Ph.D. Program

Requirements:
Residence
Foreign language
Doctoral Comprehensive Examination
Dissertation
Advising

• Residence

The Ph.D. student must spend at least the equivalent of three full academic years in resident graduate study at this or some other approved university, including the time spent in attaining the M.A. degree. Two consecutive semesters (summer sessions count as a semester) must be spent in resident study at the University of Kansas. During this period of residency the student must be involved full time in academic pursuits, considered as 12 credit hours each semester. Six hours of residency credit is given for half-time teaching or research positions.

• Foreign language

Reading knowledge of 2 foreign languages, specifically:

A high level of reading knowledge, i.e. research capability, in one East Asian language. This requires at least three years of coursework, including study of "classical" forms of the language.

General reading knowledge of a second East Asian language in which there exists a significant literature relevant to the student's major area. The second language requirement (reading knowledge) can be satistified with two years of coursework with grades of B or better.

Native speakers of an East Asian language can use English to satisfy one of the two language requirements.

Non-native speakers are stongly encouraged to do one year of language study in East Asia before beginning the doctoral program.

Knowledge of a European language, particularly French or German, is helpful, but cannot be used to satisfy the language requirement.

The foreign language requirement must be met before the student will be permitted to take the doctoral comprehensive examination.
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• Doctoral Comprehensive Examination

A comprehensive examination, consisting of three written sections and an oral examination, is taken at the completion of doctoral course work. This exam covers the major and two minor areas identified in the student's formal application to proceed in the doctoral program.(See Admissions, The History of Art Doctoral Program.) The major area is usually defined by the student's primary research interest. The minor areas might be art of another period, a different medium, an aspect of the art of another East Asian country, or a topic from another field (history, literature, religion, etc.). Ideally, these three areas will complement one another.

Representative combinations of areas (many others are possible):

Major area: 6th-10th c. Chinese Buddhist art; minor areas: (1) Chinese painting through the 10th c.; (2) early Chinese Buddhism.
Major area: Song-Yuan painting; minor areas: (1) later Chinese Buddhist art; (2) Muromachi painting.
Major area: 8th-12th c. Japanese Buddhist art; minor areas: (1) Heian painting; (2) early Japanese Buddhism.
Major area: Painting of the Heian and Kamakura periods; minor areas: (1) Tang painting; (2) Edo painting.
Major area: Ming painting; minor areas: (1) Song painting; (2) Ming literature
Major area: Edo painting; minor areas: (1) Qing painting; (2) Edo period history
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• Dissertation

After successful completion of the comprehensive exams, the Ph.D. student begins work on a doctoral dissertation. The first step is to form a committee composed of at least three members and chaired by the dissertation adviser. In consultation with his/her adviser, the student selects a dissertation topic and submits a proposal to the graduate faculty for departmental approval.

Doctoral candidates in East Asian art generally spend one to two years in East Asia doing dissertation research. This is not required, but is strongly recommended.

The department provides a limited amount of support for dissertation reserch travel and FLAS fellowships can be used for this purpose. However, candidates are expected to apply to number of external programs and organizations for dissertation research support.

Possible sources of support include:
Department of State Fulbright Program
Chiang Ching-kuo Foundation
Social Science Research Council (International Dissertation Field Research Fellowships)
Metropolitan Center for Far Eastern Art Studies, Kyoto
American Oriental Society (Louise Wallace Hackney Fellowship for the Study of Chinese Art)
Korea Foundation

help in identifying additional sources can be obtained from the Hall Center for the Humanities at the University of Kansas.

Alert! Students are strongly advised to take grant deadlines into consideration in scheduling their doctoral comprehensive examinations and submitting their dissertation proposals to the department for approval.

The Ph.D. program culminates with an oral defense of the dissertation.
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Advising

The graduate adviser is Dr. John Pultz. Specific questions concerning the Asian art program can also be addressed to Professors Haufler, McNair, and Fowler. All can be reached at 785-864-4713.