Degree Requirements
Fields of Study  
 

A.  Course Requirements
B.  Foreign Literature Requirement
C.  Plan of Concentration
D.  Student Bibliography
E.  Sophomore Examination
F.  Junior Seminar
G.  Junior Essay
H.  Senior Thesis
I.  Senior Honor Oral Examinations

A.   Course Requirements: Candidates for a degree in History and Literature in the classes of 2008 and 2009 are required to take a minimum of sixteen half courses – ten half courses in addition to the tutorials. Candidates for a degree in History and Literature in the Class of 2010 are required to take a minimum of fourteen half-courses—nine half-courses in addition to five tutorials. All courses are letter graded except for History and Literature 99, the senior tutorial. (The one exception to this rule is that by petition a student may count a relevant Freshman Seminar for concentration credit.) Courses taken at other universities may count for concentration credit but are not included in the student's grade point average. Harvard Summer School courses also may count for concentration credit; these grades will be included in the student's grade point average. All other concentration courses are automatically included in determining the concentration grade point average, even if the student has taken more than the minimum number required.

B.   Foreign Literature Requirement: All students in History and Literature need to fulfill the foreign literature requirement by the end of their junior year. They must receive an honors grade (B- or above) in a course that requires them to read foreign literature in the original language. This course counts as one of their sixteen concentration courses. History and Literature requires this course in the belief that studying literature written in another language can give valuable insights not only into other literary, cultural, and historical traditions, but also, by comparison, into one’s own. We want students to gain sufficient fluency to work meaningfully with primary texts in their foreign language. Many language courses do not fulfill this requirement; students must check the list of courses that fulfill the foreign literature requirement, which is available in the office and on the web. In a course where reading in the original language is optional, students must ask for a letter from the instructor testifying to the fact that they have read the works in the original. These letters should be sent to the Assistant Director of Studies. If you have any questions about whether a course (listed or unlisted) counts--especially likely when dealing with a new course or a new professor--speak with the Assistant Director of Studies. Remember that syllabi change: as with all courses, students are responsible for insuring that the course meets the expectations for the foreign literature requirement.

Students in non-Anglophone fields must be taking literature courses in the relevant language by the end of the junior year. Students may fulfill the foreign literature requirement by receiving a foreign language citation. In that case, the highest-level language class will be the course that will officially “count” for History and Literature, and the grade for that class will be computed into the concentration GPA.

C.   Plan of Concentration: At the end of the sophomore and junior years, students, with the help of their tutors, prepare plans of concentration (see appendices; plan of concentration forms are also available on the web), listing the courses they intend to take. The following fall, they revise these plans with their tutors and, in the case of juniors, discuss them with a member of the Committee on Instruction in their special field. Office hours for reviewing plans of concentration will be posted during the first week of classes. Students should plan to pursue their individual interests, but they should be careful not to sacrifice coverage. Although individual courses may vanish from the catalogue, the plan of concentration represents an outline of the student's particular course of study; it is an extremely important document, requiring careful initial consideration and regular updating. The Co Chairs of the Committee on Instruction check these plans against students' transcripts over the summer, informing the Registrar which courses should be counted for concentration credit and writing a letter to each student listing unfulfilled requirements. Students in the America field fill out two-sided plans of concentration (appendix A). Students in all other fields fill out single-sided plans (appendix B). Students in the Latin America/North America and Postcolonial fields are strongly encouraged to make use of the requirements worksheets (available under “Forms” on the website) in filling out their plans of concentration. Be sure to keep a copy of your plan.

Every year the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Instruction draw up a list of courses that count for concentration credit. This list includes courses from a variety of departments. Please consult this list (which is available in the office and on the web) in devising your plan of concentration. Be sure also to check the History and Literature offerings, HL90s, new interdisciplinary seminars offered by members of the COD and Tutorial Board. A course will ordinarily count for concentration credit if more than half of the material covered falls within the geographic and chronological boundaries of the student's chosen field (the "50% rule"); if you believe you have found such a course and it is not on the list of courses that count, you may petition the Committee on Instruction for credit. See the note on petitioning under "Frequently Asked Questions." Be sure to include an approved foreign literature course (in the original language) in your plan, to be completed by the end of the junior year. Lower-level language courses are not counted.

