Master of Philosophy in Modern Languages

Or

• (ii) History of Ideas in Germany from the Eighteenth to the Twentieth Centuries. All candidates must attend such lectures, seminars, and classes as the course convener shall determine. All candidates must present one seminar paper during their course, and submit a written essay based on some aspect of the work done for the seminar. This essay may be written in English or German and must be of between 5,000 and 7,000 words in length. Candidates must submit three typed copies of the essay to the Head of Examinations and Assessments, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Thursday of tenth week of Hilary Term of their first year. Each copy must have a cover sheet giving the candidate’s name, college, the title of the essay,‘method’ the name of the candidate’s course convener, and the words ‘History of Ideas in Germany,option submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the M.Phil. in Modern Languages’.

Or

• (iii) Each candidate shall be required to offer either, (1) the History of the Book, or (2) Palaeography with Textual Criticism. Candidates will be examined on one or two essays on topics agreed by them with their course convener relating either to the history of the book (for (1)) or to palaeography with textual criticism (for (2)). The essay or essays should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words in total. Candidates must submit three typed copies to the Head of Examinations and Assessments, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Thursday of tenth week of Hilary Term of their first year. Each copy must have a cover sheet giving the candidate’s name, college, the title of the essay, the name of the candidate’s supervisor, and the words ‘History of the Book/Palaeography with Textual Criticism [either/or], submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Philosophy in Modern Languages'. For (2), candidates will in addition be required to undertake a practical transcription test, made without reference to dictionaries or handbooks, on a short manuscript text selected by the course convener, who will also mark, sign, and date the candidate’s work. The test should take place by the end of the fourth week of the Trinity Term in which the examination is to be taken. The mark should be sent by the course convener to the Modern Languages Graduate Office.

Or

• The work submitted under (i), (ii) or (iv) must be written in English; the work submitted under (ii) may be written in English or German; the work submitted under (iii) may be written in English or, subject to the approval of the Medieval and Modern Languages Faculty Board, in a language appropriate to the literature concernedGerman.

  Approval must be sought for the choice of options in (A) by the end of the fourth week of Michaelmas Term in the first year.

(B) A thesis, which may be written in English or, with the approval of the Medieval and Modern Languages Faculty Board, in the language appropriate to the literature concerned, of approximately 20,000 words and not more than 25,000 words, on a subject approved by the Board or by a person or persons to whom the Board may delegate this function. The subject of the thesis shall be related either to the fields of study represented by (A) (i), (ii), (iii) or (iiiiv) above or to one or more of the candidate’’s Special Subjects (C). When seeking approval for the subject of the thesis, every candidate shall submit with the proposed title a written statement of not more than 500 words explaining the scope of the topic and the manner in which it is proposed to treat it. Candidates are required to register the subject area or title of their dissertation with the Modern Languages Graduate Office by the end of theWeek fourth week4 of Hilary Term of their second year. The thesis mustshould be presentedformatted and submitted electronically as specified in proper scholarly form. Three copies typed in double-spacing on one side only of quarto or A4 paper, each copy bound or held firmly in a stiff cover, must be delivered to the Headcourse of Examinations and Assessments, Examination Schools, High Street, Oxfordhandbook, by noon on Thursday of theWeek sixth week7 of Trinity Term of the second year.

Successful candidates will be required to deposit one copy of their thesis in the Bodleian Library.

(C) Three Special Subjects.

(i) and (ii) Candidates must select two Special Subjects from those listed in the ‘‘Graduate Studies in Modern Languages’’ handbook associated with the programme which they are following; candidates may select a special subject from a different programme with approval from their supervisor; (iii) the third Special Subject must be of the candidate’’s own devising, worked out under supervisory guidance.

Candidates will normally offer two Special Subjects from the same language and area, or from different areas in the same language. The Comparative Literature Programme will contain Special Subjects from two different languages, or one at least of the special subjects (C, D, and E) is comparative in scope

Approval of Special Subjects (i) and (ii) must be sought, by application to the Modern Language Graduate Office, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford by the end of the fourth week of Michaelmas Term of the first year. Approval of Special Subject (iii) and proposed title of the Dissertation must be sought, by application to the Modern Language Graduate Office, 41 Wellington Square, Oxford by the end of the fourth week of Hilary Term of the second year.

The Special Subjects must have the written support of the candidate’’s supervisor and be approved by or on behalf of the Medieval and Modern Languages Faculty Board. A proposal for a Special Subject of the candidate’’s own devising shall be accompanied by a statement (of approximately 100 words) of the character and scope of the subject proposed.

Candidates will be assessed on an essay, or two essays (which may be written in English, or, with the approval of the Medieval and Modern Languages Faculty Board, in the language appropriate to the literature concerned), on the topics they have agreed with the supervisor of each Special Subject.

The essay or essays submitted for each Special Subject should be between 5,000 and 7,000 words in total.

Students are required to submit work for assessment on all four of the non- dissertation components (A, C, D, and E). Of these four, the component gaining the lowest passing mark will be discounted in the final assessment. A fail mark must always be included in the final assessment.

The Special Subject essaysshould shallbe formatted and submitted electronically as specified in the course handbook. The special subject for Michaelmas Term should be submitted to the Head of Examinations and Assessments, High Street, Oxford, by noon on Thursday of Week 10 of Michaelmas Term of the candidate’s first weekyear.  ofThe special subject for Hilary Term. However,should candidatesbe are strongly advised to complete their essays for the first two Special Subjectssubmitted by thenoon endon Thursday of Week 10 of Hilary Term of theirthe candidate’s first year.  The self-devised special subject should be submitted by noon on Thursday of Week 4 of Michaelmas Term of the candidate’s second year.  

4. Candidates for Comparative Literature should ensure that either at least one of the special subjects (C, D, and E) is comparative in scope or the three special subjects are concerned with different languages. The dissertation must deal explicitly with comparative issues.

5. If it is the opinion of the examiners that the work done by a candidate, while not of sufficient merit to qualify for the degree of M.Phil., is nevertheless of sufficient merit to qualify for the Degree of Master of Studies in Modern Languages, the candidate shall be given the option of re-sitting the M.Phil. examination under the appropriate regulation, or of being granted permission to supplicate for the Degree of Master of Studies.

6. In the case of re-submission, candidates shall be required to submit all the material by noon on Thursday of the sixthfinal weekMonday of the first Trinity TermSeptember following their first examination. Candidates may resubmit on one occasion only.

7. The examiners may award a Distinction for excellence in the whole examination.