Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies

Overview

Doctoral Studies in Literary Studies

Students

Supervisors

Networks

Degree Structure

Pursuing Post Graduate Studies

1. Overview

The School of Language, Translation and Literary Studies (LTL) offers two doctoral programmes. The Doctoral Programme in Language Studies is an interdisciplinary postgraduate study programme in languages, translation studies and culture. The Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies is a postgraduate study programme offered for students of Finnish Literature, Comparative Literature and Narrative Theory and Textuality. Both programmes are unique in Finland and boast excellent connections both nationally and internationally.

 

 

2. Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies

 

The Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies offers postgraduate studies in Finnish Literature and Comparative Literature. Students may major in Comparative Literature regardless of the language area of their interest. The School of Language, Translation and Literary Studies (LTL) welcomes applications from students who have earned their Master's degree in Finnish Literature or Narrative Theory and Textuality at the University of Tampere, or in some other literary discipline at another university. Applicants who have specialised in narrative theory and textuality may apply regardless of their major. In some cases, LTL may require the student to take supplementary courses; the need for supplementary courses is considered on a case-by-case basis.

The Programme's focus is on studying the historical continuum of literature, current forms of Finnish and international literature, and literary phenomena as a part of the field of arts and culture. In literary history, there is a special emphasis on examining the defining characteristics of Finnish literature in relation to national and international culture and literary tradition. The Programme also emphasises textuality, general and descriptive poetics, the development of concepts in relation to other disciplines, and the various intersections of literature, language and philosophy. The Programme's staff participate actively in international discussion on narrative theory, which helps provide methodological tools for other disciplines studying texts both in the humanities and social sciences.

Research conducted in the Programme in the above-mentioned fields is at the cutting edge in Finland, and it enjoys wide recognition internationally. It is therefore an attractive option for students coming from other universities.

The Programme's expected graduation rate is two to three doctors a year. The Programme has met this objective on a regular basis, with two doctoral degrees awarded every year. Graduates enjoy a good employment rate and are appointed to university-level research and teaching posts both in Finland and abroad.

The Programme's head professor is Pekka Tammi. LTL's Postgraduate Committee acts as the Programme's governing body.

 

3. Students

At the beginning of 2012, the School of Language, Translation and Literary Studies (LTL) had almost 50 postgraduate students in Finnish Literature or Comparative Literature. Approximately one-third of them have secured research financing, and five of them have been admitted to the Finnish Doctoral Programme for Literary Studies, a national project involving several universities.  

LTL's Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies regularly receives many applications from aspiring postgraduate students. In the long run, current supervision resources enable 15–20 active (full-time) postgraduate students to study in the Programme.

On 1 August 2012, all postgraduate students majoring in literary studies were automatically transferred to the LTL's Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies if they had a valid right to study.  All postgraduate students also belong to the University's Doctoral School, which coordinates research training and plans and offers postgraduate courses available to all students regardless of their discipline.

 

As of 1 August 2012, students apply for postgraduate studies through the University's Doctoral School. The call for applications is twice a year – in May and November – and the number of postgraduate students admitted to the Programme is announced each year. LTL's teaching and supervision resources are taken into consideration when the number of student admissions is determined; the Postgraduate Committee processes applications and the Dean makes the final decision. Once admitted, postgraduate students are granted the right to study towards the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. The right to study is granted for five years: if it expires, students may apply for an extension of one year at a time. (See the University's and LTL's instructions on how to apply.)

 

4. Supervisors

The Programme's supervision resources are the two professors and four or five lecturers with a PhD, as well as a number of docents acting as dissertation supervisors. It is also possible to invite experts from other universities and the national Finnish Doctoral Programme for Literary Studies to act as supervisors. The official supervision plan must be approved by the Dean of the School. If a supervisor wishes, he/she may include the plan in his/her curriculum vitae. The Programme encourages new doctors to take on supervision duties alongside more experienced researchers. This will also promote supervisor training in the field.

 

5. Networks

The Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies participates extensively in domestic and international networks. The literary studies department was one of the founding members in the Nordic Network of Narrative Studies and in the project Making Sense in Literary and Social Studies, a shared project by Literary Studies and Social Studies run by Professor Mari Hatavara. In the spring of 2011, the University of Tampere held an international congress entitled Teaching Narrative and Teaching through Narrative, at which representatives of various fields considered university teaching through the viewpoint of narrative theory and analysed both fictional and non-fictional stories. The Programme is also connected to Professor Hatavara's research programme Making Sense in Literary and Social Studies, which is interdisciplinary in nature, bringing together researchers of literary studies, sociology, philosophy of mind, psychology and education in studying the cognitive, cultural and societal meanings of narrative. Professor Hatavara's research application for the project Communicating with Words and Images: Interplay, Limits and Affordances was submitted to the Academy of Finland in the autumn of 2011. The project explores the possibilities and limitations of the interplay between verbal and visual, and combines literature, language and social sciences. Professor Hatavara submitted a plan of intent for a similar project, Intermedial Minds?, to the Academy of Finland in the spring of 2012. This project focuses on phenomena connected with intermedial minds and reading minds, and highlights their intermedial and semiotic nature. In the spring of 2012, the University of Tampere, the University of Helsinki and the University of Turku also applied to become a centre of excellence to the Academy of Finland. The working title of the project is Genres of Literary Worldmaking, and its director is Professor Pirjo Lyytikäinen from the University of Helsinki. Vice-directors are Professor Hatavara (subproject: Generic Models of Narrativization) and Professor Lea Rojola from the University of Turku.

