PROGRAMME REQUIREMENTS

Please note that all students are strongly advised to read the School of Graduate Studies 2009-2010 Handbook carefully with respect to the Department but also with regard to general policies, procedures, requirements, and the Code of Academic Conduct.

Academic Advisor

Upon admission to the Department all students will be assigned an Academic Advisor in a field related to the student’s stated area of interest. The role of the Advisor will be to counsel the student with regard to their selection of courses and language requirements, keeping in mind the student’s academic goals, program requirements, and other academic concerns. This should occur in the early phases of their graduate program. Eventually, the advisor will be replaced by the Thesis Supervisor (see below), who will be chosen in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator when the thesis topic has been selected.

Master of Arts Programme

The requirement for admission to this degree is a four-year B.A. in a relevant programme from a recognized university with an average of at least B+ or equivalent in the final year. All applicants must have some prior background in Ancient Near Eastern and/or Islamic Middle Eastern Civilizations. In addition, applicants for admission to the Middle Eastern and Islamic programmes must have adequate reading knowledge of at least one of the following languages: Arabic, Persian and/or Turkish. Applicants for admission to the Ancient Near Eastern programmes may also be required to have appropriate training in a primary source language.

Courses: The one-year M.A. programme normally requires at least three full-year graduate courses, or the equivalent, selected in consultation with the Academic Advisor. The two-year M.A. programme normally requires at least six full graduate courses, or the equivalent. If a student intends to go on to the Ph.D. programme, it is especially important that courses should be chosen in consultation with the Academic Advisor and Graduate Coordinator. Please read the section on course registration.

Languages of Modern Scholarship: There are no requirements for previous training in languages of modern scholarship for admission to the Master of Arts programme in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations. However, students continuing on to the Ph.D. programme will be required to demonstrate a reading knowledge of two languages of modern scholarship, in addition to English, by the time of their General Examinations. Therefore, students intending to go on to the Ph.D. level are strongly encouraged to begin acquiring immediately, if they have not already done so, at least one language of modern scholarship, normally French or German, during their first year of M.A. study.

Languages of Primary Sources. Applicants for admission to the M.A. degree in Middle Eastern and Islamic programmes must have adequate reading knowledge of at least one of the languages of primary sources (Arabic, Persian, Turkish). Students intending to go on to the Ph.D. level should continue their study of the primary source language(s) during their M.A. programme.

Doctor of Philosophy Programme

Before being considered for admission to the Ph.D. programme, applicants shall normally have obtained an M.A. degree in a relevant programme from a recognized university with at least an A- average or the equivalent in the courses taken for the M.A. programme, and must also satisfy the Department of their ability to do independent research. In addition, candidates must have sufficient relevant background in Near and Middle Eastern Civilizations, and training in the appropriate primary source languages. The Department, at its discretion, may offer direct entry from a bachelor’s degree to the Ph.D. programme to exceptionally qualified students. Programme requirements for doctoral candidates, while following the general guidelines and programme stages outlined below, may differ on an individual basis with regard to details. The determining factor in an individual’s programme is the training (course work, languages) that is considered essential preparation for them to be able to carry out research in a particular area

Residency: Candidates for the degree are required to be registered "on campus" for the period during which course work requirements are being fulfilled, and in no case for less than two academic years.

Ph.D. Programme Memorandum: In consultation with the Academic Advisor, the student who intends to go on to the Ph.D. level will fill out a Programme Memorandum regarding his/her intended studies. The Programme Memorandum will serve as a guide for both Advisor and student to ensure the timely completion of programme requirements. The Programme Memorandum records the decisions about the student’s programme and covers the pre-thesis components of the doctoral programme. These components are listed in the order in which decisions about them are normally made.

All requirements, including the doctoral thesis, must be completed within six years of first enrolment. An extension may be possible in exceptional circumstances. Please note, however, that funding opportunities drastically diminish after year 5 of the programme. A copy of the Programme Memorandum should be filed with the Graduate Coordinator. The student and Advisor should keep a copy for reference as well. Changes in a student's programme may be recorded in a revised memorandum at any time. Programme Memorandum forms may be obtained from the Graduate Administrator.