D.   Student Bibliography: At the end of the sophomore and junior years, each student prepares a bibliography of the chief texts he or she has studied in the field. This bibliography becomes a permanent part of the student's record and will serve as an important reference and resource for the oral examination.

E.   Sophomore Examination: The sophomore oral examination is given at the end of sophomore tutorial. The examination tests the ability to analyze and to discuss historical and literary texts. Coverage of the field is not expected. Tutors evaluate their own students’ examinations. These evaluations become a permanent part of the student’s record. All students in the spring term of sophomore tutorial must take the sophomore examination.

F.   Junior Seminar: Every junior is required to participate in a junior seminar, held on a date to be announced during the year. Each year’s seminar centers on the work of a visiting scholar to History and Literature. Juniors read a required text and gather in small groups, moderated by tutors. They are also required to write discussion questions submitted to their group in advance. They are then encouraged to raise their questions and ideas at the concentration-wide discussion with the visiting scholar. The primary objective of the junior seminar is to provide an opportunity for juniors to gather as members of an intellectual community, in order to exchange ideas about interdisciplinary scholarship across fields with other students and tutors.

G.   Junior Essay: Every junior is required to write a research paper of approximately 6,000 words (not counting notes and bibliography) during the second semester of junior tutorial. Junior essays can serve as preliminary explorations of the senior thesis topic, but in most cases they do not. The major goal of the essay is to provide experience in doing the kind of sustained research, thinking, and writing that the senior thesis demands. The student’s tutor and an outside tutor will formally evaluate the essay, grading it Honors, High Honors, or Recommended for Review. These evaluations and the essay itself will become a permanent part of the student’s record.

H.   Senior Thesis: All candidates for an honors degree in History and Literature prepare a senior thesis of approximately 10,000 15,000 words (no more than 20,000 words), not counting notes and bibliography. A tentative choice of subject for the thesis is required in the spring of the junior year (the assignment of the student to a senior tutor is based on this topic) and the final choice is submitted for formal approval from the Tutorial Board in October of the senior year. In December, students must submit a substantial work-in-progress (usually in the form of a first chapter). The completed thesis is due on February 29. Two identical copies must be presented. For assistance in the preparation of the thesis, a set of guidelines has been prepared and is available in the History and Literature office and on the web.

Students who do not complete a thesis are not eligible to graduate with honors in History and Literature. To receive credit for History and Literature 99, such students must first secure the permission of the Director of Studies to withdraw from candidacy for honors and must submit two twenty-page papers (one each semester) or one forty-page paper (in early May).

I.   Senior Honors Oral Examination: At the end of their final semester, all students must take an honors oral examination given by at least two tutors in the field. The examination tests the student's mastery of the field and ability to combine history and literature in imaginative and thoughtful ways. The examination includes questions on the student's thesis as well as on his or her field as a whole. Some of these questions are drawn from the topics list for the oral examination. Seniors submit their topics list during the last week of classes in the spring term of the senior year. They also submit brief descriptions of courses taken for concentration credit and a bibliography. Students are required to include four poets on their topics list. The list as a whole should indicate breadth as well as depth. While the lists give students the opportunity to indicate topics they particularly wish to discuss, students must be well prepared to discuss the range of their fields in a polished manner and to show their command of the pertinent facts. Examiners will use the oral examination to help make an assessment of the student's overall work in the field. Along with the student’s concentration GPA and thesis grades, the oral examination is a significant component in the determination of the student’s final degree recommendation of summa, magna, cum, or no honors. If students have mixed elements (summa/magna, magna/cum, cum/no honors) in their records they need to perform at a very high level on the exam to earn the higher degree recommendation. Even when students’ records are solidly in the summa, magna, or cum range they need to have a strong performance on the exam to earn their presumed degree recommendations. Degree recommendations will be forwarded to the Faculty of Arts and Sciences and will result in the awarding of the A.B. degree, provided that the student meets the College's requirements for the various degrees of honors as set forth in the Handbook for Students. Students should be aware that concentration honors are not necessarily identical to College honors.

