University of Chicago

FAQ

When does MAPH 2008-2009 start?
MAPH will hold its Opening Dinner to welcome our incoming class on Sunday, September 14th from 3 to 8 p.m. at Ida Noyes Hall on campus. The Opening Dinner will also include a film screening. The Screening will begin at 3 p.m., so it is advisable to arrive early.
The required MAPH Core course will begin Monday, September 15th. Orientation and registration are built into the first two weeks of Core course.
The fall quarter begins on Monday, September 29th

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Where do I find the Academic Calendar?
Quarterly Academic Calendars are available via the Office of the Registrar.

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How will I register for courses?
Registration for fall quarter courses will take place during the second week of the Core course (September 22nd–26th). Before registration, you will meet with your assigned faculty advisor (advisor assignments will be posted on the website in early September) to discuss courses. All full-time students must register for MAPH 30100 (the Core course) and two electives. The official list of courses, called the Time Schedule, will be available in early August. Course descriptions may be found on the web sites of individual departments. Additional instructions and information can be found here.

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Where do I find more information about university billing, tuition and fees, and estimated living expenses?
Information for billing and quarterly tuition and fees is available on the website of the Office of the Bursar.
For information on estimated living expenses, please visit the Student Loan Administration FAQs and click on "Graduate Guide." Please note that this information is available only as a PDF.

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Who do I contact about financial aid (student loans, work study, etc.)?
Contact the Student Loan Office at 773-702-6061. The Student Loan Office is located on the third floor of the University (Barnes & Noble) Bookstore on 58th St. & Ellis Ave.

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How can I find out more about housing options for next year?
Contact University Student Housing for information about living in University-owned apartments in Hyde Park.
Contact the International House. International House is located on campus and is similar to a dorm.
Check the Hyde Park Herald Classifieds, the Chicago Reader (search under zip codes 60615 and 60637 for apartments in Hyde Park), and marketplace.uchicago.edu for non-University housing options.
Visit www.qumbya.com for information about Hyde Park cooperative living options.
Visit Chicago Life for a listing of Hyde Park property management companies.
In searching for apartments in Hyde Park, you should be aware that most of the grocery stores, restuarants, and public transportation routes to downtown, etc. are located in northeast Hyde Park (from Woodlawn Ave. to the lake, and from 55th to 51st Streets). If you will not have a car, you may want to get an apartment closer to these amenities.

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When will I receive a graduate course catalog?
You won't. The University of Chicago does not publish a Graduate Course Catalog. One reason for this is that graduate course offerings frequently change from quarter to quarter and from year to year due to changes in student interest, faculty research, offerings by visiting faculty, etc. Also, the University allows graduate students to "shop" for their courses. This means that even though you initially register for three courses, you may visit as many classes as you desire during the first week or two of the quarter in order to see course syllabi, get a feel for professors and teaching styles, get a feel for level/type of discussion, etc. You then finalize your schedule through the "add/drop" process.
Every quarter (about two weeks before registration) the University publishes Time Schedules. Time Schedules from previous quarters are currently available. The complete Time Schedule for fall quarter will be available in early August.
One way to research course descriptions for those courses generally offered every year is to visit the web sites of each department in which you are interested in taking classes.
A Graduate Program Catalog is available on-line. Some departments do list course offerings and/or descriptions in their catalog entry.

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What are the course requirements for MAPH students?
A full-time MAPH student is required to complete the MAPH Core course (which begins two weeks before the begining of the Autumn Quarter) in fall quarter, and the MAPH thesis writing workshop over winter and spring quarters. For more details, see the requirements page.
MAPH students choose seven electives. MAPH students are eligible for any class open to first-year graduate students in the University. Many MAPH students choose to concentrate in one discipline. Some choose to take courses in several disciplines, in the Social Sciences Division, or the Law, Divinity, or Business schools because their research demands work in many areas. You can use your seven electives in MAPH to design a program of study that best suits your goals.

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Must I choose one of the four MAPH Program Options?
No. Because many MAPH students come to University of Chicago to pursue interests in cinema and media studies, classics, writing, or cultural policy studies, MAPH has worked with each of those departments to design four special programs. Entering and following one of these programs simply ensures that the student will have completed work for her/his MA that is equivalent to a departmental MA in that field. The special programs are entirely optional; they are in place to guide and support students with these specific interests.
For more information about the MAPH Program Options, visit the Program Options page.