Course Work: The minimum requirements for the Ph.D. degree will normally be six full graduate courses, or equivalent. The candidate's programme of study, consisting of a Major (three full-year courses in an area of concentration), a First Minor (two full-year courses in an area of concentration) and Second Minor (one full-year course, or equivalent in an area of concentration) will be determined in consultation with the Department. In approved circumstances (determined by the requirements of the student's area of study and dissertation topic) and in consultation with the Academic Advisor and Graduate Coordinator, credit for up to three of these courses may be provided by a two-year M.A. programme or its equivalent.

Languages of Modern Scholarship: Students in the Ph.D. programme will be required to demonstrate a high level reading knowledge of two languages of modern scholarship, normally French and German, in addition to English before they proceed to the General Examinations. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to adhere to the Timetable for fulfilling language requirements given below (See Timeline). A language other than French or German may be substituted in some cases with the approval of the Academic Advisor and the Graduate Coordinator.

Proficiency Exams in Languages of Modern Scholarship:

The Department will administer two-hour language proficiency exams three times during the academic year. In 2008-09 the proficiency exams in French and German will be offered on:

Friday, October 30, 2009
Friday, January 22, 2010
Friday, April 16, 2010

A student who fails to achieve a grade of 70% on a language proficiency exam may retake the exam no earlier than the next scheduled exam date. The two-hour exam will consist of texts which are directly related to the student's field of interest and which the student would be expected to use in the normal course of his/her research. The student should be able to translate into good English a passage of at least 450-500 words within the two-hour period. The student should demonstrate that he/she has correctly understood the text. The exams will be corrected and assessed by individuals outside the Department selected for their expertise in the relevant languages.

Students may also take the proficiency exams offered by the language departments. See the graduate bulletin board for further information. line

Languages of Primary Sources: Students seeking admission to the Ph.D. programme shall have already gained facility in one of the primary source languages. The Academic Advisor may deem that additional languages are required, depending on the field of thesis research.

Proficiency Exams in Primary Source Languages: A candidate for the Ph.D. degree will either take a separate minor area examination in a primary source language or be examined in it in the context of a major area examination taken as one of the General Examinations. In this examination the student shall demonstrate facility in using primary resources for research purposes.

Timetable for Language Requirements (Languages of Modern Scholarship and Primary Sources)

Candidates for the Ph.D. degree may not proceed to their General Examinations unless and until they have satisfied their language requirements. Therefore, the Department requires students in the Ph.D. stream to adhere to the timetable below:

Ph.D. Year 1 Exam: First language of modern scholarship passed by end of year 1 or earlier

Ph.D. Year 2 Exam: Second language of modern scholarship passed by end of year 2 or earlier

Ph.D. Year 3 General Examinations, including examination in a primary source language.

Please note, however, that students are encouraged to take the examinations in the languages of modern scholarship as soon as possible during their residency.

Ancient Near East Studies: Students generally are expected to demonstrate the ability to read French and German. However, other languages, such as Latin, Arabic, and Modern Hebrew, may be substituted for one of these.

Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies: Students in this area are not normally admitted to the programme unless they have already gained facility in one of the languages of research (e.g. Arabic, Persian, or Turkish). Students in this area are required to demonstrate evidence of ability to read French and German prior to taking their General Exams, and will be examined in a research language (e.g. Arabic, Persian, or Turkish) at the time of their general exams.

General Examinations:

The configuration of the General Examinations is decided on an individual basis determined by the student's programme and proposed thesis research.