Concentrators in History and Literature choose a special field of study. The options fall into three general categories:

(A) a single country or region throughout its early modern and modern history;

• America,   Britain,   France,   Germany,   Russia,   Latin America
(B) multiple countries or regions (e.g., the Middle Ages, Postcolonial Studies, Britain and France);

• The Middle Ages,   Europe 1300-1750,   Postcolonial Studies
• Combined Fields
Britain and France,   France and Germany,   Britain and Germany,   Russia and Britain,   Russia and America,   Russia and France,   France and America,   Britain and America,   Latin America and North America
(C) additional fields of study constructed in consultation with the Director of Studies.
• Additional fields of study

(A) Fields Focused on a Single Country or Region

(1) AMERICA

• Seven half-courses in American History and Literature:
• Two half-courses (one history and one literature) on colonial America (1607 - c.1800).
• Two half-courses (one history and one literature) on 19th-century America.
• Two half-courses (one history and one literature) on 20th-century America.
• One half-course in any period in history or literature or in a related field (e.g., architecture, political theory, non-U.S. literature in English etc.). If the course is not listed in the America section of the courses that count for concentration credit, the student must petition the Committee on Instruction. Students who have taken English 10a or 10b may count it as a “related field” course.
• One half-course in the literature of a foreign language, with reading assignments in the original language. The course must be listed in the courses that fulfill the foreign literature requirement and the grade must be a B- or higher. This requirement must be completed before the end of the junior year.
• One half-course in non-U.S. history:
Students in the America field are encouraged to consider how the history and literature of the United States relates to transatlantic, international, or global concerns. Therefore, they may fulfill the foreign history requirement in one of the following two ways:
• by taking one half-course in the history of a country or region other than the U.S., but related to the student’s plan of study,
• by taking one half-course on the theme “America in the world.”
A list of courses that count for the “America in the world” option will be determined and posted on the web each year by the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Instruction.

Students should select the specific courses of their programs with the help of their tutors, taking into consideration prior coursework, breadth of coverage (across and within centuries), and the timing of coursework. For example, survey courses and introductory courses are usually more satisfying to students at the early stages of their programs, and it is usually not wise to leave both colonial America requirements for the senior year.

(2) BRITAIN

Primary emphasis on the period since 1485. The student's program should be balanced between history and literature and must include the following courses:
• English 10a and 10b: Major British Writers. Students may petition to substitute a similar course in British literature for one semester.
• Two half-courses in British history in different centuries.
• One half-course in European history.
• One half-course in the literature of a foreign language, with reading assignments in the original language, to be completed by the end of the junior year. The course must be listed in the courses that fulfill the foreign literature requirement and the grade received should be a B- or higher.

(3) FRANCE

1500 to the present. Students should be in the process of acquiring a reading knowledge of French during the sophomore year. The student's program should be balanced between history and literature and must include the following courses:
• French 70a and 70b: Introduction to French Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• At least two half-courses in the period 1500-1800.
• At least two half-courses in the period 1800 1900.
• At least two half-courses in the period 1900-present.

(4) GERMANY

From the Reformation to the present. Students are expected to demonstrate a reading knowledge of German by the end of the junior year. The student's program should be balanced between history and literature and must ordinarily include the following courses:
• Foreign Cultures 30: Forging a Nation: German Culture from Luther to Kant and Beyond.
• Historical Study A-76: Germany 1871-1990: From Unification to Reunification.
• German 50a or b: Masterpieces of German Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• At least one half-course in the Goethezeit.
• At least two other half-courses in the period before 1900.

(5) RUSSIA

From Peter the Great (1672-1725) to the present, with special emphasis on the nineteenth and twentieth centuries.
• Two half-courses (one history and one literature) on Imperial Russia.
• Two half-courses (one history and one literature) on Soviet Russia.
Students may petition to include courses in pre-Petrine Russia and East Slavic history and literature if they wish. Of the many course offerings in the history and literature of Slavic Eastern Europe (for example, Ukraine, Poland, etc.), students may count two half-courses for concentration credit. Students are expected to demonstrate a reading knowledge of Russian by the end of junior year.

