Drama Program: Graduate Program

Program Requirements

Master of Arts Degree:

Advisors
Initially, students should consult with the Department’s Director of Graduate Studies concerning their programs, and for general counseling and advising. M.A. students should eventually seek out an appropriate member of the faculty to discuss their objectives in fields of specialization and thesis ideas.

Coursework
A minimum of eight courses (at the graduate level, in residence) is required for the degree, including at least four graduate seminars in the Department. With prior consent of the advisor, certain advanced courses outside the department may be credited toward the M.A. (not more than one such course in a semester).

Foreign Language
A reading knowledge of one foreign language is required for the Master’s degree. This requirement must be satisfied before work on the thesis commences. Information on fulfilling the language requirement is contained in the Graduate Handbook.

Thesis Proposal
The Master’s candidate should review thesis proposal plans with a prospective departmental adviser, prior to submitting the proposal to the Graduate Faculty for approval. Guidelines for proposals may be found in the Graduate Handbook, and sample copies of past proposals may be viewed.

Doctor of Philosophy Degree:

Advisors
Initially, students should consult with the Department’s Director of Graduate Studies concerning their programs, and for general counseling and advising. M.A. students should eventually seek an appropriate member of faculty to discuss their objectives in fields of specialization and dissertation ideas.

Coursework
Coursework extending approximately three academic years beyond the B.A. degree, normally 18 courses (including two courses for dissertation research) is required. Part-time study or less than full-time residence in our Ph.D. program is discouraged. Eight seminars within the Department are required of all our Ph.D. students, including two seminars in dramatic or critical theory and Introduction to Research Methods and Materials (to be taken on entering).

There is a time limit for the completion of the dissertation of seven years from the date of the initial registration in the graduate program. Typically, coursework takes at least two academic years, followed immediately by preparation and successful completion of comprehensive exams. Depending on how quickly the dissertation is finished, one can expect a minimum commitment of four years.

Transfer of Credit
Up to six courses (the equivalent of a year’s worth of study at Tufts) of graduate work done elsewhere may be transferred (such as courses from a completed M.A. or M.F.A. program), but only by petition to the Graduate Faculty after the student has completed one semester of study at Tufts.

Foreign Languages
A reading knowledge of two foreign languages (at least one language useful for the dissertation) is required for the doctoral degree. One language requirement must be satisfied by the end of the first year, the second by the semester before Comprehensive Exams are taken. Information on fulfilling this requirement is contained in the Graduate Handbook. Some funding is available for summer study of a language (which is not covered by the annual tuition).

Comprehensive Exams
After coursework is done, students will be eligible to take Comprehensive Examinations, the successful completion of which will enable them to finish graduate study with the writing of a doctoral dissertation. The first part of the exam consists of two six-hour sets of essay questions, followed immediately by a take-home question, requiring the student to write a full essay on a given subject over a three-day period. As soon as students have passed the written portion of the examination, they will declare two areas of specialization to the director of Graduate Studies. Subject to the approval of the Graduate Faculty, students will sit an oral examination in these two fields of specialization within six weeks of completing the written test. Information on scheduling and preparing for the Comprehensive Exams is contained in the Graduate Handbook, and sample copies of written exams are available in the Department office.

Dissertations
A formal proposal for a dissertation should be submitted for the endorsement of the Graduate Faculty. The proposal will be reviewed by the Graduate Faculty, and, if approved, a dissertation advisor will be assigned (usually a faculty member who has advised the development of the proposal). Preliminary research for the dissertation can occur before and during the comprehensive exam period. The Graduate Handbook contains guidelines for proposals and information on the timetable for review of proposals. Sample proposals are on file in the Department.

Following submission of the completed dissertation, the student is required to defend it before a committee consisting of three members of the Graduate Faculty and one scholar from an outside department or institution.

Recently completed dissertations include:

• Virginia L. Anderson, "Beyond Angels: Broadway Theatre and the AIDS Epidemic, 1981-2006"
• Sean Edgecomb, "Still Ridiculous: The Legacy of Charles Ludlam and the Ridiculous Theatre Movement, 1987-2007"
• Kevin Landis, "The Republic of Dreams: Stacy Klein and the Double Edge Theatre"
• Callie A. Oppedisano, "Worthy of Imitation: Contemporary Mormon Drama on the Latter Day Stage"
• Eunice Ferreira, "Theatre in Cape Verde: Resisting, Reclaiming, and Recreating National and Cultural Identity in Postcolonial Lusophone Africa"
• Rachel Mansfield, "Drama and the Peaceable Kingdom: Adaptation and Cultural Identity in a Just Society"
• Hugh Long, "At A Sword’s Length: Theatrical Dueling in Early Modern Spanish Drama"
• Raymond Saraceni, "A Philadelphia Story: Refinement and Resistance on the Nineteenth-Century Philadelphia Stage"
• Jenna Kubly, "Vaudeville and the American Experience of the First World War As Seen By Variety"
• Wen-ling Lin, "Performing Nation: Imagining Taiwaneseness in Twenty-First Century Theatre In Taiwan"