How to Organize the General Examinations:
1. The student should discuss the configuration of his/her examinations first with his/her Advisor and then with the Graduate Coordinator.
• The areas examined correspond to the Major, first Minor and Second Minor areas of concentration. Thus the student will write at least 3 examinations. The Programme Memorandum form should be helpful in determining the areas to be examined.
• In certain cases the major examination may be divided into two separate examinations.
• The primary source language exam may also be given as part of the General Examinations.
2. In consultation with the Advisor and the Graduate Coordinator the student should set up an examination schedule.
• The written examinations are normally scheduled every other day.
• The oral examination should follow the written examinations by a week or so and be scheduled at a time convenient to the student, the examiners and the Graduate Coordinator, all of whom must be present.
3. The Advisor should coordinate the examinations with the other examiners.
4. The Advisor must notify the Graduate Administrator, in writing or by email, of the examination schedule, including dates and titles of exams. The Graduate Administrator will reserve an examination room and confirm the dates with the Graduate Coordinator.
5. The student may wish to discuss the nature of the examination (e.g., length,, closed or open book or aids allowed, anticipated number of questions, location) with the examiner in each field.
6. If the student passes the General Examinations, he or she will be expected to present his/her thesis proposal following the Oral General Examination. Written copies of the proposal, even if in preliminary form, must be distributed to all examiners and to the Graduate Coordinator at least one week in advance of the Oral General Examination. Please see guidelines for thesis proposal contents below.

Thesis Proposal:

Students who need to develop their proposals more thoroughly will be allowed up to two months following their examinations to complete their proposal. A draft of the proposal or preliminary proposal should be distributed to all members of the examining committee and to the Graduate Coordinator at least one week before the Oral General Examination. No later than two months following the successful completion of the General Examinations, the candidate must submit the final written thesis proposal on a topic for which the Department is able to provide supervision.

Process
1. Submission of the proposed topic to the Department by October 15 of Ph.D. year 3.
2. Presentation of thesis proposal or topic during the oral component of the General Examination. The proposal may be approved as it is at this point, or the candidate may be required to do further preparation. The final version of the proposal must be submitted no more than two months after the successful completion of the General Examinations.

Thesis Proposal Contents:

Title. Give the tentative title you intend to use. It should be concise and
precise, i.e., it should give the reader an exact idea of your research proposal in the fewest possible words.

The Thesis Statement. State clearly and fully the problem that you intend to investigate.

Review of Previous Scholarship. Discuss the relationship of your research topic to current and previous scholarship. Others have contributed to your field historically and philosophically. What closely related problems have been solved and by whom? Who treated the problem and to what extent? Where does the unsolved portion of the problem begin? What are the principal sources? Discuss the ways in which this thesis will "constitute a significant contribution to the knowledge of the field." (SGS Calendar)

Methodology. Describe in detail how you plan to investigate the problem; what methods of analysis will aid your investigation of your primary source material.

Proposed Table of Contents. To the extent possible, state the probable chapter headings as they will appear in your Table of Contents.

Bibliography. List the most important original sources and scholarly
works to be consulted, including those discussed in your Review of
Previous Scholarship. In composing thesis proposals, students are advised to consult with their Supervisor and potential Thesis Advisory Committee members, normally faculty members in related fields.

The Doctoral Thesis or Dissertation:

Upon successful completion of course work, language requirements, the General Examinations, and approval of their thesis proposal, the student will proceed to their preparation of a doctoral thesis research. The thesis must embody the results of original investigation and constitute a significant contribution to knowledge in the field. It must be based on research conducted while registered for the Ph.D. programme. The thesis must be successfully defended at a Final Oral Examination. For further details see the SGS Handbook.

The thesis should be as concise as possible and should be formatted according to the guidelines of the School of Graduate Studies. For further information on technical requirements please refer to the Guidelines for the Preparation of the Thesis for Microfilming and Binding. The guidelines are available on the School of Graduate Studies’ web site:
http://www.sgs.utoronto.ca/current/thesis/index.asp.

Thesis research which involves the use of human subjects, for instance, in the case of informants, interview subjects, survey respondents, and other uses, must conform with University policy. Please see the Graduate Administrator for further details.

Thesis research that involves archaeological fieldwork must respect the regulations of the country involved.