(6) LATIN AMERICA

Sixteenth century to the present. Students should be in the process of acquiring a reading knowledge of Spanish during the sophomore year. Knowledge of Portuguese is not required except for those students specializing in Brazil.
By the end of the senior year, students will be expected to demonstrate knowledge of the following subjects:
1.   Conquest and colonization; colonial institutions; indigenous societies and their interaction with Europeans; literary documents, principally crónicas and poetry, of the contact period.
2.   Independence movements of the nineteenth century; novels, expository prose and poetry of this period of national self-definition.
3.   A general historical and literary knowledge of the twentieth century.
The student's program should be balanced between history and literature and must ordinarily include the following courses:
• History 1757, 1758, and 1759: History of Latin America.
• Spanish 71a and 71b: Spanish-American Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One half-course in literature at the 100 level or higher.
Students are encouraged to take a half-course in Peninsular literature.

(1) THE MIDDLE AGES

Europe, ca. 400 to 1500. Attention is given chiefly, but not exclusively, to two or three general themes selected at the end of the sophomore year in consultation with the student’s tutor. Possible themes might include: the papacy, the Crusades, heresy, monasticism, and millenarianism; knights and serfs; the rise of universities and the growth of towns; the transition from Late Antiquity to the Middle Ages; the “waning of the Middle Ages” and the birth of modernity; castles and cathedrals; feudalism, government, law, and the rise of the nation state; plagues and perceptions of the body; hermits, mystics, anchorites, and the power of relics; Renaissance; the interplay of Latin and vernacular cultures; oral and written cultures; popular piety and anti-Semitism; Arthurian literature, troubadours, and courtly love; epic and romance. Concentrators in the Medieval field must attain a reading knowledge of one relevant language (for example, Old French, Old English, Latin, Arabic, or Hebrew). If that language is not Latin, they are encouraged to begin formal study of Latin as soon as possible. History 1101 and an equivalent introductory course in literature are also strongly recommended early in students’ programs.

(2) EUROPE FROM 1300 TO 1750

In this large and rich field, attention is given chiefly, but not exclusively, to two or three general themes selected at the end of the sophomore year in consultation with the student's tutor. Possible themes might include the Italian and Northern Renaissance; the rise of vernacular literatures and the shift from manuscript culture to a culture of print; humanism and individualism; the development of urban institutions and civic identity; voyages of discovery and the colonial experience; intellectual and cultural exchanges between the Old World and the New; Reformation and Counter-Reformation; the Scientific Revolution; changing concepts of gender, family, sex, and marriage; nation formation and court society; the rise of the fine arts and aesthetics as a separate area for critical analysis; and the secular philosophical movement widely known as the Enlightenment.
 
Depending on the nature of the themes chosen, students' programs may be based either entirely in Western Europe or include a component related to the European colonies in the Americas. Since the themes chosen will vary widely from student to student, there are no specific course requirements that will apply to everyone in the field. However, all students should take care to balance their programs evenly between history and literature; and all students will be expected to acquire reading knowledge of a foreign language--Latin, French, Italian, Spanish, or German--relevant to their plans of study.

(3) POSTCOLONIAL STUDIES

The postcolonial studies field enables regional specializations in areas of the world that have experienced colonialism. At the same time, it provides students with the conceptual tools to explore cultural intersections that go beyond national and territorial boundaries. The field draws upon the growing body of literary and historical texts that have specific regional provenances but embody visions of the transnational exchange of ideas, practices, and peoples. It allows students to connect the experiences of colonization to contemporary problems of globalization through the study of such themes and issues as the emergence of national and ethnic literatures, discourses of migration and Diaspora, movements of labor and capital, the rights and representations of minorities, and the negotiation of cultural differences.
 
