Residence
Program of Study
Language Requirements
Seminar Papers
Incompletes
Satisfactory Progress
Teaching
General Examination
Prospectus
Dissertation
Exceptions

Residence
Minimum of two years of full-time study, i.e., 16 half-courses or the equivalent.

Program of Study
Each student’s program will be determined in consultation with his/her faculty advisor. Courses in other departments may be included whenever appropriate.

PhD in History and East Asian Languages
When applying to the PhD program in EALC, students may choose the degree in East Asian Languages and Civilizations or the degree in History and East Asian Languages (HEAL). Students in the latter program are overseen by EALC’s Committee on the PhD in History and East Asian Languages, which includes faculty from both the Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations and the Department of History. The requirements for both degrees are similar, the principal difference being that students in HEAL must earn a passing grade in the first-year colloquium (History 3910) offered in the Department of History.

Language Requirements (to be completed before taking the General Examination)
Students who have not completed the equivalent of the language requirement for the Master’s Degree must do so within their first two years of study. Depending on the student’s regional specialization, the AM language requirement is made up of one of the three following options, met by formal coursework or its approved equivalent:

China: Third-year level in modern Chinese; second-year level in literary Chinese; first-year level
in modern Japanese or, upon approval of the advisor and Director of Graduate Studies (DGS),
another East Asian language.

Japan: Fourth-year level in modern Japanese; first-year level in classical Japanese; first-year level in literary Chinese. Note: With the approval of the advisor and DGS, an extra year (two half-courses) of classical Japanese may be substituted for the fourth year of modern Japanese.

Korea: Third-year level in modern Korean; second-year level in modern Japanese; and, in some
cases, first-year level in literary Chinese.

The language requirements for the PhD involve additional advanced work in a second East Asian language. Depending upon a student’s regional specialization, this is typically defined as follows:

China: Third-year level in modern Japanese.

Japan: First-year level in literary Chinese (for students of modern Japan) or second-year level in literary Chinese (for students of pre-modern Japan).

Korea: Third-year level in modern Japanese and/or second-year level in literary Chinese.

Substitutions and exceptions to these requirements must be approved by both the advisor and the DGS.

In most cases, students satisfy language requirements through coursework, either completed prior to entry to the PhD, or after enrolling at Harvard, whether in regular term courses or in courses taken during the summer. These latter may be taken at Harvard or at accredited programs elsewhere in the US or abroad. A minimum grade of B- is expected in any language course to be applied toward language requirements. Some students may prefer to acquire the necessary language proficiency in non-traditional ways, i.e., outside a formal language program. In such instances, the student must demonstrate that she/he has reached the appropriate minimum level of proficiency in the language required by passing an examination. Arrangements for such examinations are made specially with the directors of the respective language programs in EALC after consultation with the advisor and the DGS.

Students whose native language is not English should be aware that the Department holds all students to a high standard of proficiency in both spoken and written English. Students who are unable to meet this standard are liable to dismissal from the PhD program. The Graduate School offers considerable resources to all students, native and non-native alike, who desire assistance in improving their oral, aural, and written skills in English. Any student who has concerns in this regard should consult early and often with her/his advisor and/or the DGS.

As of 2006, the Department no longer requires students to demonstrate proficiency in a European language other than English. However, in formulating a program of study, the student is strongly encouraged to discuss the desirability of acquiring such proficiency (e.g., in French, German, or Russian) with his/her advisor.

Before sitting for the General Examination (see below), the student must demonstrate proficiency in the primary language to be used in research. Each subfield within the department will determine the means (e.g., seminar paper in which sources in the primary language are successfully employed) to test such proficiency. In choosing seminars and in researching and writing seminar papers, it is the responsibility of the student to ensure that she/he makes sufficient use of primary sources in one or more East Asian languages to satisfy this part of the language requirement.
All language requirements must be completed prior to taking the General Exam. There are no exceptions to this policy.