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What kind of advising is available to MAPH students?
All MAPH students are assigned an academic advisor, a professor at the university, who offers suggestions and guidance about courses, professors you might want to work with, or any other concerns you might have. Seeing your faculty advisor is optional, but he/she is there for you. Advisor assignments will be posted to the web site in early September. You will meet with your advisor during the first two weeks of the Core course to discuss fall quarter courses.
The MAPH Co-directors, Associate Director, Program Coordinator, Writing Advisor, and Mentors are also there to answer your questions. The Program Coordinator and Mentors are graduates of MAPH. Each MAPH student also works with an advanced doctoral candidate, or Preceptor, throughout the year. Preceptors lead discussion groups in conjunction with the required Core course; these discussion groups, or precepts, contain 12-15 students and meet every Friday afternoon in the fall quarter. The Preceptors also lead the thesis writing workshops that take place throughout winter and spring quarters. The Preceptors know graduate study in the Humanities Division from the inside and are often the best sources about particular professors and classes. Since you meet the preceptors right at the end of their own process of professional training, they have a lot of recent experience thinking about and clarifying academic directions and career goals. In addition to the Preceptor, each MAPH student will work with a faculty thesis advisor on his or her thesis project. Specific writing questions can also be addressed to the MAPH Writing Advisor.

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Does MAPH recommend that students work while enrolled in the program?
MAPH recommends that students work no more than 10 hours per week, if at all, while enrolled full-time in the program. Exact recommendations will vary depending on the type of job a student holds. For example, a job that allows a student to study while working will enable the student to work more hours than a job that does not.
If a student is considering work-study, it is best to request this while requesting other financial aid (student loans). Applying for work-study does not require that a student actually utilize the work-study package. Both work-study and non-work-study positions are advertised on the Student Employment web site and campus bulletin boards.

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Are Research Assistant Positions available?
Research Assistant positions are WORK-STUDY jobs and students MUST be work-study eligible before applying. At the beginning of the fall quarter, students should check for job postings in the Humanities Dean of Students Office, individual departmental offices, the Student Employment web site, and campus bulletin boards.

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Are internships available to MAPH students?
MAPH does not sponsor internships for students enrolled in the program.
MAPH has worked directly with several area employers and institutions to develop a number of paid internships designed especially for MAPH GRADUATES. Three academic year positions with the University of Chicago Writing Program involve teaching undergraduates in the University's Common Core program, serving as intellectual and social mentors to current MAPH students, and assisting with the administration of the MAPH office. The Smart Museum of Art offers various summer internships to MAPH graduates, including positions in Smart's public relations and marketing division, the educational division, and as assistant to the senior museum curator. Other MAPH summer internships have included positions with the Chicago Historical Society, Browne and Miller (a literary agency), the Newberry Library, Chicago Public Radio, the Chicago Review, and Steppenwolf Theatre.
In addition, as a wide variety of internship opportunities become available throughout the year, MAPH advertises these, as well as various positions around campus, on the program listserve.

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What do I need to know about registering for creative writing courses?
Creative Writing courses are cross-listed so that students are able to apply to courses (beginning or advanced) based on their level of preparation rather than on their level of degree program (undergraduate or graduate). Except where noted, admission to all courses is based on review of samples of student work. Samples should be submitted electronically through the Program's website.
Submissions should include the student's name, ID#, year, e-mail address, and the course for which the student is submitting. Fiction writing course submissions should be no longer than 10 pages; poetry submissions should be 3-5 short poems or a few longer poems.
Deadlines for Submission
  • Autumn Quarter: September 1, 2007
  • Winter Quarter: December 1, 2007
  • Spring Quarter: March 1, 2008
You should also double check these times on the Creative Writing Web-site for the most up-to-date information.
Visit the Creative Writing home page for more information on creative writing at the University of Chicago.

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Does MAPH recommend that students apply to PhD programs while completing MAPH?
In general we recommend that students DO NOT apply to PhD programs while completing MAPH. There are two reasons for this: (1) the application process may be so time-consuming as to negatively affect a student's performance in her fall quarter courses and (2) most students need more than a month of graduate course work to make them competitive for top-tier PhD programs and funding because (a) the student has not yet had the time to build relationships with faculty for recommendation letters, (b) the student has not yet completed any graded graduate course work at the University of Chicago, and (c) the student has not yet written a master's thesis or seminar paper, either of which can serve as a strong application writing sample.
Naturally, some students do not heed this advice and apply while in MAPH. The acceptance rate into PhD programs for these students is much lower than those who apply after completing MAPH; however, every year a few students do apply and generally one or two are accepted (some with funding) and start PhD work directly after graduating from MAPH. If a MAPH student is thinking about applying to programs while in MAPH, she should make an appointment with one of the MAPH Co-Directors and/or her faculty advisor. These tenured faculty are in a good position to evaluate a student on an individual basis and give her sound advice on whether she has a strong enough background to successfully apply to PhD programs before completing her year in MAPH.

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What should I do if I want to complete MAPH on a part-time basis?
  1. Inform the MAPH Associate Director
  2. Inform the Student Loan Administration/Bursar's Office so that your financial aid can be adjusted accordingly
  3. Inform the Humanities Dean of Students Office (773.702.8498 or miranda@uchicago.edu).
Part-time students are required to take the MAPH Core Course: Foundations of Interpretive Theory in fall quarter.
If you are considering part-time study, please be aware that University of Chicago courses are offered Monday-Friday during the day. A student who plans to work should have a job that is very flexible. You will need to be able to schedule work around your courses.

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