Students design a plan of concentration in consultation with their advisors that focuses on a particular region of postcolonial interest. Possible regions include but are not limited to Africa, the Middle East, the Caribbean and Latin America, South Asia, and Southeast Asia. At the end of their sophomore year, students must submit a carefully conceived statement to the Co Chairs of the Committee on Instruction in which they declare their region of focus and detail the purposes and goals of their plan of concentration. Plans of concentration should be reasonably balanced between history and literature and must contain the following:
• One half course in the literature of a foreign language relevant to the student’s studies, with reading assignments in the original language, to be completed by the end of junior year. The grade received should be a B or higher.
• One half course in literature that considers materials from a comparative and specifically postcolonial perspective. Possible courses: English 166x: The Postcolonial Classic, English 167p: Postcolonial Narratives, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One half course on the history of the colonial and postcolonial world that considers materials from a comparative or transregional perspective. Possible courses: History 1895: The Indian Ocean in Comparative Perspective, History 1916: British Colonial Violence in the 20th Century, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• Three half courses directly related to the students’ primary region of focus, two of which must cover different eras as determined in consultation with the students’ tutor and the COI Co Chair. These courses must be chosen from the list of courses that count for concentration credit in the Postcolonial field. Together these courses should offer a sense of temporal continuity and change in the student’s chosen region of focus.
• One half course related to a second region of focus. This course must be chosen from the list of courses that count for concentration credit in the Postcolonial field.
• Of the three required concentration half courses remaining, students may choose any combination of the following:
A) courses that count for concentration credit in the Postcolonial field; or
B) courses not necessarily related to postcolonial questions but that treat the history and/or literature of either the primary or secondary region of focus and/or its metropole.
• At least one course in the student’s plan of concentration must focus primarily on the period before 1750 and at least one other must focus on the period between 1750 and 1900.

(4) COMBINED FIELDS

Combined fields offer the opportunity to study the history and literature of two countries. These fields can be especially rewarding and challenging. They invite students to explore a range of historical and literary relationships, to examine cross cultural themes and issues that students in single country fields are less likely to encounter, and to gain insights into each country that only comparative work makes possible. Given the breadth of these fields, it is important for students to think through and constantly revisit the question of how their programs will balance coverage and depth. With the help of their tutors, they should locate the key points of historical and literary intersection and comparison between their two countries: revolutions, wars, imperialism and decolonization, social and political movements, literary and artistic movements (e.g., Romanticism, realism, naturalism, modernism), the evolution of genres and forms, migration, foreign policy, etc. The purpose and excitement of combined fields is to study the two countries together. Since most of students' coursework will involve one country or the other, combined fields require a great deal of independence as well as particularly close collaboration with tutors to do the work of connecting the two countries.
 
While the sophomore essay does not require attention to both countries, it can be an excellent opportunity to bring them together in a focused interdisciplinary topic. The junior essay and senior thesis need not address both countries, but often the most sophisticated and intellectually interesting junior essays and theses are both interdisciplinary and cross cultural. It is crucial that all seniors in combined fields continue to synthesize their academic work and consider the connections between disciplines and countries. Of the five categories on the topics list for the oral examination, three must specifically bring together material on both countries.
 
Students ordinarily choose two countries or regions from the following: Britain, France, Germany, Russia, and America. (Note: Britain and America covers 1600 to the present, and Latin America and North America covers 1492 to the present. See (h) and (i) below.)
 
In addition to the specific course requirements outlined below, students will take other courses in the history and literature of their two chosen countries. These courses should be balanced between history and literature and between the chosen countries. Courses covering a genre or a period are generally more helpful to the student than courses on a single author or historical event. Students in combined fields might consider dividing their junior tutorials to focus each semester on one of the countries. They must demonstrate a reading knowledge of the relevant foreign language(s) by the end of the junior year; generally, students are expected to have a reading knowledge of one of the languages when they enter the concentration. The following list mentions the most common combinations of countries, but others are possible with the approval of the Director of Studies.

