A Guide to Coursework for MA and MPhil Students

This page introduces students to the range of classes offered in our Department and beyond. For specific information about degree requirements, see:

 

 

Types of Classes

The Department offers several types of graduate class:

 

  • 5000-level Seminars (4 points): This course number designation is used only for required classes for first-year students: the MA Seminar and MA Thesis Tutorial.
  • 6000-level Seminars (4 points): Once-weekly seminar classes open only to graduate students and involving intensive explorations of advanced topics in literary studies. Such seminars ought to form the core of graduate-level coursework. The reading load is demanding and students are often expected to produce a long research paper (typically 20-25 pages) at the end of the course. Students are not advised to take more than three 6000-level seminars in any given term.
  • 6000-level Lecture Sections (3 points): These twice-weekly courses serve as introductions to the literature of a particular period (Medieval, Victorian, etc.) or literary movements (modernism, psychoanalysis, etc.). They are attached to lectures listed at the 2000 level in the course directory, otherwise available to undergraduate students. To enroll, students should first identify the 2000-level lecture they are interested in attending, and then register for the 6000-level Lecture Section that corresponds to the lecture. Professors may not require graduate students to write long research papers for the 6000-level lecture sections; however, you  will be required to complete readings and assignments suitable for progress towards the MA or MPhil degrees.
  • 4000-level Seminars or Lectures (3 or 4 points): There are various courses listed at the 4000 level that graduate students can take for credit, and which serve a mixed population of undergraduate and graduate students. Some 4000-level classes are seminars (one meeting per week, heavy reading load, generally 4 points) and some are lectures (two meetings per week, lighter reading load, generally 3 points). Please note that undergraduate students have priority when it comes to enrolling in 4000-level seminars in the Department of English and Comparative Literature.

Point Values

Check Vergil or the directory of classes to confirm point values for all classes. Please note that some Columbia departments and programs apply different point values to their classes—e.g., 4 points for a lecture or 3 points for a seminar. Be sure to confirm point values and make sure you are taking a sufficient number of credits for your degree requirements and residence category.

 

Other Course Options

 

  • Lectures for Seminar Credit: On rare occasions, 3-credit lecture sections can be taken for 4-credit seminar credit, with the permission of the instructor and the DGS or ADGS. The student and instructor should agree on the writing of a seminar-style research paper, or its equivalent. The instructor should e-mail the ADGS and Graduate Studies Coordinator to signal agreement to this plan. The Graduate Coordinator will then coordinate the student’s registration. This sort of arrangement should be unusual: in almost all cases, lectures are best taken as lectures, seminars as seminars.
  • Seminars for Lecture Credit: Conversely, on rare occasions a student can take a 6000-level seminar for lecture course credit, with the permission of the instructor and ADGS. Under such an arrangement, the student will do the reading and participate in discussion, but complete fewer demanding writing assignments. The instructor should e-mail the ADGS and Graduate Studies Coordinator to signal agreement to this plan. The Graduate Studies Coordinator will then coordinate the student’s registration. As above, this sort of arrangement should be unusual: in almost all cases, lectures are best taken as lectures, seminars as seminars.
  • Courses in Other Departments: Students may take relevant courses in other departments, but these courses must be approved by the DGS or ADGS if they are to count toward the degree. Students must submit a brief rationale, the course name, instructor, course description, and syllabus. To count towards the MA or MPhil, these courses must be at the 4000 level or above.
  • Courses through the Intra-University Doctoral Consortium (IUDC): See here for information about taking graduate classes at participating New York-area universities.