduate Record Examination scores for all applicants.
Minimum TOEFL score of 79 (internet-based), 213 (computer-based), or 550 (paper-based); or MELAB score of 82; or IELTS score of 7.0 for non-native speakers of English.
Applicants are advised to contact the Graduate Studies Chair, a Comparative Studies faculty member with whom they are interested in working, or the Academic Program Coordinator in the Department of Comparative Studies before applying. The purposes of this contact, whether by telephone, by e-mail, or in person, are to clarify the student’s research interests, needs, and goals; determine the suitability of the Comparative Studies program to the student’s intellectual and professional goals; and to advise the student in completing the statement of purpose required for admission to the graduate program in Comparative Studies. Students should make such contact well in advance of the application deadline.

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V. Admission Procedures and Deadlines for the M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Studies

Students apply to the graduate program in Comparative Studies by submitting: (a) a graduate school application and supporting documents to the Office of Admissions (http://www.osu.edu/futurestudents/) and (b) a statement of purpose and a writing sample to the Department of Comparative Studies. Recommendation forms and letters must also be sent directly to Comparative Studies.

Application procedures.
1. The Graduate School admissions application form must be submitted online (http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/). The Graduate School admissions application includes:
  1. Completed OSU Graduate School application form (must be submitted online).
  2. Official transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate work.
  3. Official GRE and (when applicable) IELTS, TOEFL, or MELAB test scores.
    
    Transcripts for all previous undergraduate and graduate work and all test scores must be submitted to the Admissions Office. Please use the appropriate address from the following:
    
    Domestic Applicants:
    
    Regular U.S. postal mail:
    Graduate Admissions Office
    The Ohio State University
    P.O. Box 182004
    Columbus, OH 43218-2004
    
    Special delivery mail service (express mail):
    Graduate Admissions Office
    The Ohio State University
    3rd Floor Lincoln Tower
    1800 Cannon Drive
    Columbus, OH 43210-1270
    International Applicants:
    
    Regular U.S. postal mail:
    International Graduate Admissions Office
    The Ohio State University
    P.O. Box 182083
    Columbus, OH 43218-2083
    
    Special delivery mail service (express mail):
    Graduate Admissions Office
    The Ohio State University
    3rd Floor Lincoln Tower
    1800 Cannon Drive
    Columbus, OH 43210-1270
2. Supplemental materials and recommendation forms should be mailed to the following address:
  
  Graduate Studies Coordinator
  Department of Comparative Studies
  451 Hagerty Hall
  1775 College Road
  Columbus, OH 43210-1340
  
  The Comparative Studies supplemental admissions materials include:
  1. Statement of Purpose (see also section IV.5. above and sections VI.-IX. below). The principal element of the Department’s application is the Statement of Purpose essay of approximately five pages (double-spaced). This essay may substitute for the autobiographical statement required by the Graduate School and it should discuss in some detail the kinds of issues the student expects to explore in this graduate program, including their importance. The student should be as specific as possible in explaining how his or her intellectual project would benefit from the comparative, cross-cultural, and interdisciplinary perspectives offered by the Department and from the resources (faculty, courses, programs, collections) of The Ohio State University. Information about academic background, special experiences, and career goals may also be included. (The Course Offerings Bulletin can be viewed by individual department online (http://www.ureg.ohio-state.edu/courses/); more detailed information is posted on departmental webpages (see University directory at http://www.osu.edu/alphaosu.php and the College of Humanities Web site at http://humanities.osu.edu). If admitted, students will design, with the help of faculty advisers, a program of coursework to fit their research needs. See sections VII., IX., and XI. below for sample programs and for a listing of courses in Comparative Studies.) Please note that the statement of purpose may be either mailed directly to the department or submitted electronically to Margaret Lynd at lynd.1@osu.edu.
  2. Writing sample. In addition to the Statement of Purpose, applicants should submit an academic paper, preferably of approximately 12-15 pages. Ordinarily, this will be a paper submitted previously for undergraduate or graduate credit—for example, a chapter of a senior or MA thesis or a substantial paper written for an advanced undergraduate class or graduate seminar. The writing sample should represent the student’s best work. Writing samples will not be returned. Please note that the writing sample may be either mailed directly to the department or submitted electronically to Margaret Lynd at lynd.1@osu.edu.
  3. Three letters of recommendation. An OSU Reference Form (http://admissions.osu.edu/apps/pdfs/refer.pdf [PDF]) must accompany each letter. Letters should address the applicant’s academic abilities and preparation for graduate work in the student’s chosen area. Students should request that letters, along with reference forms, be sent directly to the Department of Comparative Studies.
Deadlines. Admission to the graduate program is for Autumn Quarter only. The deadline for admission for Autumn 2008 is December 31, 2007 for domestic applicants and November 30, 2007 for international applicants. All required documents—the Graduate School application; official transcripts and test scores; letters of recommendation; and the Comparative Studies application, including the five-page statement of purpose and the writing sample—must be received in the Comparative Studies office by December 31. Because the Graduate School application, transcripts, and test scores must be processed first by the Admissions Office, all of these documents should be submitted well in advance of the December 31 deadline (November 30 for international applicants)
Students currently enrolled in a graduate degree program at The Ohio State University who wish to transfer to the graduate program in Comparative Studies or begin the Ph.D. program after completing the M.A. in another department should take the following steps:
1. Arrange a meeting with the Graduate Studies Chair or the Academic Program Coordinator in the Department of Comparative Studies. If the student’s research needs and interests cannot be accommodated within the student’s department and if the M.A. or Ph.D. in Comparative Studies is an appropriate alternative, the student is directed to an appropriate faculty member for further advice. Transfer applicants are subject to the same admissions criteria and deadlines as external applicants.
2. File with the Graduate School a Request for Transfer of Graduate Program form if the transfer is deemed appropriate.
3. Submit a five-page statement of purpose and a writing sample. Applicants should specify which courses already taken they wish to apply toward the M.A. or Ph.D. in Comparative Studies. If the student is admitted, the Graduate Studies Committee will determine which courses already taken, if any, will count toward the M.A. or Ph.D. in Comparative Studies.
4. Submit to the Comparative Studies office at least two new letters of recommendation from graduate faculty with whom they have studied.
5. Students wishing to transfer to Comparative Studies from other departments are subject to the same deadlines as new domestic applicants. Both domestic and international Ohio State University graduate students must submit all application materials to the Department of Comparative Studies by January 1, 2007 for admission in Autumn 2007.
The Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee acts on both the request for transfer and the request for specific courses to be counted toward the M.A. or Ph.D. in Comparative Studies. Approval of the transfer of graduate program does not ensure approval of credit for specific courses.
Graduate student status. Ordinarily, applicants are admitted to the graduate program as “regular” graduate students, and only those who are admitted with “regular” status may receive the M.A. or Ph.D. degree. In some cases, however, applicants may, for various reasons, be more appropriately assigned to other categories. Admission under any of the following categories does not ensure regular admission at a future date. Additional categories are as follows:
1. Nondegree status: Students who do not intend to pursue a graduate degree may apply to the Graduate School for “nondegree” status provided they meet appropriate admission requirements.
  
  Domestic students (U.S. citizens or approved permanent residents of the United States, or those who have been granted asylee or refugee status in the United States) may apply for nondegree status by submitting an application (http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/nondegree.html) and supplying proof of completion of the baccalaureate degree.
  
  For international students (those who are not U.S. citizens, permanent residents, refugees, or political asylees and need to obtain a visa in order to study in the United States), eligibility for admission as a nondegree student is limited to those who are either participants in approved exchange programs or those who are enrolled in a graduate program in another U.S. university and wish to study for one quarter as a transient student and transfer the credit back to their home institution. See application instructions at http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/nondegree.html. Nondegree students may apply for admission to a Comparative Studies graduate program as “regular” students. If admitted, nondegree students may ask to apply a maximum of 10 hours of graduate nondegree coursework toward the degree. Admission as a nondegree student does not imply regular admission to any degree-granting program at a future date.
2. Special status: Applicants who do not intend to pursue a degree may also apply for “special” status. “Special” status may be awarded by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee to applicants who have satisfied all Graduate School admission requirements, but who have not submitted the Application for Admission to the Comparative Studies Graduate Program (which outlines the student’s course of study in the graduate program). These students may later apply to the graduate program by submitting the additional materials required by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee. For students admitted to the M.A. or Ph.D. program, the Graduate Studies Committee will determine the number of graduate credit hours that may be counted toward the degree. Admission as a special student does not imply regular admission at a future date.
3. Conditional admission status: Applicants who are accepted into the program on the condition that they correct certain deficiencies within a given period of time are granted “conditional” admission status. For example, some students may be required to maintain a certain grade-point average for several quarters of graduate study before being accepted into the graduate program; others may be required to complete some undergraduate coursework in preparation for the graduate program. Conditionally admitted students cannot be admitted as “regular” students until all conditions are satisfactorily completed. Failure to satisfy conditions of admission will result in dismissal from the program.
4. Provisional status: Applicants for whom the verification of degree(s) or transcripts has not yet been completed, received, or evaluated may be granted “provisional” status if all other application material is acceptable to the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee. If the material outstanding is judged satisfactory when submitted, the Committee may offer regular admission. Students are not permitted to enroll for a third quarter while listed as provisional. Admission as a provisional student does not ensure regular admission once the student’s file is complete.
For further information on admissions, students should consult Section II.1 of the Graduate School Handbook (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu/) and the Graduate and Professional Admissions Office Web site (http://gradadmissions.osu.edu/).

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VI. Requirements for the Master of Arts in Comparative Studies

All requirements for the degree must be completed within six years of the first quarter of enrollment in the program. Three sample programs are given in section VII below.

