Critical Studies, page 3
School of Cinema-Television
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy in Cinema-Television (Critical Studies)
The degree of Doctor of Philosophy with an emphasis in Critical Studies is administered through the Graduate School. The Ph.D. program is tailored to the individual student's particular needs and interests. The overall course of study will be designed by the student, the student's designated advisor and, following the screening procedure, the student's guidance committee chair (see Screening Procedure under Graduate Preparation Production Courses).
Admission
A master's degree in cinema-television, or a closely related field, is required for admission to the Ph.D. program. Applicants without such a degree may be admitted, but will be required to pass a comprehensive examination to the faculty's satisfaction as part of the screening procedure (see Screening Procedure).
Course Requirements
Each Ph.D. candidate must complete 64 units (exclusive of prerequisite - see Graduate Preparation Production Course - and dissertation units) beyond the bachelor's degree, 43 of which must be at the 500 level or higher. (Up to 30 units may be transferred from graduate work completed at other institutions.) The required units will include seven to 12 courses in cinema-television and eight to 16 units in the minor area. The minor will be chosen by the student in close consultation with the advisor and will be in an academic field which: (1) offers a Ph.D. at USC, and (2) supports the student's dissertation topic. Each student must complete the following course work toward the 64 unit total:
(1) Cinema 510, 600, 673 and 688 These courses should be taken before the screening procedure.
(2) Cinema 587, 691 and 791 These courses should be taken before the qualifying examination.
Doctor of Philosophy in Cinema-Television (Film, Literature and Culture)
The Doctor of Philosophy degree with a major in Cinema-Television offers a specialization in Film, Literature and Culture through an interdisciplinary program in literature with the Department of English of the College of Letters, Arts and Sciences. The program provides training at the advanced level in film and literary theory, national literatures and cinemas, and genres and historical periods appropriate to each discipline. The degree is administered through the Graduate School.
Admission
Applicants must have an M.A. or M.F.A. in literature or film (or the equivalent). Interested students who possess only a bachelor's degree are encouraged to first apply for the master's program in either cinema-television or the Ph.D. program in English and American literature.
Course Requirements
The Ph.D. requires 64 units (exclusive of prerequisite - see Graduate Preparation Production Course - and dissertation units) beyond the bachelor's degree. Up to 30 units may be transferred from graduate work completed at other institutions. Of the 64 units required, 43 must be at the 500 level or higher. This will include seven to 12 courses in cinema-television and eight to 16 units in English.
Students entering the program without previous course work on the history of literature are required to complete two courses (three units each) in the history of English and American literature selected from the following: ENGL 520, 530, 540, 550, 560, 570, 580, 590, and 591. Students may choose to take a waiver examination to satisfy this requirement.
Students entering the program without previous course work on the history of film must complete two of the following three courses: CNTV 501, 502, 503 (two units each). Students may choose to take a waiver examination to satisfy this requirement.
Each student must complete the following course work toward the 64 unit total:
(1) CNTV 510, 600 and 673 These courses should be taken before the screening procedure.
(2) CNTV 677 and 678 or 679 and 699 and 791 These courses should be taken before the qualifying examination.
Courses selected to satisfy the eight to 16 units required in English will be selected in close consultation with the student's designated advisor and, following the screening procedure, the student's guidance committee chair (see Screening Procedure under Graduate Preparation Production Courses), and should support the student's dissertation topic.
Graduate Preparation Production Course
Each candidate for the Ph.D. must complete CNTV 507x with a minimum grade of C. This course is equal to six units of undergraduate work and does not count toward the total unit requirement for the Ph.D. If the student enters the program with a master's degree in cinema-television and possesses production experience, the student may request a waiver of this requirement. The waiver requires passing a written examination and submission of films/videos to the production faculty for review.
CNTV 507x Production I is designed to introduce the fundamental principles of motion picture production. The course includes instructional units in directing, cinematography, editing, sound design and production management, which are linked closely to the assigned projects and readings. Each student is required to provide his or her own Super 8mm equipment which includes a Super 8 camera, projector, viewer and splicer. A tripod and tape recorder are recommended. In addition, $500 should be budgeted for film and processing.
