ILAC-PHD - Iberian & Latin American Cultures (PhD)

A total of 135 units is required for the Ph.D. During each quarter preceding advancement to TGR status, students must complete (for a letter grade) at least two graduate courses (200- or 300-level) offered through the department. These are taken for at least three units each.

All courses counted towards the 135-unit requirement for the Ph.D. must be at the graduate level. 

Students should plan on taking a course with a departmental faculty member each quarter and are encouraged to take courses with as many department faculty members as possible during the first six quarters of study. While students are expected to demonstrate breadth across areas, accommodations in coursework can be made in consultation with the Department Director. 

Doctoral students in the department must take required courses for a letter grade if available, and they are expected to earn a grade of B+ or better in each course taken. Any grade of B or below is considered to be less than satisfactory. Grades of B or below are reviewed by faculty, and the following actions may be taken:

• The grade stands, and the student’s academic performance is monitored to ensure that satisfactory progress is being made

• The grade stands, and the student is required to revise and resubmit the work associated with the course

• The student may be required to retake the course

In consultation with the Department Director or their designee, students in their first year choose one major field and two minor areas of study from the following:

• A1. Medieval and Early Modern Iberian Literature and Culture

• A2. Eighteenth- and Nineteenth-Century Iberian Literature and Culture

• A3. Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Iberian Literature and Culture

• B1. Colonial and Nineteenth-Century Latin American Literature and Culture

• B2. Twentieth- and Twenty-First-Century Latin American Literature and Culture

• B3. Luso-Brazilian Literature and Culture

• C. U.S. Latinx Literature and Culture

Areas of Study Coursework:

• At least four graduate-level courses must be taken in the major field.

• Students must select one minor area from a group (A, B, C) other than their major field. 

• At least two graduate-level courses must be taken in each minor area

First Year

During autumn, winter, and spring quarters students must enroll in at least 18 graduate units. During summer quarter, students enroll in one unit of independent study with a departmental faculty member (ILAC399 Individual Work). Required coursework:

• One 200-level or above course in literary or cultural theory.

• The 300-level ILAC seminar offered each quarter.

• Four 200-level or above courses in ILAC. At least one in Latin American (including Brazilian or Latinx literature and culture) and at least one in Iberian literature and culture.

• DLCL301 The Learning and Teaching of Second Languages.

• Intermediate-high proficiency in Portuguese or Catalan (equivalent to one year of university study) by the end of spring quarter. 

Second Year

During autumn, winter, and spring quarters students must enroll in ten graduate units, including enrollment in the 300-level ILAC seminar offered each quarter. Students must complete at least two additional graduate seminars (200- or 300-level) offered in the department each quarter and enroll in DLCL311 Professional Workshop during one quarter (but attend all year). In the summer quarter, students enroll in one graduate unit of ILAC399 Individual Work with a departmental faculty member.

Third Year

During the autumn, winter, and spring quarters students who have not reached Terminal Graduate Registration (TGR) status (135 units) must enroll in ten graduate units each quarter.  Students must complete at least two graduate seminars (200- or 300-level) offered in the department each quarter until they have completed their Comprehensive Exam. In the summer quarter, students enroll in one graduate unit of ILAC399 Individual Work with their advisor.

Fourth Year

Students who have not reached TGR status must enroll in ten units of graduate work during the autumn and winter quarters of their fourth year.

Teaching is core to our program’s academic and professional training of doctoral students. As such, all students must complete three quarters of language teaching in their second year in the program as part of their degree requirements. An additional quarter of language teaching and one quarter of teaching in literature or culture are required to further pedagogical and professional skills development and as part of the student’s funding package. These courses will be determined in consultation with the Department Director and based on departmental and Language Center needs. Typically, students complete more than the required number of teaching quarters.

 A student who does not complete the five-quarter teaching requirement fails to meet academic requirements and is thus not making satisfactory academic progress.

Admission to candidacy is an important decision by the department based on the department faculty’s overall assessment of a student’s ability to complete the Ph.D. program. Students are expected to follow department qualifying procedures and apply for candidacy by the end of the second year in residence. In reviewing a student for admission to candidacy, the faculty considers a student’s academic progress, including but not limited to: 

• Advanced language proficiency

• Performance in courses and completion of required coursework

• Performance on departmental examinations and milestones

• Successful completion of teaching assistantships

• Completion of at least three units of work with each of four Stanford faculty members

In addition to successfully completing departmental requirements for years one and two a student is only admitted to candidacy if the faculty makes the judgment that the student has the potential to complete  the degree program requirements successfully. Candidacy is determined by faculty vote. Failure to be admitted to candidacy results in the student’s dismissal from the Ph.D. program.

Ph.D. candidates must take the University Oral Examination after successfully completing the Comprehensive Examination and before the end of spring quarter of their fourth year. Students with transferred credits may take this exam earlier in the fourth year. This examination is a defense of the dissertation prospectus. During the examination, the candidate speaks for approximately 20 minutes on the proposed dissertation, the methods to be used in research, and the conclusions the candidate expects to reach. Afterward, in an order established by the chair of the committee, each committee member questions the candidate further. The examination lasts no more than two hours.

The University Oral Examination committee must be finalized no later than the last week of the quarter during which the student successfully completes the Comprehensive Examination (spring of third year). See the handbook for additional details.

The doctoral dissertation should demonstrate the student’s ability to carry out original research and to organize and present the results in publishable form. A copy of the completed dissertation must be submitted to each reading committee member at least eight weeks before the university filing deadline in the quarter during which the candidate expects the Ph.D. degree to be conferred. Committee members have three weeks to read the dissertation before determining whether to approve or require changes. Ph.D. dissertations must be completed and approved within five years from admission to candidacy.

The dissertation may take different formats. The standard format in our field is a monograph comprising five chapters, including the introduction and dissertation. Depending on the topic and approach, other structures may be considered and should be discussed with the advisor as the project develops. In consultation with their advisor, students may submit a collection of three to four published or publishable articles, together with an introduction.

All students are required to have advanced-high proficiency in English and Spanish by the end of winter quarter of the third year. In addition, students specializing in Iberian literature and culture must attain intermediate-mid proficiency in Catalan and Portuguese (equivalent to two quarters of university study for each language); for students specializing in Latin American and/or U.S. Latinx literature and culture, the level of advanced-low or (C1) proficiency in Portuguese (equivalent to four quarters of university study) must be attained. Alternatively, students may study Portuguese for three quarters and Catalan or a Native American language such as Nahuatl, Quechua, or Tupi for one quarter. This requirement must be fulfilled before students take the Comprehensive Examination. Students wishing to satisfy the language requirements in Catalan and/or Portuguese may do so by passing a proficiency exam administered by the Language Center. Further explanation of the language requirements and options for satisfying them can be found in the Graduate Handbook corresponding to the first year of enrollment.