Requirements for the M.A. in Comparative Studies are as follows:

Coursework. All students are required to take a total of 50 coursework credits and must submit a completed design of the coursework program by the end of the first year. Courses are distributed as follows:
1. All students must take the following courses during the first year of enrollment:
  Comp St 710, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I (5 credits, offered AU)
  Comp St 711, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II (5 credits, offered WI)
2. All students must take a minimum of 30 credits in Comparative Studies. (Cross-listed courses may count in any department cross-listing the course, regardless of where the student is enrolled. Students may petition the Graduate Studies Committee if additional credits in other departments are required.)
3. All students must include in their overall program at least one 700-level and one 800-level course (or two 800-level courses) in addition to Comp Studies 710 and 711.
4. A maximum of 10 credits at the 500-level in the overall program may count toward the degree. All courses in Comparative Studies must be at or above the 600-level to be counted toward the degree.
5. No more than 10 hours of non-graded (S/U or PA/NP) coursework (ordinarily taken as independent study) may count toward the degree.
Language. All students completing the M.A. in Comparative Studies must demonstrate competence in at least one foreign language. This requirement must be met in one of the following ways:
1. by receiving a minimum grade of “B” in a 500-level course (572 in most depts) that certifies ability to read with the use of a dictionary);
2. by passing a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate language department;
3. by petitioning the Graduate Studies Committee to consider other evidence of competence, for example, an undergraduate major or minor in a foreign language.
Courses taken to fulfill the language requirement cannot be counted toward the degree. However, foreign language courses taken at or above the 600-level may be counted toward the degree and may also serve to satisfy the language requirement.
Thesis. All students are required to submit a Master’s thesis and complete 50 coursework hours to be awarded the M.A. degree. Thesis hours are completed in addition to coursework hours. The student should make every effort to identify his or her thesis adviser by the end of the first year of study. The thesis adviser serves as Chair of the student’s Master’s Examination Committee and must be chosen in compliance with the requirements stated in this document (see below) and in the Graduate School Handbook(http://gradsch.osu.edu/). Students must take an oral examination in addition to completing the Master’s thesis and must fulfill all graduation requirements as stated in Part II, Section 5 of the Graduate School Handbook.

The actual form of the MA thesis is variable and should be tailored to meet the needs and goals of each individual student. The thesis could be a traditional one that requires the organization of a complex problem that exceeds the demands of a single-course seminar paper; it could take the form of an article-length piece of writing that could be submitted to a professional journal; it could take the form of a professional script such as a grant proposal or an exhibition proposal. This list is not exhaustive; other appropriate forms can be imagined and used. The precise form of the thesis will be decided by the MA advisor with consultation from the student.
Advisers. The Graduate Studies Chair or a designated member of the Graduate Studies Committee will serve as adviser for incoming students, but each student must choose at least one academic adviser from the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies by the end of the first year. A second academic adviser (to serve on the Master’s Examination Committee) may be chosen at a later date from graduate faculty in Comparative Studies or in any other academic unit represented in the student’s curriculum. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of Comparative Studies, one additional member of the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies will serve as a third member of the Master’s Examination Committee.

The Chair of the Master’s Examination Committee (the major adviser, who has primary responsibility for guiding students as they write the thesis) is ordinarily chosen from the regular Graduate Faculty or Associated Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies. Faculty from other departments may serve as major advisers if they are first approved for graduate faculty status in Comparative Studies by the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School. Other members of the Master’s Examination Committee need not be so approved.

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VII. Sample Programs for the M.A. in Comparative Studies

The following programs are chosen to illustrate the range of subjects students may choose to investigate for the M.A. degree.

Gender, Power, and Corporate Discourse. This program analyzes discourses of economic expansion and their relationship to changing governmental commitments to welfare programs. The project focuses particularly on the role of gender in political and economic processes. This student’s coursework is focused primarily in Comparative Studies and Women’s Studies. The coursework program is as follows:

Comparative Studies:
710 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I
711 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II
715 Theorizing America
730 Theorizing Science and Technology
830 Science and Difference
Women’s Studies:
710 Theorizing Difference
720 Theorizing Gender, Power, and Change
726 Gender and Public Policy
796.20 Women and Law
Public Policy and Management:
801 Public Policy Formulation and Administration
Religion and Social Change. The second sample program included here illustrates through its very different content the range of possible subjects open to Comparative Studies students. This program is based on a study of Native American religious traditions and practices and their strategic use in power negotiations. It includes coursework in Comparative Studies, Anthropology, and English, as well as fieldwork among the Crow. The coursework program is as follows (five credits over requirements):

Comparative Studies:
620 Approaches to the Study of Religion
651 American Indian Identity
651 New Age Religions
651 Contemporary Approaches to the Study of Religion
710 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I
711 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II
792 Phenomenology and Religion
English:
870 Seminar in Folk Belief

Anthropology:
620.11 Anthropology of Religion
693 Independent Studies: Ethnography
810 Seminar in Cultural Anthropology
Literary, Religious, and Autobiographical Discourse. The third example is a study of the convergence of literary and religious discourse and self-representation, focusing on the late nineteenth-century Russian religious philosopher Solov’ev and his contemporaries, as viewed from a post-colonial perspective. The student’s coursework reflects an interest in literary and autobiography studies, Russian and European literature, and contemporary social theory, with coursework in Comparative Studies and literature departments. The coursework program is as follows:

Comparative Studies:
710 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I
711 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II
792 Translation Theory
792 Decolonizing Culture
792 Autoethnography
890 Contemporary Theories of the Subject
African American and African Studies:
756 Theorizing Race
German:
850 Postmodernism and German Literature
Russian:
750 Pushkin and his Time
852 Seminar in Russian Literature since 1917

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VIII. Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Studies

Students who complete the M.A. in Comparative Studies may continue beyond the M.A. only upon the recommendation of the student’s Master’s Examination Committee and the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee. Students who have completed the M.A. at other institutions or in other departments at OSU may in some cases be required to complete the M.A. in Comparative Studies before proceeding to the doctoral program. The number of credits earned in other M.A. programs that may be used to fulfill requirements for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies will be determined by the Graduate Studies Committee at the time of admission. See the Graduate School Handbook (Section II, Part 6) (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu/) for University enrollment and residence requirements.

Students in the M.A. in Comparative Studies program may continue beyond the M.A. only upon the recommendation of the Graduate Studies Committee. At the end of each year, a special meeting of the faculty will be called to discuss the progress of the first-year students. At this meeting, each student's progress will be presented by her or his advisor of record. (Therefore, each student will need to have met with his or her advisor of record before this meeting.) During this meeting, input will be sought from all the faculty about the progress of each student. After the meeting, the results of this conversation will be communicated to each student by the advisor. The goal of these conversations is to provide timely and meaningful feedback to each first-year student about her or his work and potential for advancement in the program.

Since admission to the graduate program occurs once a year and all applications are due before the beginning of the Winter quarter, all students who plan to finish their MA during the school year and wish to be considered for continuing for a PhD the following year must announce those intentions by submitting the following materials by the same deadline that applies for new applicants: a statement of purpose (not to exceed five double-spaced pages) that describes a dissertation project; a writing sample (hopefully an extract from the MA thesis); and letters from any non-core faculty whose input the student would like to solicit. These letters are optional and should only be solicited when the student has had extensive intellectual interaction with a non-core faculty member. The new statement of purpose should represent the opportunity for the student to demonstrate their ability to build on their MA work and to sketch with some precision the next step in his or her intellectual progress. At the same time, it allows the faculty to assess the student's preparation for advanced graduate work and the fit between the student's needs and the faculty's expertise. Input regarding the advisability of any student's continuing for the PhD will be solicited from core faculty members during a faculty meeting in early January.

Requirements for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies are as follows:

Coursework. All students are required to take a total of 145 credits (including credits earned in the Comparative Studies M.A. program or credits earned in another M.A. program and approved by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee): 95 coursework hours and 50 general examination and dissertation hours (or at least 95-100 total hours beyond the M.A.). Credits are distributed as follows:
1. All students who have not completed the M.A. in Comparative Studies must take the following courses during the first year of enrollment:
  Comp St 710, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I (5 credits)
  Comp St 711, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II (5 credits)
2. All students must take a minimum of 25 coursework credits in Comparative Studies beyond the M.A. degree. (Cross-listed courses may count in any department cross-listing the course, regardless of where the student is enrolled.)
3. No credits taken in other departments at the 500-level beyond the M.A. may count toward the Ph.D. degree. No courses taken at the 500-level in Comparative Studies may count toward either graduate degree.
4. No more than 10 hours of non-graded (S/U or PA/NP) coursework (ordinarily taken as independent study) may be counted as coursework hours in the overall program. (This requirement is not related to non-graded 900-level hours taken as examination, thesis, or dissertation hours. Examination, thesis, or dissertation hours count toward the 145 credits required for the Ph.D., but cannot be substituted for coursework hours.)
5. All students must include a minimum of 30 credits at the 700- and 800-level beyond the M.A. degree.
See the Graduate School Handbook (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu) Section II.6. for additional Graduate School requirements.
Language. All students completing the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies must demonstrate competence in at least one foreign language, but some students’ research agendas will require competence in two. In particular, students working with forms of cultural expression produced in a language other than English must demonstrate competence in two foreign languages. The Graduate Studies Committee will determine whether a student’s language requirement may be fulfilled by showing competence in one or two foreign languages. This requirement (for each language) must be met in one of the following ways:
1. by receiving a minimum grade of “B” in a 500-level course, the equivalent of 573 in some departments, that certifies ability to read with the use of a dictionary, but at a more advanced level than that required for the M.A. degree);
2. be receiving a minimum grade of "B" in a 600-level course taught in a foreign language;
3. by passing a proficiency examination administered by the appropriate language department;
4. by petitioning the Graduate Studies Committee to consider other evidence of competence, for example, an undergraduate major or minor in a foreign language.
Courses taken to fulfill the language requirement cannot be counted toward the degree. However, foreign language courses taken at or above the 600-level may be counted toward the degree and may also serve to satisfy the language requirement.
Candidacy Examinations.