Screening Procedure
The Graduate School requires that programs administer an examination or other procedure at a predetermined point in the student's studies as a prerequisite to continuation in the doctoral program. This procedure is designed to review the student's suitability for continuing in the chosen Ph.D. program. The School of Cinema-Television has determined that this procedure will occur no later than the end of the student's third semester of graduate course work at USC beyond the master's degree. Administratively, the student will initiate the screening procedure through the Graduate School by obtaining the Report on Ph.D. Screening Procedures form from the Student Services Office of the Graduate School. The screening procedure process will include the following steps:
(1) Critical Studies Ph.D. Only: If the faculty has determined during the admissions process that a comprehensive examination will be required as part of the screening procedure, an examination will be administered once each semester, as appropriate. If the examination is passed to the faculty's satisfaction, the student may proceed to the next step in the screening procedure process. If the student fails to pass the examination, the faculty will determine if the student will be allowed to retake the examination the following semester before proceeding to the next step in the screening procedure process.
(2) The student will be interviewed and his or her progress in the program will be reviewed by the faculty to determine if the student will be approved for additional course work. If approved to continue, a guidance committee chair will be selected by the student, with the approval of the faculty, who will serve as the student's advisor. It is strongly recommended that full-time study be pursued following the successful completion of the screening procedure.
Guidance Committee
Following a successful screening procedure, the student, in consultation with the guidance committee chair and the Critical Studies faculty, will formally establish a five-member guidance committee. The composition of the guidance committee will be as specified by the Graduate School. For the Ph.D. in Cinema-Television (Critical Studies), the committee is ordinarily composed of four Critical Studies faculty members and an outside member from the candidate's minor area. For the Ph.D. in Cinema-Television (Film, Literature, and Culture), the student will nominate a committee of a chair and normally two additional members from the Critical Studies faculty and two additional members from the Department of English. All nominations for the latter committee are subject to the approval of the Joint Film, Literature, and Culture Steering Committee.
Foreign Language Requirement
The Critical Studies faculty will advise each student as to whether or not a foreign language is required. This requirement is determined by the student's dissertation topic. The requirement must be met at least 60 days before the qualifying examination.
Dissertation Proposal Presentation
Working closely with the guidance committee chair, the student will prepare to present his or her dissertation proposal to the full faculty. This will be a formal written proposal which will include a statement of the proposed topic, four fields for examination derived from the general dissertation topic area (including a field from the minor area for the Critical Studies Ph.D. and English for the Film, Literature, and Culture Ph.D.), a detailed bibliography, and an appropriate and comprehensive screening list of film/television titles. Formal presentation of the dissertation proposal will occur no later than the end of the semester prior to taking the qualifying examinations. The guidance committee must approve the dissertation topic. Once the dissertation topic has been approved, the student will complete the Request to Take the Ph.D. Qualifying Examination form available from the Student Services Office of the Graduate School.
CNTV 791 This required course is a tutorial with the student's dissertation committee chair and is designed to assist the student in beginning to work on the dissertation. CNTV 791 will be taken the semester of the qualifying examination.
Qualifying Examinations
Written and oral examinations for the Ph.D. in Cinema-Television (Critical Studies) and the Ph.D. in Cinema-Television (Film, Literature and Culture) are given twice a year, in November and April. Questions for the written portion of the examination will be drafted by members of the guidance committee who will also grade the examination. The qualifying examination comprises four examinations administered one each day for four days during a five-day period.
The oral examination will be scheduled within 30 days after the written examination. All guidance committee members must be present for the oral portion of the qualifying examination.
Admission to Candidacy
A student is eligible for admission to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree after: (1) passing the screening procedure; (2) presenting the dissertation proposal and having it approved; (3) satisfying the language requirement, if applicable; (4) completing at least 24 units in residence; and (5) passing the written and oral portions of the qualifying examination. Admission to candidacy is by action of the Dean of the Graduate School.
Dissertation Committee
The dissertation committee is composed as specified by regulations of the