Duke University 2003-2004 - Office of the Registrar - Duke University

The Master of Arts in Liberal Studies Program (MALS)
Donna Zapf, Director
MALS is a flexible interdisciplinary program that allows individuals to pursue a
variety of personal and professional educational interests across disciplinary
boundaries. An advisory committee made up of faculty from throughout the
University and chaired by the MALS director manages the academic concerns of the
program. This committee admits students, selects new courses, approves final project
topics and determines academic policy. Students study primarily on a part-time basis
and choose from an array of interdisciplinary courses developed specifically for this
program. In addition to the special liberal studies courses, students may select courses
from other departments of the Graduate School.
The MALS program consists of nine courses and a final project. These courses are
offered during three academic terms (fall, spring and summer). The final project,
which may take the form of academic research, applied research, or creative work,
provides an opportunity for the student to apply the knowledge and skills gained
through the program to an independent activity of the student’s own design.
To request a separate publication on the Master of Arts in Liberal Studies,
including descriptions of specific courses and other program requirements, contact
the Program Director (Box 90095, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina 27708,
(919) 684-3222), email: dukemals@duke.edu. Additional information on the MALS
program is available on the world wide web at http://www.mals.duke.edu.
The Program in Literature (LIT)
Professor Jameson, Chair (Graduate Program in Literature and French); Professor Surin,
Director of Graduate Studies (Graduate Program in Literature and Religion); Professors
Gaines (Graduate Program in Literature and English), Kaplan (French and Graduate
Program in Literature), Lentricchia (Graduate Program in Literature and English),
Mignolo (Graduate Program in Literature and Spanish), Moi (Graduate Program in
Literature and French), Mudimbe (Graduate Program in Literature), Radway (Graduate
Program in Literature), Rolleston (Germanic languages and literature), B. H. Smith
(Graduate Program in Literature and English), and Stewart (French and Graduate
Program in Literature); Associate Professors Hardt (Graduate Program in Literature
and Italian), Lahusen (Slavic languages and literature and Graduate Program in
Literature), Lubiano (Graduate Program in Literature), Moreiras (Spanish and
Graduate Program in Literature), Wiegman (Women’s Studies and Graduate Program
in Literature) and Willis (Graduate Program in Literature); Assistant Professors Farred
(Graduate Program in Literature), Fischer (Graduate Program in Literature and
Spanish), Khanna (Graduate Program in Literature and English) and Viego (Graduate
Program in Literature and Romance studies), Research Professor Dorfman (Graduate
Program in Literature and Latin American studies).
The interdepartmental program leading to a Ph.D. in Literature offers qualified
students the opportunity to develop individual courses of study with a strong emphasis
on interdisciplinary work, literary theory, and cultural studies, while at the same time
allowing students to specialize in one or more of the national literatures. The program
offers both introductory courses (the 250 series) and more specialized seminars (The 280
series), as well as tutorials (300) in specific research projects or problems.
For tutorials, advising, and dissertation supervision the program draws also on
the expertise of other faculty such as Professors Baucom, Davidson, Moses, Pfau,
Torgovnick (English); Abe, Stiles, and Wharton (art history); Burian and Davis
(classical studies); Orr (Romance studies); Cooke (AA&LL); Flanagan (philosophy);
and Stone (philosophy and law).
Students entering the program must present evidence of ability to read one
language other than English, and must acquire reading competence in a second
186 Courses and Academic Programs