The Thesis Supervisor:

The Supervisor is responsible for the direction of the thesis and is the principal member of the Thesis Advisory Committee (see below). The Supervisor determines whether additional course work, languages or other preparation is necessary in order for the student to complete the thesis successfully. The Supervisor shall call a meeting of the Thesis Advisory Committee at least once a year or more often as required.

When the Supervisor and the other members of the student's Thesis Advisory Committee have read the thesis in its entirety and agree that the thesis is defensible and ready to go to examination, the Supervisor will notify the Graduate Coordinator of this in writing. The student will then bring copies of the completed thesis to the office of the Graduate Administrator. In addition, the student will submit an abstract of the thesis, a brief biographical sketch, and a list of scholarly publications, if any.

The Supervisor will nominate three potential external examiners to the Graduate Coordinator and, in consultation with the Graduate Coordinator, the student and the examiner selected, will set a convenient date for the examination.

Students must allow at least eight to nine weeks from submission to the date of the oral defense.

The Thesis Advisory Committee:

Students are required to meet with their Thesis Advisory Committee at least once a year. The composition of the Thesis Advisory Committee usually emerges as the thesis proposal develops. The Thesis Advisory Committee is composed of the Supervisor who directs the thesis and two or three other faculty members who are able to offer expert advice in fields related to the thesis topic but whose role is secondary to that of the Supervisor. Faculty from outside the Department may be invited to sit on the Committee.

The first job of the Thesis Advisory Committee is to consider the thesis proposal and, when it has been finalized, to approve the final version of the thesis proposal. The Committee should notify the Graduate Coordinator of the approval and file a copy of the final proposal with the office of the Graduate Administrator. The Thesis Advisory Committee shall meet with the candidate at least once a year or as often as desirable to consider progress made, next steps, revisions of material, etc. A meeting at which all members are present is most desirable so that the student does not receive contradictory advice. If this is not possible, other arrangements should be made (e.g., a conference call). The meeting might begin with a brief presentation of work by the student, followed by discussion and recommendations. The results of the meeting should be summarized on the Thesis Advisory Committee Assessment form which can be obtained from the office of the Graduate Administrator and then filed with the Graduate Coordinator. A Thesis Advisory Committee Assessment (report) must be filed each year before May 15. The Committee reports will be used in assessing the academic standing of post-programme doctoral students for funding purposes. The Assessment forms will normally replace letters of recommendation for this purpose.

BEST PRACTICES - SUPERVISION OF DOCTORAL STUDENTS

CHECKLIST FOR SUPERVISORS IN DIVISION I

The supervisor's primary task consists of guiding and inspiring students to realize their scholarly potential. At the same time, the supervisor must ensure (to the best of his or her ability) that the rules and regulations of the university are met. A checklist on good supervisory practice might include the following questions:

Mutual Expectations:
1. Have you developed an understanding with your doctoral students concerning the mechanics of supervision, the kind and amount of advice you are able and willing to offer, the frequency and regularity with which you expect to see them, a "plan of campaign" (e.g., the timing of submission of a dissertation outline, of draft chapters), and your mutual expectations concerning the quality and originality of the completed dissertation?

Definition of Project:
2. Has the topic of research been refined in the initial stages of work? Is the scope of the dissertation project excessively ambitious? Too narrow? Are you satisfied with the student's progress and background knowledge of the subject?

Arrangements for Return of Work:
3a. Do you make and observe clearly stated arrangements for the return of work within a reasonable period of time after it is submitted to you?

Absences from Toronto:
3b. Do you inform your students when you plan to be on research leave or absent for an extended period of time from the university? Have you made satisfactory arrangements for supervision of the student during this time?

Requirements for Successful Submission:
4. Is your student aware of university, faculty and programme requirements and standards to which the dissertation is expected to conform?

Funding and Professional Activities:
5. Do you support your students in their effort to acquire external funding, to publish scholarly articles, or to present conference papers?

