Ph.D. Program in French and Francophone and Visual Studies

Ph.D. Program in French and Francophone and Visual Studies

General Description

French and Francophone Studies graduate students who have research and educational interests in global visual culture may apply to the Dual-Title Doctoral Program in Visual Studies. The program aims to (a) provide students with the conceptual and methodological tools they will use to interpret literature, culture and society in French, Francophone and global contexts; (b) generate and analyze ground-breaking research at the intersection of such disciplines as cultural anthropology, philosophy, socio-cultural and literary history, stylistics, urbanism, visual studies, and women’s and gender studies; and (c) guide students in using their specialized knowledge and skills to produce research of publishable quality on varied sites of analysis (city, library, archive, classroom, stage, environment, among others). The program prepares graduates for college and university teaching, and careers in other related fields.

The dual-title Ph.D. in Visual Studies comprises two core components: 1) historical and theoretical analysis of various forms of visual culture, their diverse sources, and their current manifestations; 2) historical and theoretical analysis of visual media in the information age, including the visual aspects of the digital humanities and the presentation of scholarship and teaching in visual media. A program-specific required course in each of these areas will ensure breadth of training for participating students. Together these components will offer students a sophisticated understanding of and ability to intervene in debates about visual culture and visuality in the world today.

Admission Requirements

Students must apply and be admitted to the doctoral program in French and Francophone Studies and The Graduate School before they can apply for admission to the dual-title degree program. Applicants interested in the dual-title degree program may make their interest in the program known clearly in their applications to French and Francophone Studies and include remarks in their statement of purpose that address the ways in which their research and professional goals in the primary department reflect an interest in Visual Studies-related research. After admission to the doctoral program, students must apply for admission to and meet the admissions requirements of the Visual Studies dual-title program, as described in the Admission Requirements section of the Visual Studies Bulletin page. Doctoral students must be admitted into the dual-title degree program in Visual Studies prior to obtaining candidacy in the French and Francophone Studies program.

Degree Requirements

To qualify for the dual-title degree, students must satisfy the degree requirements for the Ph.D. in French and Francophone Studies, listed above. In addition, students must complete the degree requirements for the dual-title in Visual Studies, listed on the Visual Studies Bulletin page.

The Visual Studies segment of the program will consist of a total of fifteen credits, including two required courses – “Visual Culture Theory and History” and “Visual Studies in Digitality” — and three elective courses dealing with questions of visuality, chosen in consultation with the Director of Graduate Studies for French and Francophone Studies. Up to six credits may be double-counted by both the primary graduate program (FFS) and the dual-title.  All in all, students must complete a minimum of 66 post-baccalaureate credits for the Ph.D. in French and Francophone Studies and Visual Studies. Course work accepted for the M.A. in French and Francophone Studies will count towards the credit requirement.

The choice of courses in Visual Studies is to be proposed by the student, subject to approval in advance by the French and Francophone Studies and Visual Studies academic advisers. The suite of selected courses should have an integrated, intellectual thrust that probes thematic, national, or regional issues and be complementary to the student’s specialty in French and Francophone Studies.

Please note that this is a basic outline of the major steps leading to the award of a dual-title Ph.D. in French and Francophone and Visual Studies.  For more details and information, please see the Graduate Handbook.