In order to begin work on the dissertation, a student will be required to complete a dissertation prospectus and three written examinations relevant to the student’s dissertation research and general preparedness for scholarly employment. Candidacy exams should be completed within three quarters of the completion of all coursework, normally by the end of the second year after the completion of the student’s M.A. More time for preparing can be obtained through petitioning the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee. All qualifying examinations will comprise three examination fields and be structured to qualify students in two ways: 1) to pursue a specific dissertation research agenda; and 2) to situate the student as a researcher and teacher in at least two significant academic fields. In consultation with his or her advisory committee, the student will design the examinations in a way that best achieves these two objectives. The Comparative Studies exam format is highly individualized, guided by the needs of the student and the advice of the Advisory Committee.

One of the examination areas must be Critical, Social, and Cultural Theory. The reading list for this exam will build on syllabi for CS 710 and 711, but may be modified by the Advisory Committee to meet the particular needs and interests of the individual student. The goal of this exam is to provide the student with the opportunity to demonstrate knowledge of current positions in Critical, Social and Cultural Theory and facility in conceptualizing research questions informed by these positions.

The second and third exams should provide the student with the opportunity to articulate the specificity of his or her research interests and to situate those research interests and general preparedness for scholarly employment in the context of at least two significant academic fields. Before the exam, the student will be required to name the targeted fields of qualification. Advisory Committee members with expertise in those targeted areas will be responsible for ensuring that the examination process, including the definition of the examination fields, will qualify the student to use methods from those targeted areas in the dissertation research, to situate that research convincingly in debates in those areas, and to teach in those areas. The committee member responsible for overseeing the student’s preparation in a particular targeted area may, at his or her discretion, deem it necessary for an examination field to be devoted in its entirety to that area. For example, it could be possible to devote one exam to the specific area of dissertation research, saving the second exam to allow the student to demonstrate her or his ability to articulate that work to two fields. Another possible structure would ask students to articulate the relationships between their work and two different fields in two different exams.

The actual examination process will be determined by each student’s Advisory Committee and approved by the Graduate Studies Committee. The goal of the process is to enable the student to demonstrate her or his capacity to perform interdisciplinary scholarly work at the highest level, but within a constrained framework. The length of time allowed for the writing of the exams and the conditions under which the exams are written should be set with that goal in mind. For example, the student could take three exams, one in each of the three areas, over a period of ten days and with a specified page limit. Alternatively, the student could write three formal papers over the course of a quarter, discussing the state of the field in each of the three areas. Or the student could take the exams in a very concentrated period of time, such as in three four-hour exams over the course of one week.

At least two members of the Advisory Committee must be Comparative Studies Graduate Faculty, and the Graduate Studies Committee must approve any members of the Advisory Committee who are not members of the Comparative Studies Graduate Faculty or Associated Faculty. A two-hour Oral Examination is required by the Graduate School and must take place within one month of completion of the written portion of the examination. The Candidacy Examination Committee is made up of members of the Advisory Committee and the Graduate Faculty Representative, to be chosen by the Graduate School. The completed written portions of the examination must be received by the Graduate Faculty Representative no less than nine days prior to the Oral Examination.

The outcome of the Candidacy Examination is reached in the absence of the student. The decision to judge the examination satisfactory or unsatisfactory must be unanimous and all examiners must sign the Candidacy Examination Report affirming that vote. Satisfactory completion of the Candidacy Examination indicates the student is deemed sufficiently prepared to undertake dissertation research, and the student then proceeds to candidacy for the Ph.D. If the Candidacy Examination Committee finds the student’s performance unsatisfactory, the examination may be retaken with the approval of the Graduate School. No substitutions may be made on the student’s Candidacy Examination Committee if a second examination is required and a second oral examination must be scheduled.

See the Graduate School Handbook (http://www.gradsch.ohio-state.edu/Depo/PDF/Handbook/Handbook.pdf [PDF]), Section II.6 for additional details about the scheduling process and examination procedures.
Dissertation. Soon after the successful completion of the exams (normally within two quarters), the student must develop a dissertation committee (which might be the same as the Advisory Committee, but need not be) and submit a dissertation prospectus. This prospectus should outline a research problem, indicate the research problem’s theoretical significance, briefly review the most relevant past and current scholarship relating to the problem, and identify a relevant theoretical framework and research strategy. The dissertation committee will determine the proper length for each student’s prospectus, but it should typically consist of a minimum of fifteen and a maximum of thirty pages. The dissertation committee will determine the extent to which the prospectus represents a comprehensive and comprehensible plan for the completion of the dissertation.

The dissertation is a scholarly document requiring independent research under the guidance of faculty advisors. It should demonstrate the student’s competence in interdisciplinary research and should demonstrate strong potential for future publication. The dissertation must be completed within five years of completing the Candidacy Examination. The dissertation advisor must be a member of the Graduate Faculty or Associated Faculty of Comparative Studies, or be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School for Graduate Faculty status in Comparative Studies. The Dissertation Committee must include a minimum of three members, at least two from the Comparative Studies Graduate Faculty. Because of the interdisciplinary nature of the Comparative Studies Ph.D. program, most students will choose one or two additional committee members. All members of the Dissertation Committee must be approved by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee.

All students are required to take a Final Oral Examination of approximately two hours. The Final Oral Examination Committee includes all members of the Dissertation Committee and a Graduate Faculty Representative appointed by the Graduate School. Before Friday of the second week of the quarter in which the Final Oral Examination is to be taken, the student must submit to the Graduate School a typed, properly formatted copy of the Dissertation, along with a signed Application to Graduate form and Doctoral Draft Approval/Notification of Final Oral Examination form.

See the Graduate School Handbook (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu), Section II.6 for additional details.
Advisers. The Graduate Studies Chair or a designated member of the Graduate Studies Committee will serve as adviser for incoming students, but each student must choose at least one academic adviser from the Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies by the end of the first year of graduate study. Additional advisers to serve on the Advisory Committee for Candidacy Exams may be chosen from Comparative Studies regular and associated faculty. If a student wishes to choose an adviser from an academic unit represented in the student’s curriculum but who is not a member of the Comparative Studies associated faculty, that adviser must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School for graduate faculty status in Comparative Studies.

In most cases, the dissertation adviser will be a member of the student’s Candidacy Examination Committee. Any change of the dissertation adviser requires the approval of the Graduate Studies Committee and the Graduate School.

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IX. Sample Programs for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies

The Ph.D. in Comparative Studies is a relatively new program that accepted students for the first time beginning Autumn 2003. The two sample programs included here are fictional, but represent examples of the kind of interdisciplinary work that is possible. The first sample program combines work in religious studies and folklore, the second in comparative literature and science studies.

Women, Folklore, and Religious Practice in North Africa. Doctoral research would involve particular instances of the extra-institutional involvement of women in new forms of religious practice and the ways in which such creative manipulations of religious tradition may contribute to the empowerment of women. The project would compare the development of such practices in the varying cultural and political contexts of post-World War II North Africa, for example, in Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. The program might include courses in Comparative Studies, folklore courses in English, and several courses in Near Eastern Languages and Cultures, History, or Women’s Studies. Comparative Studies faculty and associated faculty whose work focuses on religious studies, folklore, history, Middle Eastern studies, or women’s studies would serve as advisers for such a project. Here is a tentative coursework outline for such a program for a student entering Comparative Studies with a baccalaureate degree.

General Examination Areas:
Critical, Social, and Cultural Theory
Folklore
Religious Studies

Languages: French and Arabic

Coursework:

Comparative Studies:
(Required) 710 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I
(Required) 711 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II
620 Approaches to the Study of Religion
677.04 Comparative Folk Groups
725 Theorizing Religion
826 Religion and Sexuality
862 Performance and Politics

English/Comparative Studies
770.01 Intro to Graduate Study in Folklore: Approaches & Research Methods
770.02 Intro to Graduate Study in Folklore: Field Research

English
870 Seminar in Folklore

Arabic
626 Introduction to the Qur’an
672 Arabic Folk Narrative in Translation
722 Studies in Arabic Prose
811 Seminar in Arabic Studies

Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
646 Colonial Cities in Postcolonial Memory: The Politics of Urban Development in the Near East

Near Eastern Languages and Cultures/Comparative Studies
672 Poetry and Politics in the 20th-Century Mediterranean

History
727 Studies in Islamic History

Women’s Studies
710 Theorizing Difference
720 Theorizing Gender, Power, and Change
860 Topics in Feminist Studies
Science, Capitalism, and Contemporary Fiction in the Americas. Much contemporary Latin American and North American fiction addresses both epistemological questions about science (which could be related here to the literary techniques of magical realism and of postmodernism) and political and economic consequences of technological development promoted through processes of economic globalization. Recent novels such as Patrick Chamoiseau’s Texaco, Gabriel Garcia-Marquez’s One-Hundred Years of Solitude or Love in the Time of Cholera, Leslie Marmon Silko’s Almanac of the Dead, Carlos Fuentes’s Terra Nostra or The Death of Artemio Cruz, Thomas Pynchon’s Gravity’s Rainbow or Mason and Dixon, for example, all address these issues in different ways using a wide range of innovative literary techniques. Comparative Studies faculty with expertise in narrative theory and comparative literature, ethnic and American studies, and science studies and associated faculty members from the departments of Spanish and Portuguese, English, and French would serve as advisors for such a project. In the sample program below, students would find most useful those courses in English, History, and Spanish that provide the cultural and historical contexts within which a number of 20th-century fiction writers in the Americas came to focus in their writing on a critique of the causes and effects of scientific and technological development.