CHECKLIST FOR STUDENTS IN DIVISION I

By entering into a doctoral programme, the student has made a commitment to devote the time and energy necessary to engage in research and write a dissertation that makes a substantial and original contribution to knowledge. It is the responsibility of the student to conform to university and programme requirements and procedures with regard to such matters as research ethics, dissertation style, etc. Although it is the duty of the supervisor to be reasonably available for consultation, the primary responsibility for keeping in touch rests with the student. A checklist on how to build a good supervisor/supervisee relationship might include the following questions:

Appropriateness of Supervisor:
1. Have you determined whether the programme and area in which you wish to concentrate are staffed by several active faculty members? Before choosing a supervisor, have you consulted the list (available through your (department) of faculty research interests and publications? Have you asked students in the programme currently working with a prospective supervisor what their experience has been?

Communications:
2. Does your supervisor know how to reach you (mail, telephone, other) or when you have to go off-campus for any significant period of time? Do you respond promptly to all communications received?

Mutual Understanding:
3. Have you developed an understanding with your supervisor concerning both the mechanics of supervision and the kind and amount of direction you wish and expect to receive? Are you in agreement about the frequency and regularity with which you plan to see each other and about a "plan of campaign" (choosing a thesis topic, the timing of submission of a dissertation outline, of draft chapters, etc.)? Have you discussed your mutual expectations concerning the quality and originality of the completed dissertation?

Planning and Consulting:
4. Have you spent some time in devising a plan for writing the dissertation that can be discussed with your supervisor? (Remember that by and large the dissertation should be the student's unaided effort.) Have you obtained any indication that your research is beginning to yield new and interesting material? Are you meeting regularly with your supervisor to review progress? Do you consult with other members of the advisory committee as appropriate?

Submission and Return of Work:
5. Are you presenting your work to your supervisor chapter-by-chapter (or section-by-section) in an approved format? The typescript should be legible and, unless you and your supervisor agree otherwise, accompanied by notes. Do you make and observe clearly stated arrangements for the submission and return of your written work?

Timing:
6. If you are working towards a deadline, are you allowing sufficient time for your supervisor to read all parts of the thesis in the final form? The responsibility for proofreading the final clean copy is yours, and this reading, too, may take some time.

Moving Along:
7. Are you aware that the doctoral dissertation, though important to your career, is the beginning rather than the sum of your academic life, and should be completed without undue delays? In other words, the dissertation should be no longer than necessary.

Timeline for the Doctoral Programme

The doctoral programme requires a student to spend at least two winter sessions on campus in full-time study, normally those of the first two academic years of the programme residence. Here is a typical timetable for students required to complete two years of Ph.D. course work and for students who have been offered direct entry from the bachelor's degree to the Ph.D. programme.

Typical two-year Ph.D. course work programme and Direct entry programme

Year 1
Sept-May:
• Course work in progress
• First modern language requirement met by the end of the academic year

Year 2
Sept-May:
• Course work in progress
Oct. 15:
• Submit Ph.D. thesis topic and name of supervisor
May:
• Second modern language requirement met by the end of the academic year

Year 3
Sept.-Jan:
• General Examinations and presentation of Thesis Proposal
March:
• Final version of Thesis Proposal submitted no later than 2 months following successful completion of General Examinations

Years 3, 4, 5 (and 6)
• Thesis preparation
• Submission of thesis
• Final Oral Examination/Defense

A Thesis Advisory Committee Assessment (report) must be filed each year by May 15.

Variant Ph.D. course work programme. To follow this timetable, you must have received permission to apply 3 M.A. courses to the Ph.D. requirements.

Year 1
Sept.:
• Enrolment and Programme Memorandum
Sept.-May:
• Course work in progress
May:
• Course work completed

First and second modern languages of scholarship exam passed by the end of the academic year (May) is strongly advised.

Year 2
Oct 15:
• Submit Ph.D. thesis topic and supervisor
Sept-Jan:
• Language requirements must be completed before the General Examinations
• General Examinations and presentation of Thesis Proposal
March:
• Final version of Thesis Proposal submitted no later than 2 months following successful completion of General Examinations

Years 3, 4 (and 5, 6)
• Thesis preparation
• Submission of thesis
• Final Oral Examination/Defense