The Committee
on the History
of Culturelogo.JPG (10409 bytes)

Program

 

 

Faculty
Students
Courses
Admissions
 
 
 

University of Chicago
Humanities Division

 The Committee on the History of Culture is an interdisciplinary group that provides a space of opportunity for highly motivated and independent students doing original, critical work in the humanities and the interpretative wing of the social sciences or - better yet - work that problematizes this categorical divide. The program brings together faculty with primary expertise in a variety of signifying practices (literary/linguistic, visual, gestural, and musical/sonoric), historic periods, parts of the globe (North America, Europe, eastern Mediterranean, South Asia, Australia), and theoretical orientations. At the broadest level, our goal is to explore the politics and poetics of knowledge and culture, bringing a cultural studies perspective to bear on the artifacts and historic record of the past, as on contemporary society. Beyond this, we attempt to reflect critically on the historic development of discourse about culture, as well as the cultural significance and political import of discourse about history.

Once admitted, each student is assigned a committee of advisers (including a principal adviser), at least one of whom shall be a member of the Committee. They will guide the organization of the student's work, the selection of appropriate courses of study, and the formulation of a dissertation subject. The Committee--its faculty and students--relies upon the talents and expertises of many members of the University community.



Special Interests:

American Studies

Among the clusters of interests of the faculty and students in the Committee on the History of Culture is American studies. With broad and deep expertises in many aspects of American culture, the University of Chicago provides a stimulating place to work. Students in History of Culture can construct an interdisciplinary program of study in history, literature, anthropology, religion, sociology, law, and media studies. Dialogue between and engagement with other cultures is fostered by the interests of other faculty and students and facilitates explorations of American cultural pluralism. The American Studies program distinguishes itself both by its conceptual engagement with national culture as an object of inquiry and by a commitment to significant comparative work. Students have considerable freedom, though, and are encouraged to fashion their own questions and objectives.

Early Modern Studies

Faculty research and teaching in early modern Europe spans a wide range of issues. Recent work includes the intellectual underpinnings of Renaissance economics (Desan) , political theory and its discourse (Maggi, Desan), mysticism in relation to gender and the arts (Maggi, Kendrick), iconography and self-portraiture of Renaissance thinkers (Desan), Neoplatonic theories of love (Maggi), emblematics (Maggi), urban ritual (Kendrick), and court theatrical spectacle (Kendrick). Students are encouraged to use a broad array of cultural materials (texts, images, music) in formulating research proposals.

Click here for the History of the Committee.

 

Requirements:

THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS

1. The completion of Divisional requirements for the Master's degree.

2. Satisfactory completion of a program of 9 courses (including the required methods course, History of Culture 40000) approved by the Committee with a grade of B or better. These may be either formal courses or reading courses closely related to the student's field.

3. Acceptance of an M.A. paper approved by two readers, one of whom must be a member of the Committee.

THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

1. The completion of Divisional requirements for the Doctor's degree.

2. Students are admitted to candidacy for the Doctor's degree by the Dean of Students on the recommendation of the Committee; students must be admitted to candidacy at least nine months (three quarters) before taking the final examination. The Committee's prerequisites for recommendation to the Dean of Students are:

a. The satisfactory completion of a program of work (at least 9 courses beyond the MA with a grade of B or better) approved by the Committee.

b. Passing two required language examinations in two different languages of scholarship approved by the Committee.

c. The passing of a written examination based on approximately seventy-five books, or works of similar significance, divided into the three general fields and selected in consultation with the student's advisory committee. For each part, the student writes an essay of no more than 3,000 words. Each exam is open book and to be completed within 24 hours.

d. Approval of a dissertation proposal by the dissertation committee (one of whom shall be a member of the Committee).

3. After admittance to candidacy, the student submits a dissertation making an original contribution to a field of knowledge and successfully defends the work at a final oral examination before the Committee.

At every stage in the program leading up to the defense of the dissertation, students are encouraged by their advisors to question and reformulate their initial ideas for a subject and program of study. Studies are monitored by advisors within and without the Committee, and students are expected to complete course work in a timely manner. If an incomplete has to be taken in formal course, it must be completed within one year (four quarters)of the end of the course. Exceptions for extraordinary circumstances may be granted through formal petition.

University of Chicago || Humanities Division || Committee on the History of Culture