General Examination Areas:
Critical, Social, and Cultural Theory
Science Studies
Contemporary North and Latin American Fiction

Languages: Spanish and French

Coursework:

Comparative Studies
(Required) 710 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I
(Required) 711 Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies II
715 Theorizing America
716 Theorizing Culture
730 Theorizing Science and Technology
741 Theorizing Genre
790 Foundations of Contemporary Critical Theory
830 Science and Difference
845 Literature in Global Contexts
880 Culture and Capital

English
854 Seminar in 20th-century American Literature
864 Postcolonial/Transnational Literatures
890 Interdepartmental Studies in Critical Theory

French
657.01 Francophone Literature from Black Africa and the Caribbean

History
700 Studies in World History

Spanish
757 Studies in Contemporary Spanish American Literature
760 Topics in Spanish American Culture and Civilization
857 Seminar in Modern Spanish American Literature
858 Seminar in Contemporary Spanish American Literature

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X. The Graduate Minor in Comparative Cultural Studies

The Graduate Minor is designed for doctoral students in any department at Ohio State. It allows students to supplement their graduate studies with a broader understanding of the theoretical, historical, and methodological concerns related to interdisciplinary studies of cultural and cross-cultural issues. The Graduate Minor requires 20 credit hours of coursework to include Comparative Studies 710 and 711, Approaches to Comparative Cultural Studies I and II, which examine the history and theory of comparative and interdisciplinary studies of culture. Ten additional credits are to be chosen from the Department’s 600-800-level courses in Comparative Studies. The latter are chosen according to the specific interests of each student, upon consultation with the student’s own advisor and the Minor Program advisor. No more than one 600-level course may count toward the Graduate Minor, and no course counted for the Minor may be counted in the student’s own departmental degree program. Graduate students may enroll in the Graduate Minor in Comparative Cultural Studies by completing the Graduate Minor Program Form available in the Comparative Studies office, 451 Hagerty Hall.

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XI. Graduate Courses in the Department of Comparative Studies

The courses listed below are offered for graduate credit in the Department of Comparative Studies. It should be noted that the content of topics courses varies widely from quarter to quarter, as does the content of many of the courses offered by other departments (see Web site for quarterly topics http://comparativestudies.osu.edu/courses/). Students should keep themselves apprised of quarterly offerings in relevant departments and should consult with faculty advisers on a regular basis to take best advantage of course offerings both in Comparative Studies and in other departments.

As noted in Section VII.1. above, all Comparative Studies students take coursework outside the Department of Comparative Studies. Students are not limited to particular departments in order to fulfill this requirement, and are encouraged to take full advantage of the wide range of coursework available to them at this University. Associated Faculty also frequently offer courses in their home departments that are of interest to Comparative Studies students.

Comparative Studies courses are described in the Course Offerings Bulletin (http://www.ureg.ohio-state.edu/courses/) as follows (all courses are five credits unless otherwise noted):

620 APPROACHES TO THE STUDY OF RELIGION Survey and comparison of concepts, categories, theories, and methods used by various disciplines in the study of religion.

641 THE JAPANESE RELIGIOUS TRADITION A survey of the Japanese tradition, including Shinto, Buddhism, Taoism, New-Confucianism, and folk religion from the 6th century B.C.E. to the present.

645 STUDIES IN KOREAN-AMERICAN LITERATURE (repeatable to 10 credits) Critical study of Korean-American literature and literary genres of the twentieth century, with particular attention to historical, social, and cultural contexts.

648 STUDIES IN ORALITY AND LITERACY Examination of major theories of writing and of oral omposition and transmission, in juxtaposition to case material deriving from a variety of Middle Eastern cultures.

**651 TOPICS IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES (repeatable to 15 credits) Critical study of selected themes and topics in a comparative and cross-cultural perspective; emphasis on issues of method, critical theory, representation, power, knowledge, and authority.

660 MODERNISM: ITS ORIGINS AND DEVELOPMENT IN TWENTIETH-CENTURY CULTURE AND POLITICS Origins and development of the modernist sensibility in 20^th-Century art, literature, social theory, and politics.

665 STUDIES IN JAPANESE AMERICAN LITERATURE (repeatable to 10 credits) Critical study of modern Japanese-American literature in historical and cultural context; topics vary: literature of the internment, gender and identity politics, genre studies, women’s writing.

672 POETRY AND POLITICS IN THE TWENTIETH-CENTURY MEDITERRANEAN Exploration of several poets and poetic traditions around the Mediterranean in relation to modern political struggles; resistance to fascism; dilemmas of imperialism and underdevelopment.

**677 STUDIES IN WORLD FOLKLORE (each subdivision repeatable to 10 credits)

677.01 GENRES OF FOLK LITERATURE Historical and cross-cultural study of genre theory. Comparative study of specific genres of folk literature: e.g., fairy tales, folktales, legends, epics, and jokes.

677.02 THEMES IN WORLD FOLKLORE Cross-cultural, cross-genre study of folklore themes: e.g., folklore of sex, folklore of religion. Multidisciplinary perspective employs anthropological, psychological, and literary theory.

677.03 FOLK CUSTOM, ART, AND MATERIAL CULTURE Study of folk customs, arts, and material culture. Theoretical emphasis on structural affinities of these with other folk forms, including verbal art, ritual, festival, folk religion.

677.04 COMPARATIVE FOLK GROUPS Comparative study of ethnic, regional, religious, kin, occupational, age, or sex groups. Emphasis on range of historical and contemporary theoretical perspectives used to understand groups.

678 STUDIES IN CHINESE-AMERICAN LITERATURE (repeatable to 10 credits) Critical study of modern Chinese-American literature in historical and cultural context. Topics vary: gender issues, genre studies, women’s writing.

693 INDIVIDUAL STUDIES (1-10; repeatable to 15 credits) Designed to give able students an opportunity to pursue special studies not otherwise offered.

**694 GROUP STUDIES (3-5; repeatable to 15 credits) Groups of students are given an opportunity to pursue special studies not otherwise offered.

697 STUDY AT A FOREIGN INSTITUTION (1-15) An opportunity for students to study at a foreign institution and receive Ohio State credit for that work.

698 STUDY TOUR (1-15) Specific content, location, quarter(s) of offering, and prerequisites vary; contact department office for details.

706 COMPLEX ETHNOGRAPHY Critical analysis of relationships among the researcher, object of research, framing knowledge, and political context of ethnographic work.

*710 APPROACHES TO COMPARATIVE CULTURAL STUDIES I Historical perspectives on modernity and difference: introduces the issues and methods involved in situating and comparing authoritative discourses (literary, religious, scientific) and other cultural processes. REQUIRED.

*711 APPROACHES TO COMPARATIVE CULTURAL STUDIES II Contemporary practices of contextualization and comparison: explores issues and methods involved in situating and comparing authoritative discourses (literary, religious, scientific) and other cultural processes. REQUIRED.

715 THEORIZING AMERICA Interdisciplinary study of culture, identity, and representation in the U.S.

716 THEORIZING CULTURE Examines the concept of culture as it has developed over time; emphasis on tension between descriptive and normative approaches.

725 THEORIZING RELIGION Examines relationships between religion and other domains in a cross-cultural, comparative framework with attention to theoretical models and particular texts and traditions.

730 THEORIZING SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY Introduction to comparative and cultural studies of science and technology.

739 COMPARATIVE CONSTITUTIONAL POLITICS Compares consititutions and constitutionalism across cultures and through different disciplines with special attention to how people make claims to secure their rights and interests.

741 THEORIZING GENRE (repeatable to 15 credits) Comparative studies of genre theory and specific genres, (e.g., epic, novel, autobiography, film genres) in cultural context.

752 RACE AND CITIZENSHIP: FORMATIONS IN CRITICAL RACE THEORY Critical analysis of concepts of law, e.g., a value-free legal code, universality of legal concepts, equitable enforcement; emphasis on U.S.

760 THEORIZING PERFORMANCE Advanced introduction to the field of performance studies; theory and practice of expressive social behaviors, including theatre, dance, ritual, sport, and embodied practices of everyday life.

CS/ENGLISH 770 INTRODUCTION TO GRADUATE STUDY IN FOLKLORE A two-course sequence in current scholarship and methods necessary for advanced study in folklore.

770.01 APPROACHES AND RESEARCH METHODS Bibliography, research, and critical approaches for the advanced study of folklore.

770.02 FIELD RESEARCH Methods and theory of field research and field ethics necessary for advanced study in folklore.

770.03 THE ETHNOGRAPHY OF COMMUNICATION Ethnographic approaches to social interaction and performance; the speech community; the communicative economy.

781 STUDIES IN WOMEN’S HISTORY An intensive reading course designed to prepare graduate students in women's history in a comparative framework.

790 FOUNDATIONS OF CONTEMPORARY CRITICAL THEORY Interdisciplinary survey of the theoretical bases of major contemporary approaches to the study of literature; readings in Marx, Freud, Derrida, Cixous, and others.

**792 INTERDEPARTMENTAL STUDIES IN THE HUMANITIES (3-5; repeatable to 15 credits) Two or more departments present colloquia on subjects of mutual interest; topics to be announced.

798 THESIS SEMINAR (3) Writing seminar for second-year students in the Comparative Studies graduate program. Open only to Comparative Studies graduate students.

820 COMPARATIVE SACRED ARCHITECTURE Explores the diversity of natural and built environments designed for various religious purposes in different cultural and historical contexts.

