Ph.D students in the joint WGS/Eng Ph.D. program develop metacognitive awareness of language through humanities-based explorations of linguistic structures, patterns of communication, and the complex, context-specific ways in which language intersects with history, politics, culture, nationality, race, class, gender, sexuality, embodiment, and technology.
Students fulfill the language requirement in one of three ways: 1) by gaining competency in a language other than standard written English, 2) by applying and/or developing their competency in a language other than standard written English, or 3) by engaging in coursework or research focused on language-centered issues such as translation, linguistics, or coding. Each student chooses one option from a menu of possibilities for fulfilling the requirement, thereby developing and/or deepening their understanding of a language or language issues in the manner that best suits their research, teaching, and/or professional goals. Every student must complete the language requirement while enrolled in their program, prior to defending their dissertation. For additional information, including the menu of options for fulfilling the requirement, please see the ELL graduate student handbook.