Seminar Papers (to be completed before taking the General Examination.)
Two substantial seminar papers are required, at least one of which must be in the primary field. To satisfy this requirement, papers must meet the following minimum conditions:

a) Make use of text(s) written in the primary research languages(s), i.e., one or more of the East Asian languages taught in the Department;

b) Draw upon significant secondary sources relevant to the subject;

c) Receive a grade of at least “A-” from the instructor of the course for which the paper was written.

If they so wish, transfer students in the PhD program who earned the AM in the Regional Studies East Asia (RSEA) program may, with the approval of their advisor, choose to apply one seminar paper written during their time in RSEA toward the seminar paper requirement.

Note: When petitioning to take the General Examination, students are required to submit two separate forms verifying the completion of all language requirements and seminar paper requirements. These forms are available from the Graduate Program Coordinator. Completed forms will be kept in students’ files.

Incompletes
A graduate student may, at the discretion of the instructor, receive a grade of “INC” (Incomplete) in order to gain more time to complete the requirements for a given course. In such cases, unless s/he is given an earlier deadline by the instructor, the student must turn in all outstanding work no later than the end of the term following that in which the course was taken. This is true even if the student is on leave of absence during that term. Note that an Incomplete grade that is not made up by the end of one semester will automatically convert to a permanent Incomplete. Requests for an extension beyond the one-term deadline must be submitted in writing to GSAS and require the approval of the instructor. This form can be obtained from the Graduate Program Coordinator.

The department allows students to carry only three active incompletes at one time. If more are carried, it may jeopardize the student’s satisfactory standing, and further registration may not be permitted.

Satisfactory Progress
For students who have yet to take the General Examination, satisfactory progress is normally determined by the student’s academic performance. The minimum standard for satisfactory work in the Graduate School is a “B” average for all courses taken in each academic year (please refer to the GSAS Handbook for a more detailed explanation). EALC students are expected to have satisfied all language and seminar paper requirements and to be prepared to sit for the General Examination no later than the end of their third year in the PhD program, or, for transfer students from RSEA, the end of the second year in the PhD.

Teaching
Teaching fellows (TFs) teach part-time as part of their training toward the doctorate degree, normally in the third and fourth years, though teaching in later years is also common. They ordinarily must be full-time, resident students and be making satisfactory progress toward the degree. Relevant teaching experience is an integral part of graduate student education. As such, in addition to guidance provided by the instructor in a course, teaching is supervised and regularly evaluated by the faculty and staff at the Bok Center. Please refer to the Department’s own TF Handbook or the GSAS Handbook for more information.

Note: EALC students who are in unsatisfactory standing may be prohibited from teaching.

General Examination
As part of the preparation for writing the thesis, all PhD students must pass a two-hour oral examination in three fields of knowledge, one of which should be chosen to demonstrate breadth in regard to a different area, discipline, or period. There is no written examination. Fields should be determined well in advance and in consultation with the student’s advisor and other examiners. A listing of faculty fields is available in the EALC main office, on the Department website, and in the EALC Graduate Student Handbook.

The student’s examination committee is normally comprised of no more than four, and no fewer than three, faculty members, at least two of whom must belong to EALC. Other Harvard faculty members may be asked to participate with the approval of the student’s advisor. In certain circumstances, non-Harvard faculty may be asked to participate, with prior approval from the Department. Any exceptions to these rules must be approved by the Director of Graduate Studies.

Students must ordinarily pass the General Examination by no later than the end of the G3 year (G2 year for transfer students from the RSEA AM program). In the term prior to that in which the student plans to take the examination, he/she will be asked to submit a “Petition for General Examination for the Ph.D. Degree” form to the Department. This form requires students to list their fields and examiners and

to verify the completion of their required seminar papers and language requirements. Upon receiving this request, the Graduate Program Coordinator will schedule each student’s exam in consultation with the student and examiners. Examination periods are scheduled three times during the year: in September (during the first two weeks of classes in the fall term), February (during the first two weeks of classes in the spring term), and May (during the final two weeks of classes in the spring term).