825 SACRED BIOGRAPHY AND THE CULT OF THE SAINTS Explores issues and problems in the study of sacred biography and the cult of the saints; focus on both Christian and cross-cultural contexts.

826 RELIGION AND SEXUALITY Examines relationships between religion and sexuality in a cross-cultural, comparative framework with attention to theoretical models as well as particular texts and traditions.

827 RELIGION AND POLITICS Explores relationships across political and religious institutions and practices; topic varies.

830 SCIENCE AND DIFFERENCE Explores scientific constructions of difference (racial, gender, sexual, cultural) and the consequences of difference for the making of science.

841 WOMEN’S AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL WRITING Maps diverse modes and practices of women’s life writing by considering both theoretical works and autobiographical writing.

845 LITERATURE IN GLOBAL CONTEXTS (repeatable to 15 credits) Discussion of literary texts, cultural-political documents, and theoretical discourses in global contexts.

850 WEXNER CENTER SEMINAR (1-5; repeatable to 15 credits) Graduate seminar offered in conjunction with Wexner Center exhibitions, performance series, or symposia; may be taught by visiting artists, performers, or critics.

862 PERFORMANCE AND POLITICS (repeatable to 15 credits) Analyzes role of performance in relation to political processes and cultural production.

880 CULTURE AND CAPITAL (repeatable to 15 credits) Examines the concept of culture as it has developed over time; emphasis on tension between descriptive and normative approaches.

**890 INTERDEPARTMENTAL STUDIES IN CRITICAL THEORY (repeatable to 10 credits) Interdisciplinary study of a movement (phenomenology, deconstruction, etc.) or problem (intentionality, evaluation, etc.) in literary theory.

996 RESEARCH IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES: CANDIDACY EXAMINATION (Arr) Research in preparation for Ph.D. exams.

998 RESEARCH IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES: THESIS (Arr) Research for master’s thesis. [Not to be included in 50 required coursework credit hours.]

999 RESEARCH IN COMPARATIVE STUDIES: DISSERTATION (Arr) Research for dissertation.

*Required
**Topics in these interdisciplinary courses vary widely from quarter to quarter.
Graduate courses offered in 2004-05 include the following:

Dogen’s Zen Philosophy (Thomas Kasulis)
Travelers, Tourists, Tricksters (Sabra Webber)
Theorizing the Public (Rick Livingston)
Citizenship, Politics and Social Movements (Tanya Erzen)
Critical Pedagogy (Hugh Urban)
Mesoamerican Religions—Before the Encounter with Europeans: Cosmovision and Ceremonial Centers and Since the Encounter with Europeans: Indigeneity and/or Hybridity (two-quarter sequence, Lindsay Jones)
Politics of Culture in Latin America: Theory and Performance (Katey Borland)
Cultural Translation and Transmission (Margaret Mills, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures)
Kukai and Shingon Buddhist Philosophy (Thomas Kasulis)
Women’s Autobiographical Writing (Julia Watson)
Literature in Global Contexts: Modernization, Violence, Nation (Nina Berman)
Reading the Postcolonial (Kwaku Korang)
Magic and Religion (Michael Swartz, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures)
Islam and Popular Practice in West and South Asia (Margaret Mills, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures)
Complex Ethnography of the Present (Tim Choy)
Translation Studies (Dick Davis, Near Eastern Languages and Cultures
Culture and Capital (Philip Armstrong)
God/gods and Belief (Brian Rotman)
Methods of Complex Ethnography (Tim Choy).

See also http://comparativestudies.osu.edu/courses/courses_grad_all1.cfm.

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XII. Financial Aid

The University makes financial aid available on a competitive basis to prospective graduate students in the form of fellowships and graduate associateships. All applicants who want to be considered for any kind of financial aid must check the appropriate box on the Graduate School admissions application.

Fellowships. All fellowship consideration is conducted at University-wide levels. Students with exceptional academic records may be nominated by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee for consideration for the award of a University Fellowship or, for students who are members of underrepresented groups, a Graduate Enrichment Fellowship by the Graduate School. Special Graduate Enrichment Fellowships may also be considered for members of underrepresented groups who show evidence of high potential for graduate study, but whose previous education requires supplementary coursework.

The stipend for University fellows runs for 12 months; resident and nonresident fees are waived. Graduate fellows must enroll for at least 15 hours of graduate credit each quarter they hold an appointment and must be in residence at The Ohio State University. The Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee does not permit graduate fellows in the M.A. program to hold any other type of employment with one exception: fellows may hold a concurrent Graduate Associateship at a maximum of 25% time. Students must continue to meet all fellowship requirements.

Please consult the Graduate School Web site (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu/) and the Graduate School Handbook (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu/), Section II.9, for further information on graduate fellowships.
Graduate Associateships. Graduate Teaching, Graduate Research, and Graduate Administrative Associateships (GTAs, GRAs, and GAAs) are available through University departments, centers, and other units. Duties and responsibilities of GAs appointed by units other than the Department of Comparative Studies are determined by the employing unit.
1. Graduate Teaching Associateships. A small number of Graduate Teaching Associateships are available through the Department of Comparative Studies, and these positions are offered to especially qualified candidates. Students are also encouraged to inquire about Teaching Associateships in other departments. Applicants with backgrounds and skills of interest to a particular department (such as experience in teaching elementary foreign languages, mathematics, the sciences, or composition) should contact the appropriate graduate studies chair about the availability of GTA positions, eligibility requirements, and application procedures.
  
  Within the Department, GTAs sometimes have full responsibility for their own classes and sometimes assist faculty in teaching large lecture classes. GTAs employed as teachers will be expected to take full responsibility for all aspects of the class they are teaching. New GTAs will be observed and evaluated by Comparative Studies faculty at least once during the first quarter of teaching and at least once during the quarter in which a class is being taught for the first time. GTAs assisting faculty instructors will determine their specific duties in consultation with the instructor of the class. GTAs will be assigned office space, but in some instances may be required to share desk space with other GTAs.
  
  GTAs submit student evaluations of their performance each quarter to the Department Chair. Student and observer evaluations will be made available to GTAs, and GTAs will be expected to improve areas of weakness. If student or observer evaluations reveal serious problems with GTA performance, appropriate means of improvement will be determined in consultation with the Chair.
2. Graduate Research Associateships. Duties and responsibilities of GRAs will be determined in consultation with the faculty or staff member to whom they are assigned. Means of evaluating GRA performance are the responsibility of the faculty or staff member with whom the GRA is working. GRAs generally will not be assigned office space of their own.
3. Graduate Administrative Associateships. GAAs work as program assistants in offices throughout the University, and their duties and responsibilities are assigned by those offices. However, because there is no central listing of University-wide GAA positions, applicants themselves must often locate them. The Department brings such positions to the attention of students whenever possible. These positions are usually filled in March, April, and May, but GAA positions sometimes become available during the rest of the year, as well. Procedures for evaluation of job performance are established by the unit in which the student is employed.
Criteria for Appointment and Minimum Enrollment Requirements. To hold any Graduate Associate appointment, a student must be pursuing a graduate degree at the University; must be registered in the Graduate School for at least nine credit hours during each quarter of appointment (except Summer Quarter, when students must be registered for seven credit hours); must be in good standing in the Graduate School when the appointment or reappointment becomes effective; must maintain reasonable progress toward a graduate degree; and must certify proficiency in spoken English before assuming GTA duties involving direct student contact.

Reappointment Criteria. Reappointment as a Graduate Associate depends upon reasonable academic progress as determined by the Graduate Studies Committee, as well as satisfactory job performance. Comparative Studies students appointed by departments other than the Department of Comparative Studies are subject to the procedures and criteria of the employing unit for appointment and reappointment. Termination of employment will occur only after reasonable attempts have been made to resolve the specific problems leading to termination.

Time Limitation. Students who enroll in the graduate program with a BA and who are in pursuit of an MA will be assured of two years of funding. Students who enter with a BA and progress on for a Ph.D. will be assured of five years of funding. Students who enter with an MA and are in pursuit of a Ph.D. will be assured of four years of funding. Each of these assurances presumes that the student remains in good standing and is making sufficient progress toward her or his degree. Students may also petition for additional years of funding which will be considered on a year-by-year and case-by-case basis. The Graduate Studies Committee will decide the merit of all such petitions.

Grievances. When grievances of any kind cannot be resolved through discussion with an adviser, supervisor, the Chair of the Graduate Studies Committee, the Chair or Assistant to the Chair of the Department, or a dean of the College of Humanities, the Graduate Associate is advised to consult with Graduate School officials in order to undertake grievance procedures as established by the Council on Research and Graduate Studies.
Travel Reimbursement. All students enrolled in the M.A. program are encouraged to present papers at professional conferences and are encouraged to petition the Chair for reimbursement of travel expenses incurred for such presentations. The Department will make every effort to provide some assistance, but all reimbursement will depend on the availability of funds. The Department cannot guarantee any financial assistance for travel to conferences. In no case will students be reimbursed for attendance at a conference in which they are not formally participating as a presenter or discussant.

For further information about Graduate Associate appointments, fellowships, and financial aid in general, please consult the Graduate School Handbook (http://www.gradsch.osu.edu/), sections II.8 and II.9.