The literary studies department of the University of Tampere is known in Europe and the United States as a pioneer in cross-disciplinary narratological research. Literary studies staff also actively publish and participate in conferences, arrange joint research projects, and organise teaching and research visits with several important centres in the field. These include Project Narrative at Ohio State University, the Freiburg Institute for Narrative Studies at the University of Freiburg and the Narrative Research Lab and Center for Fictionality Studies at Aarhus University, which funds research visits and joint projects in postgraduate studies. Students of literary studies at the University of Tampere may also participate in the annual Intensive Program in Narratology summer school in Aarhus, Denmark, which brings together researchers who study texts and narratives across different disciplines. LTL's programme also cooperates with several universities in addition to the above-mentioned, e.g. the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the University of Missouri, Columbia University, the University of Washington, the University of Oslo, Stockholm University, Örebro University and the University of Tartu. The literary studies department has also established connections with the Literature and Environment programme at the University of Nevada, and research visits and publications are currently underway.

Moreover, postgraduate students of Finnish Literature can teach and research abroad through various exchange programmes or CIMO (Centre for International Mobility).  In Scandinavian Studies, important partners include the International Association for the Study of Scandinavian Literature, the Society for the Study of Scandinavian and the Nordic Society for Intermedial Studies.

Postgraduate students in literary studies often work in Finnish cultural media or on the editorial boards of scientific publications: this offers students a wide interdisciplinary cooperation and publishing network. For instance, the leading Finnish philosophical journal, niin & näin, is an important and popular forum for many young researchers. The Programme's links to philosophy are strong: LTL's researchers work together closely with their colleagues in practical philosophy and aesthetics. In recent years, several national and international philosophically oriented seminars have been organised.  These topics enhance European research cooperation in particular, as the connections of literary studies to cultural media and philosophy have traditionally been strong, especially in the French and German language areas.

The two literary disciplines taught at the University of Tampere are part of the Finnish Doctoral Programme for Literary Studies, which is a national programme run by Professor Pirjo Lyytikäinen from the University of Helsinki; Professors Mari Hatavara and Pekka Tammi from the University of Tampere are on its board. As a part of this national programme, LTL's Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies also belongs to the European PhDNet, which is run by Professor Ansgar Nünning from the Justus Liebig University in Giessen, Germany. The European PhDNet offers paid research posts. Moreover, some of its activities are open to all postgraduate students at any of the universities belonging to the Finnish national programme.

 

6. Degree Structure

 

The normal duration of postgraduate studies is four years. The scope of the degree is 240 ECTS credits, which means that full-time postgraduate students must earn 60 ECTS credits (1600 hours of work) a year to complete their studies in four years. The studies consist of two components:

• A doctoral dissertation: 200 ECTS credits
• Other studies: 40 ECTS credits

 

The following make up the 40 ECTS credits of other studies:

1.Studies in the student's research field: 20 ECTS credits

Regular attendance at the Programme's research seminar
Studies supporting the student's research, as specified in his/her personal study plan
Activities in connection with scientific organisations, publications, conferences, etc., as specified in the student's personal study plan

2. Free choice studies advancing the student's research and scientific expertise: 10 ECTS credits

As specified in the student's personal study plan

The doctoral degree earned will be either in Finnish Literature or Comparative Literature.

 

 

7. Pursuing Postgraduate Studies

Research training in the Doctoral Programme in Literary Studies consists of independent supervised work and courses that deepen students' skills in their field. The objective of doctoral training is to write a dissertation and earn the degree of Doctor of Philosophy.

Postgraduate students in the Programme may take courses offered by the University's Doctoral School when the student and supervisor deem it advisable. None of these courses are compulsory.

The Programme runs its own research seminar. Attendance at the seminar is compulsory throughout postgraduate studies. At the seminar, postgraduate students present their research plans, report on the progress of their research and acquire practice in scientific peer-reviewing. Postgraduate students are also offered an opportunity to work in independent theme-based research teams, with Literary Studies supervisors acting as team leaders. Participation in a research team is rewarded with credits; the number of credits to be granted is negotiated with the student's supervisors.

If there are sufficient resources, open research workshops will be arranged in collaboration with the University's other doctoral programmes and other parties offering postgraduate education (e.g. the Finnish Doctoral Programme for Literary Studies). Also, international experts from the above-mentioned partner universities will be invited to act as instructors. LTL has a long-standing tradition of organising international workshops with outstanding results, so this practice will be continued in the new programme. Postgraduate students are also encouraged to take part in other international research activities during their studies. LTL is asked to cover postgraduate students' travelling expenses to encourage them to participate in conferences.