Prospectus
Within no more than six months of passing the General Examination – that is, during the first half of the G4 year (G3 for RSEA transfer students) – the student must submit a prospectus of the dissertation. Typically, this is a document of 15-25 pages that sets out a detailed plan for researching and writing the thesis; it may also include a lengthy bibliography. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss the specific format of the prospectus with their advisors. Initial formal presentation of the prospectus ordinarily occurs at a meeting of the student with her/his dissertation committee. This committee normally consists of at least three faculty members. It is the responsibility of the student to make the arrangements for this meeting.

Prior to completing the prospectus, some students find it useful to spend some time carrying out preliminary research abroad. Often this is necessary in order to determine the location and availability of certain source materials, to establish contact with foreign scholars and institutions, and in general to gather enough information to ascertain the viability of a proposed research project. Funds for such short-term research travel are available from a variety of University sources, including the different regional institutes, the Asia Center, and FAS. Students may wish to consult the relevant websites for further details.

Forms verifying completion of the prospectus, which must be signed by the student’s dissertation director (usually the primary advisor), will be provided to the student by the Graduate Program Coordinator. A copy of the prospectus shall be included in each student’s file.

In addition, EALC students in the G4 year normally participate in the Department Prospectus Conference, where they will publicly present their prospectus to an assembly of EALC faculty and students. The Department Prospectus Conference, a one-day event, is held in May.

Dissertation
The dissertation, which must make an original contribution to knowledge, may deal with any subject approved by the Department. It must demonstrate the student’s capacity to make critical use of source material in one or more East Asian languages. A complete description of GSAS requirements for the dissertation, including submission deadlines, is found in the GSAS handbook.

Though it is not a requirement, most EALC students find that they need to travel and reside for an extended period of time in East Asia in order to carry out the research for the dissertation. Please note that the Department is not able to fund student dissertation research abroad. Students are therefore strongly encouraged to seek out different funding sources for which they are eligible, both those within the University and those from outside granting agencies. Further information on dissertation research grants and fellowships may be found by consulting with advisors and by approaching the relevant offices in the different regional institutes, the Asia Center, and the Graduate School. It is the student’s responsibility to keep abreast of application requirements, deadlines, etc.

A public presentation of dissertation research may take place during the year of completion. Three readers will be required for final dissertation acceptance; under most circumstances, readers are drawn from the student’s dissertation committee. At least two of these readers must be within FAS.

The Graduate School offers one year of full financial support to all PhD students who are engaged in the final stages of dissertation writing. This support ordinarily cannot be split between two academic years, but must be held continuously in one academic year, i.e., sequential fall and spring terms. To be eligible for a GSAS Dissertation Completion Grant, a student must meet the following requirements:

a) the student must be in residence during the year the grant will be held;

b) the student may be no higher than the G8 year during the grant year;

c) the student must have completed work on two substantial chapters of the dissertation by no later than March 1 of the spring term prior to the grant year

d) the student’s advisor must submit a letter certifying that the student has met the minimum requirement in c) above and stating that the student is in a position to complete the dissertation by the end of the grant year

It is the Department’s expectation that students will have completed all requirements for the PhD, including submission of a satisfactory thesis, by the end of the G8 year (G7 year for transfer students from RSEA).

Pursuant to GSAS regulations, any student who has not completed the dissertation by the end of the G10 year will be asked to withdraw from the PhD program. Students thus withdrawn may continue to work on the thesis and will be formally readmitted to the program once they have finished in order that the degree may be conferred.

Note: Students who have accepted the GSAS Dissertation Completion Grant should be aware that GSAS rules require them to complete the dissertation by the end of the grant year. For students who hold the grant in the G7 year, one additional year of enrollment may be permitted. For students who hold the grant in the G8 year, however, no such additional year of enrollment will be allowed, and they will be asked to withdraw. G8 students on Dissertation Completion Grants must therefore plan accordingly. Students with questions about these requirements are encouraged to speak with the DGS and/or the Graduate Program Coordinator.

Exceptions
Any requests for exceptions to departmental requirements must be made in writing to the Director(s) of Graduate Studies. Final decisions will be made in consultation with student advisors and faculty of the Department.