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XIII. Graduation Procedures for M.A. and Ph.D. Students

Students must submit an Application to Graduate form, which includes the date and time of the oral examination, to the Graduate School no later than the second Friday of the quarter in which graduation is expected. The form is valid only for that quarter. For M.A. students, the form must be signed by the student, the student’s thesis adviser, and the Chair of the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee. For Ph.D. students, the Application to Graduate form, also signed by the student, the student’s dissertation adviser, and the Chair of the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee, must be accompanied by the Doctoral Draft Approval/Notification of Final Oral Examination form and a completed, typed draft of the dissertation. All members of the Dissertation Committee must sign the draft approval form indicating that the student is adequately prepared to defend the dissertation. All students must be registered for at least three credits during the expected quarter of graduation.
M.A. students must successfully complete a thesis and oral examination and submit the Master’s Examination Report form to the Graduate School at least two weeks before commencement. Ph.D. students must successfully complete the dissertation and oral examination and submit the Final Oral Examination Report form to the Graduate School. Current Graduation Deadlines can be found at http://gradsch.osu.edu/.
Students are responsible for arranging a time for the oral examination that is convenient for all members of the Master’s Examination Committee or the Final Oral Examination Committee.
The final, approved copy of the master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation, with formatting approved by the Graduate School, must be submitted no later than Wednesday of the week before commencement (see current Graduation Deadlines at http://gradsch.osu.edu/ under “Forms and Publications”). Detailed instructions for formatting and submitting these documents are found in the Graduate School Handbook (http://gradsch.osu.edu/), Section III, “Guidelines for Preparing Theses, Dissertations, and D.M.A. Documents.” When submitting the final copy of the thesis to the Graduate School, students should be sure to give themselves time to correct any errors in formatting.
In addition to the above procedures, all students are responsible for fulfilling the following requirements for graduation:
1. Students must attain a cumulative point-hour ratio of at least 3.0 for all graduate credit hours taken at this university.
2. Students must fulfill all requirements established by the Comparative Studies Graduate Studies Committee as stated in this document.
3. Students must be sure that the Graduate School receives final grades by the deadline published in the Master Schedule of Classes.
4. Students must fulfill all requirements by the deadlines established by the Graduate School.
Doctoral students must also fulfill the following residence requirements:
1. a minimum of 45 graduate credit hours beyond the master’s degree at this university.
2. a minimum of three out of four consecutive quarters with an enrollment of at least ten graduate credit hours per quarter at this university.
Please consult the Graduate School Handbook (http://gradsch.osu.edu/, Section 2.5 (M.A.) and Section 2.6 (Ph.D.), for further detailed information about graduation requirements.

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XIV. Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies

Faculty in the Department of Comparative Studies are listed below, including particular areas of expertise within Comparative Studies. In parentheses are faculty members’ doctoral institutions and, when applicable, other formal departmental affiliations.

Faculty in the Department of Comparative Studies are listed below, including particular areas of expertise within Comparative Studies. In parentheses are faculty members’ doctoral institutions and, when applicable, other formal departmental affiliations.

Philip Armstrong (Ph.D. in History of Art, University of California at Los Angeles) is Assistant Professor in Comparative Studies. He has published widely in the areas of visual arts and critical theory. He is presently writing on the concept of networks and theories of community.

Associate Professor in Comparative Studies and the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Nina Berman (Ph.D. in German, University of California, Berkeley) is interested in 20th-century culture and literature (modernity, postcolonial novel, minority literature, drama); nationalism, colonialism, orientalism; Germany and the Middle East, Middle Ages to present; 19th and 20th century Germany and Africa. Her publications include Impossible Missions? German Economic, Military, and Humanitarian Efforts in Africa (Lincoln: U of Nebraska P, 2004) and Orientalismus, Kolonialismus und Moderne: Zum Bild des Orients in der deutschsprachigen Kultur um 1900 (Stuttgart: Metzler, 1997).

Associate Professor Katherine Borland (Newark Campus; Ph.D. in Folklore, Indiana University) is interested in the politics of culture, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean, and women's cultural expression. She has written a number of articles on folklore revivals, festival enactments, oral narrative, literacy, and Latino/a folklore, as well as a book of immigration narratives from Latin American and Caribbean-born poultry workers in rural Delaware.

Assistant Professor Theresa Delgadillo (Ph.D. in English, University of California, Los Angeles) works in the areas of comparative ethnic literary and cultural studies, particularly Chicano/a and Latino/a studies, as well as gender studies. She is currently completing a manuscript on the interrelationships among religion, spirituality, gender, sexuality, race, and nation in contemporary Chicana narratives. She has published articles in American Quarterly, Revista de la Universidad de México, Modern Fiction Studies and Studies in American Indian Literature and has contributed chapters to several books in Chicana/o and Latino/a studies.

Assistant Professor Tanya Erzen (Ph.D. in American Studies, New York University) teaches courses in American religion and culture; gender and religion, the ethnography and sociology of religion; religion and the media; and gender and sexuality studies. Her research interests include conservative religious and political movements in the United States, the relationship between sexuality and religion, and the U.S. and global Christian Right. She is working on a book entitled Straight to Jesus: The Ex-Gay Movement and the Transformation of the Christian Right and a project on faith-based initiatives and the relationship between therapy and evangelicalism.

Professor of Comparative Studies and French, Eugene Holland (Ph.D. in French, University of California, San Diego) specializes in social theory and modern French literature, history, and culture. In addition to a number of articles on poststructuralist theory and particularly the work of Gilles Deleuze, he has published a book on Baudelaire and Schizoanalysis: The Sociopoetics of Modernism (Cambridge University Press, 1993) and an Introduction to Schizoanalysis (Routledge, 1999), and is currently working on a book on global citizenship.

Professor David Horn (Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of California, Berkeley), Chair of the Department of Comparative Studies, is interested in cultural studies of science and medicine, the history of the body, and practices of social description. His most recent book is The Criminal Body: Lombroso and the Anatomy of Deviance (New York: Routledge, 2003), focused on nineteenth-century Italian human sciences. He is currently working on a study of anthropologies of writing.

Professor Lindsay Jones (Ph.D. in History of Religions, University of Chicago) has a broad interest in most aspects of the cross-cultural study of religion, with special concerns for sacred architecture and for the cultures and religions of Mesoamerica. He is author of Twin City Tales: A Hermeneutical Reassessment of Tula and Chíchén Itzá (University Press of Colorado, 1995) and The Hermeneutics of Sacred Architecture: Experience, Interpretation, Comparison (Harvard University Press, 2000), two volumes; and co-editor with Davíd Carrasco and Scott Sessions of Mesoamerica's Classic Heritage: From Teotihuacan to the Aztecs (UP of Colorado, 1999). He is editor in chief of the second edition of Mircea Eliade's Encyclopedia of Religion (Macmillan, 2005).

A scholar of both Western philosophy and comparative religion, Professor Thomas Kasulis (Ph.D. in Philosophy, Yale University) is past chair of Comparative Studies. He has written numerous books and scholarly articles on Japanese religious thought and Western philosophy, including Zen Action/Zen Person (University of Hawaii Press, 1989) and Intimacy or Integrity: Philosophy and Cultural Difference (University of Hawaii Press, 2002). He has co-edited for SUNY Press a three-volume series comparing Asian and Western ideas of self in different cultural arenas: Self as Body in Asian Theory and Practice (1993), Self as Person in Asian Theory and Practice (1994), and Self as Image in Asian Theory and Practice (1998), as well as The Recovery of Philosophy in America: Essays in Honor of John Edwin Smith (1997). He has recently published a book on Japanese Shinto, Shinto: The Way Home (University of Hawaii, 2004), and is currently working on a historical survey of Japanese philosophy and a companion sourcebook of readings in Japanese philosophy.

Associate Professor Kwaku Larbi Korang's (Departments of African American and African Studies and Comparative Studies; Ph.D. in English, University of Alberta) teaching and research interests are in postcolonial literatures, British and African literatures, postcolonial and critical theory, nationalism and modernity, and transatlantic Pan-Africanism. His first book is Writing Ghana, Imagining Africa: Nation and African Modernity (University of Rochester, 2003).

A recipient of numerous research grants and author of three books, Professor Franklin Proaño (Marion Campus; Ph.D. in Spanish, The Ohio State University, Doctor in Humanities, Catholic University of Quito, Ecuador) is interested in contemporary Latin American literature, women's studies, and Spanish creative writing. He has written many scholarly articles on Latin American literature, most recently a book on Latin American women's poetry, La Poesía Femenina Actual de Sudamérica (Scripta Humanistica, 1993).

Professor Daniel Reff (Ph.D. in Anthropology, University of Oklahoma) is an anthropologist and ethnohistorian of colonial Latin America with a particular interest in European and Indian relations and Spanish missionary texts. His first book, Disease, Depopulation, and Culture Change in Northwestern New Spain, 1518-1764 (University of Utah Press, 1991), explores the dynamics of Jesuit and Indian relations in what is today northern Mexico and the American southwest. He is co-author of a critical edition of Andrés Perez de Ribas' History of the Triumphs of Our Holy Faith (1645) (University of Arizona Press, 1999). Professor Reff just recently completed a comparative study of the rise of Christianity in the late Roman Empire and colonial Mexico, titled Plagues, Priests & Demons: Sacred Narratives and the Rise of Christianity in the Old World and the New (Cambridge University Press, 2004). He is currently working on a book that explores the construction of Japanese identity in Jesuit missionary texts and through public performances by Japanese converts who "toured" Catholic Europe in 1584-85.

Brian Rotman (Ph.D. in Mathematics, London University) is Professor of Comparative Studies and Distinguished Humanities Professor. He is interested in cultural studies of mathematics, particularly in how signs (linguistic, pictorial, symbolic, gestural) achieve their discursive effects and how mathematical inscriptional practices facilitate and alter human consciousness. He is author of several books, including Signifying Nothing: the Semiotics of Zero (UK: Macmillan, 1987; 1993), Ad Infinitum . . . the Ghost in Turing's Machine: Taking God out of Mathematics and Putting the Body Back in (Stanford University Press, 1993), and Mathematics as Sign: Writing, Imagining, Counting (Stanford UP, 2000).

Professor Barry Shank's (Ph.D. in American Studies, University of Pennsylvania) research is in cultural theory, U.S. cultural and intellectual history, mass media and popular culture, consumerism, and jazz and popular music. His first book is Dissonant Identities: The Rock'n'Roll Scene in Austin, Texas (Wesleyan UP, 1994); his second is A Token of My Affection: Greeting Cards and American Business Culture (Columbia UP, 2004). He is currently working on the transnational exchange of concepts of abstraction and embodiment in various art and popular movements of the 1950s and 1960s, focusing on musicians and artists such as Yoko Ono, Henry Flynt, Toru Takemitsu, George Brecht, Dick Higgins, Toshi Ichiyanagi, and John Cage.

Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies and French, Louisa Shea (Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Harvard University) is interested in the intersection between literature and philosophy, especially debates in and about the Enlightenment, skepticism, and tragedy. She is just completing her first book manuscript, Diogenes in the Salon, or the Cynic Enlightenment, on the vagaries of Cynic philosophy in the eighteenth century and in contemporary critical thought. Her next project is entitled, Collecting Ruins: From Hubert Robert to Walter Benjamin, a book-length study of ruins as source and metaphor for the building of museums and the role of the art collector and critic in society.

Associate Professor Maurice E. Stevens (Ph.D. in History of Consciousness, University of California, Santa Cruz) works in the areas of American, ethnic, critical gender, and cultural studies. He is particularly interested in the formation of American identities in and through visual culture and performance, and in historical memory in relation to trauma theory, critical race theory, psychoanalytic theory, and popular cultural performance. He is currently working on a book manuscript tentatively titled "From the Past Imperfect: Towards a Critical Trauma Theory."

Ruby C. Tapia (Departments of Women's Studies and Comparative Studies; Ph.D. in Ethnic Studies, University of California at San Diego) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Women's Studies. She is currently working on a book entitled "Conceiving Images: Racialized Visions of the Maternal," and her areas of research interest are visual culture, feminist theory, and ethnic studies.

John Troyer (Ph.D in Discourse and Society, University of Minnesota) is Visiting Assistant Professor of Comparative Studies. His research focuses on the history of science and technology, bioethics, and the human corpse. His recent dissertation (2006), "Technologies of the Human Corpse," won the 2006 University of Minnesota Best Dissertation Award in the Arts and Humanities and has been nominated for the 2007 National Council of Graduate Schools Best Dissertation Award in the Arts and Humanities.

Professor Hugh B. Urban (Ph.D. in History of Religions, University of Chicago) is interested in the study of secrecy in religion, particularly in relation to questions of knowledge and power. His primary area of research is India, particularly during the colonial and post-colonial periods, but he is also interested in the spread of Indian and other religious movements to the United States. He is the author of four books: The Economics of Ecstasy: Secrecy and Symbolic Power in Colonial Bengal (Oxford UP, 2001); Songs of Ecstasy: Tantric and Devotional Songs from Colonial Bengal (Oxford UP, 2001); Tantra: Sex, Secrecy, Politics and Power in the Study of Religion (U California P, 2003); Magia Sexualis: Sex, Magic and Liberation in Modern Western Esotericism (UCalifornia P, 2006); and The Secrets of the Kingdom: Religion and Secrecy in the Bush Administration (Rowman & Littlefield, 2007). He is currently working on a comparative study of secrecy and religion in various cultural contexts, from colonial India to contemporary American politics.

Associate Professor Julia Watson (Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, University of California, Irvine) specializes in studies of autobiographical narrative. Her research and teaching interests include feminist theory and women's writing, as well as twentieth-century postcolonial West African, multicultural U.S., and German narrative. She has, with Sidonie Smith, co-written Reading Autobiography: A Guide to Interpreting Life Narrative (University of Minnesota Press, 2001) and co-edited four collections: De/Colonizing the Subject: The Politics of Gender in Women's Autobiography (University of Minnesota Press, 1992); Getting a Life: The Everyday Uses of Autobiography (University of Minnesota Press, 1996); Women, Autobiography, Theory: A Reader (University of Wisconsin Press, 1998) and Interfaces: Women, Autobiography, Image, Performance (University of Michigan Press, 2002). Their collection, Unusual Subjects: American Women's Personal Narratives, 1819-1919 (University of Wisconsin Press) is in preparation. Professor Watson is publishing two essays on Charlotte Salomon and finishing a book on autoethnographic writing and reading practices.

Associate Professor Sabra Webber (Departments of Near Eastern Languages and Cultures and Comparative Studies; Ph.D. in Anthropology, Folklore, University of Texas) is past Chair of Comparative Studies. She is a specialist in folklore, ethnography, and the Arab world, especially Egypt and the Maghrib. Her book, the award-winning Romancing the Real: Folklore and Ethnographic Representation in North Africa (University of Pennsylvania Press, 1991), demonstrates the crucial role contemporary folklore theory plays in both historical and ethnographic studies, including studies in the third and postcolonial world. She has published articles on a range of issues, including canonicity, subaltern studies, and the position of women in the Middle East, and is the recipient of numerous national research awards.

Also teaching in the Department of Comparative Studies:

Senior Lecturer Nancy Jesser (Ph.D. University of North Carolina) is interested in the intersection of science, culture and power, especially as it informs technologies of everyday life. She has a book manuscript under review, "Troubling Worlds," which examines the role of sexual violence in women's fantasy works of the 1970s and 1980s, the US rape crisis center movement, and feminist theories of empowerment. She has published several articles on the science fiction and fantasy works of Toni Morrison, Octavia Butler and Sheri Tepper, among others. Her current research is on the North American "wild foods" and "slow foods" movements and foraging in the contemporary cultural, agricultural, and political setting. Her teaching focuses on the critical and cultural study of scientific, technological, and medical practices. She has also published poetry and fiction.

The work of Rick Livingston (Ph.D. in Comparative Literature, Yale University) focuses on twentieth-century literature, literary and cultural theory, and postcolonial literature, with a particular interest in South Asia, and he has published a number of articles in these areas. He is also serving as the Associate Director of Ohio State's Institute for Collaborative Research and Public Humanities.

Margaret Lynd's (Ph.D. in English, The Ohio State University) interests are in narrative, modern and postmodern literature, critical theory, and literatures of the Americas. She is also Assistant to the Chair, the Department's coordinator of academic programs, and student adviser.

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XVI. Associated Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies

Associated Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies represent different colleges and departments across the University. The faculty listed below share an interest in comparative studies of different cultural domains. All are affiliated with the Department by virtue of those interests and many frequently teach for the Department.

Humanities Distinguished Professor Adélékè Adéèkó (Ph.D., University of Florida) in the Department of English specializes in African and African American Literature and postcolonial studies. His most recent book is The Slave's Rebellion: Literature, History, Orature (Indiana University Press, 2005). Current projects include an exploration of the ways language use is expected to change social experience in African American poetry; a second examines the many transformations of the panegyric in contemporary southwestern Nigerian culture.

Professor of Spanish in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Maureen Ahern (Ph.D. Universidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, Perú) works in several areas: indigenous and colonial cultures and literatures of Mexico and Perú; translation theory and literary translation; and Latin American women writers. Her current research projects are a book on mapping and narrating first contacts between indigenous and Hispanic peoples on Mexico's northern frontiers and a study of the visual and verbal construction of frontier martyrdom in colonial Latin America. In addition to publishing widely in these fields, she has translated and edited a number of contemporary Mexican and Peruvian literary texts, including A Rosario Castellanos Reader (University of Texas Press, 1988) and Five Quechua Poets (The American Society/Latin American Literary Review Press, 1998). She is co-translator of Andrés de Ribas, S. J., History of the Triumphs of Our Holy Faith (1645) (University of Arizona Press, 1999), a history of the Jesuit missionary enterprise in northwestern Mexico, 1590-1645, and she is a contributing editor to the Handbook for Latin American Studies (Library of Congress).

Frederick Luis Aldama (Ph.D. Stanford) is a Professor in the Department of English who teaches Chicano/a, Latino/a, and Postcolonial literature and film. He is the author of several books, including Dancing With Ghosts: A Critical Biography of Arturo Islas (U California, 2004); Postethnic Narrative Criticism (U Texas, 2003); Spilling the Beans in Chicanolandia: Conversations with Artists and Writers (U Texas, 2006); and Brown on Brown: Chicano/a Representations of Gender, Sexuality, and Ethnicity (U Texas 2005). He is editor of Arturo Islas: The Uncollected Works (Arte Publico, 2003), and Critical Mappings of Arturo Islas's Narrative Fictions (Bilingual Review, 2005). His articles and interviews have appeared in such journals as Aztlán, College Literature, Poets & Writers, World Literature Today, Cross Cultural Poetics, Lit: Literature Interpretation Theory, Lucero, Comparative Literature, Callaloo, Nepantla, Journal of Interdisciplinary Literary Analysis, American Literature, Latin American Research Review, Modern Fiction Studies, and Modern Drama. Professor Aldama's Web site: www.humanitiesretooled.org.

Assistant Professor in the Department of History, Leslie M. Alexander (Ph.D. Cornell University) is a specialist in African American and American history. Her teaching and research interests focus on African Americans in the early national and antebellum eras. She is particularly interested in examining culture, nationalism, the creation of community, and the development of political organizations among African Americans. Her forthcoming book manuscript is entitled "African or American?: Black Identity and Political Activism in New York City, 1784-1861," and explores Black culture, identity, and political activism during the early national and antebellum eras. She has also done work on the civil rights and black power eras, including a contribution to a book on Malcolm X.

Chadwick Allen (Ph.D. University of Arizona) is Associate Professor in the Department of English. His areas of interest are post-colonial literatures and theory; American Indian and New Zealand Maori literatures and cultures; and frontier studies and western literature. He has published articles on postcolonial theory, the discourse of treaties, and the construction of contemporary American Indian and Maori identities. His book is entitled, Blood Narrative: Indigenous Identity in American Indian and Maori Literary and Activist Texts (Duke UP, 2002).

Assistant Professor in the Department of Greek and Latin, Georgios Anagnostu's (Ph.D. The Ohio State University) research and teaching interests are in diaspora; immigration, ethnicity and race; and Greek and Greek American culture and society. Recent publications include, "The Politics of Metaethnography in the Age of 'Popular Folklore'" (Journal of American Folklore); "Forget the Past, Remember the Ancestors! Modernity, 'Whiteness,' American Hellenism, and the Politics of Memory in Early Greek America" (Journal of Modern Greek Studies); "Private Heirlooms, Public Memories: Tradition and Greek America as Translation," (Gramma: A Journal of Theory and Criticism); and "'That Imagination Called Hellenism': Connecting Greek Worlds, Past and Present, in Greek America." (Classical Bulletin).

Associate Professor in the School of Music and the Department of African American and African Studies, Daniel Avorgbedor (Ph.D. Indiana University) is interested in patterns of African continuities in the African diaspora (music, dance, language use, religion, material culture, aesthetics); performance and creativity in contemporary African churches; urban ethnomusicology; and performance as a site for negotiating ethnic identities in African urban centers.

James R. Bartholomew (Ph.D. Stanford University) is Professor of modern Japanese history in the Department of History. He is particularly interested in the history of science in Japan and in other countries historically less central to the scientific enterprise, and has taught senior seminars in which students are required to study the history of science only in areas outside the U.S. after 1900 and most of western Europe. He has published a number of articles on the development of science in Japan. His current book project is a study of Japan's involvement with Nobel science prizes. His 1989 book, The Formation of Science in Japan: Building a Research Tradition (Yale University Press), received the1992 Pfizer Award of the History of Science Society and was issued in paperback in February 1993. He was awarded a John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Fellowship for 2001-02 and a National Science Foundation Fellowship for 2003-2005 to support his research on Japan and the Nobel science prizes.

William W. Batstone (Ph.D. University of California, Berkeley) is Associate Professor and past Chair of the Department of Greek and Latin. A specialist in literature of the late Roman republic, his broader interests include rhetoric and poetics, especially in the relationship of contemporary theories of reading to issues of aesthetics. Recent projects include "Catullus, Bakhtin and the problem of Dialogic Lyric" in Bakhtin and the Classics (Northwestern University Press, 2002) and "Plautine Freedoms: On the Value of Farce and Metatheatre" (in a Festscrhift for William S. Anderson, edited by W. Batstone and G. Tissol). Both essays are part of a project that explores the performance of self in ancient lyric, comedy, oratory, and satire as they relate to Lacan and Bakhtin. He is a contributor to Companion to the Roman Republic (Blackwell Companions to the Ancient World, 2006) and co-author, with Cynthia Damon, of Caesar's Civil War (Oxford Approaches to Classical Literature, 2006). Other ongoing projects include a book on the Roman female poet Sulpicia.

Alan Beyerchen (Ph.D. University of California, Santa Barbara) is Associate Professor in the Department of History specializing in nineteenth and twentieth century German history. His publications have ranged from studies of the early 19th-century military theorist Carl von Clausewitz, through the cultural matrix of science and technology in the German Empire, to the complex political environment of scientists in the Third Reich, to the economic competitiveness of German industry at the end of the 20th century. His research centers on the web of relationships among science, technology, and the values of modernity and his emphasis in teaching is on cultural history, broadly conceived.

Vorman-Anderson Professor of Nordic Languages and Literatures in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, Marilyn Johns Blackwell (Ph.D. University of Washington) specializes in Scandinavian studies and has published extensively on Scandinavian film and drama. Her most recent book is Gender and Representation in the Films of Ingmar Bergman (Camden House, 1997), and she is currently working on a study of spectatorship and spectacle in the dramas of August Strindberg.

Brenda Brueggemann (Ph.D. University of Louisville) is Associate Professor in the Department of English and an Associate Faculty for Women's Studies. She has particular interests in Deaf and Disability Studies, the rhetoric and writing of science and its contribution to the construction of differences, the ethical considerations of conducting research involving human subjects, and creative non-fiction. She has published articles on the ethics of qualitative research, issues of diversity, and disability studies in the humanities and has a book, Lend Me Your Ear: Rhetorical Constructions of Deafness (Gallaudet Press, 1999). She is co-editor of Disability Studies: Enabling the Humanities (MLA, 2002); editor of, and contributor to, Literacy and Deaf People: Cultural and Contextual Perspectives (Gallaudet UP, 2004); and series editor for Gallaudet University Press' "Deaf Lives" series (autobiography and biography).

Associate Professor in the Department of Women's Studies, Cynthia Burack (Ph.D. University of Maryland) is the author of The Problem of the Passions: Feminism, Psychoanalysis, and Social Theory (New York University Press, 1994) and coeditor of Fundamental Differences: Feminists Reply to Social Conservatives, (with Jyl J. Josephson, Rowman and Littlefield, 2003). She has written essays on feminist political psychology, feminist critiques of social conservatism, ethnic studies, and sexuality studies and recently published Healing Identities: Black Feminist Thought and the Politics of Groups (Cornell UP, 2004). Her new book on the Christian right, Sin, Sex, Democracy, is scheduled to be published by SUNY Press in early 2008.

Marie Cieri (Ph.D. Rutgers, State University of New Jersey) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography, with research interests in social geography (race/ethnicity, class, gender, sexuality, age, and culture of origin); poststructuralist and feminist theory; field methods; and critical communication of geographical issues. In her current work, she combines geographic techniques and perspectives with ones drawn from the arts and humanities to create alternative representations of space and place from the perspective of populations who generally have little access to the tools and forums of the public sphere. She has published numerous essays and reports as well as two books, the most recent of which is Activists Speak Out: Reflections on the Pursuit of Change in America (2000, Palgrave/St. Martin's Press). Her current book projects are Irresolvable Geographies (based on her 2004 dissertation) and Drawing on Perception: Re-territorializing Space and Place from African-American Perspectives.

Mathew Coleman (Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles) is Assistant Professor in the Department of Geography and Fellow at the Center for Interdisciplinary Law and Policy Studies at OSU. He has research and teaching interests in political and economic geography, with a special emphasis on critical geopolitics and the politics of immigration at the Mexico-US border. His current research explores municipal immigration sanctuary laws in the US and their relationship to federal immigration legislation. He is also looking at how contemporary US immigration enforcement at home and abroad blends public and foreign policy issues and spaces into a single field of geopolitical practice and representation. He teaches a graduate seminar on empire and imperialism as well as undergraduate courses on political geography and geopolitics. He has published in journals such as Political Geography, Geopolitics, and Antipode.

Alice L. Conklin (Ph.D. Princeton University) is Associate Professor in the Department of History. She is a recipient of the Berkshire Prize for A Mission to Civilize: The Republican Idea of Empire in France and West Africa, 1895-1930 (Stanford University Press, 1997). She is currently at work on a new book project, tentatively entitled "In the Museum of Man: Ethnographic Liberalism in Paris, 1920-1950." It is a cultural, political and intellectual history of French anthropology as it moved from a primary emphasis on physical anthropology and the science of race to an interest in studying cultures from around the world "scientifically." Her current research interests are race, science and empire, histories of colonialism, and sociology of knowledge.

John Conteh-Morgan (Ph.D. Sussex University) is Associate Professor in the Departments of French and Italian and of African American and African Studies, and Editor of Research in African Literatures. His research and teaching interests are in Francophone African and Caribbean literature, especially theatre and the novel, and in performance and post-colonial studies. He has published widely in these fields and is the author of Theatre and Drama in Francophone Africa: A Critical Introduction (Cambridge University Press, 1994), co-editor of The Post-Colonial Condition of African Literature (Trenton: Africa World Press, 2000), African Drama and Performance (Indiana: Indiana University Press, 2004), and translator of Paulin Hountondji's The Struggle for Meaning: Reflections on Philosophy, Culture and Democracy in Africa (Athens: Ohio UP, 2002).

Associate Professor in the Department of Spanish and Portuguese, Ignacio Corona (Ph.D. Stanford University) specializes in Mexican and Latino/a American Cultural Studies, his latest research focuses on the intersection of journalism, political discourse and literary discourse. He is author of Después de Tlatelolco: las narrativas políticas en México (1976-1990). Un estudio de sus estrategias retóricas y representacionales (Universidad de Guadalajara, 2001), and co-editor of The Contemporary Mexican Chronicle: Theoretical Perspectives on the Liminal Genre (SUNY Press, 2002).

Associate Professor in the Department of Germanic Languages and Literatures, John E. Davidson's (Ph.D. Cornell University) research interests are in film (especially German film), contemporary critical th

.graduate

Comparative Studies

Department of Comparative Studies Graduate Handbook 2007-08

I. The Department of Comparative Studies

II. Graduate Programs in Comparative Studies

III. The Graduate Studies Committee

IV. Criteria for Admission to the Graduate Program in Comparative Studies

V. Admission Procedures and Deadlines for the M.A. and Ph.D. in Comparative Studies

VI. Requirements for the Master of Arts in Comparative Studies

VII. Sample Programs for the M.A. in Comparative Studies

VIII. Requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy in Comparative Studies

IX. Sample Programs for the Ph.D. in Comparative Studies

X. The Graduate Minor in Comparative Cultural Studies

XI. Graduate Courses in the Department of Comparative Studies

XII. Financial Aid

XIII. Graduation Procedures for M.A. and Ph.D. Students

XIV. Graduate Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies

XVI. Associated Faculty of the Department of Comparative Studies