(a) BRITAIN AND FRANCE
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• English 10b: Modern British Writers.
• French 70b: Introduction to French Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Britain since 1750.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of France since 1750.
• Students in this field are strongly encouraged to take History 10b: Western Societies, Politics, and Culture from 1650 to the Present.
• Generally, students in this field will be placed in the “France” sophomore tutorial. Whenever possible, this tutorial will accommodate comparative interests.

(b) FRANCE AND GERMANY
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• French 70b: Introduction to French Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• German 50a or b: Masterpieces of German Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of France since 1750.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Germany since 1750.
• Students in this field are strongly encouraged to take History 10b: Western Societies, Politics, and Cultures from 1650 to the present.
• Generally, students in this field will be placed in the "Germany" Sophomore Tutorial. Whenever possible, this tutorial will accommodate comparative interests.

(c) BRITAIN AND GERMANY
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• English 10b: Modern British Writers.
• German 50a or b: Masterpieces of German Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Britain since 1750.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Germany since 1750.
• Students in this field are strongly encouraged to take History 10b: Western Societies, Politics, and Cultures from 1650 to the present.
• Generally, students in this field will be placed in the "Germany" Sophomore Tutorial. Whenever possible, this tutorial will accommodate comparative interests.

(d) RUSSIA AND BRITAIN
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• Slavic 145 a or b: Russian Literature in Translation, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• English 10b: Modern British Writers.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Russia since 1750.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Britain since 1750.
• Generally, students in this field will be placed in the "Russia" Sophomore Tutorial. Whenever possible, this tutorial will accommodate comparative interests.

(e) RUSSIA AND AMERICA
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• Slavic 145 a or b: Russian Literature in Translation, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One lecture** half-course in 19th - or 20th-century American literature.
• One lecture** half-course in 19th - or 20th-century American history.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Russia since 1750.
• Generally, students in this field will be placed in the “Russia” Sophomore Tutorial. Whenever possible, this tutorial will accommodate comparative interests.

(f) RUSSIA AND FRANCE
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• Slavic 145 a or b: Russian Literature in Translation, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• French 70b: Introduction to French Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of Russia since 1750.
• One lecture** half-course in the history of France since 1750.
• Generally, students in this field with be placed in the “Russia” Sophomore Tutorial. Whenever possible, this tutorial will accommodate comparative interests.

(g) FRANCE AND AMERICA
• From 1750 to the present. Courses are to be chosen in consultation with tutors and an appropriate member of the Committee on Instruction.
• French 70b: Introduction to French Literature, or by petition a reasonable substitute.
• One lecture** half-course in 19th-century American literature.
• One lecture** half-course in 20th-century American literature.
• One lecture** half-course in French history since 1750.
• One lecture** half-course in American history since 1750.
• Students in this field are strongly encouraged to take History 1451: The History of France from Louis XIV to Charles de Gaulle, and to take one half-course in pre-Civil War American history and one half-course in post-Civil War American history.

(h) BRITAIN AND AMERICA
From 1600 to the present. Britain and America is a particularly large field to cover. At the end of the sophomore year, students must put together a carefully thought-out statement about their plan of concentration for the combined field and must submit their statement and plan for approval to the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Instruction. The student's program should be balanced between history and literature and between Britain and America. The program must ordinarily include the following courses:
• English 10a and 10b: Major British Writers. Students may petition to substitute a similar course in British literature for one semester. Courses covering a genre or a period are generally more helpful to the student than courses on a single author or historical event.
• Two half-courses in American literature in different centuries.
• Two half-courses in British history in different centuries.
• Two half-courses in American history in different centuries.
• One half-course in the literature of a foreign language, with reading assignments in the original language, to be completed by the end of the junior year.
Students in the field of Britain and America may petition the Committee on Instruction by the spring-term petitioning date of the senior year to be examined in the oral examination chiefly on one well-defined period of approximately 150 years. Students with magna or summa elements in their records should recognize, however, that the examination committee will undoubtedly probe beyond these chosen borders.

(i) LATIN AMERICA AND NORTH AMERICA
From 1492 to the present. This combined field provides students with an opportunity to examine overlapping themes in the history and literature of Latin America and North America from the colonial period to the present. Students will be expected to gain a balanced understanding of major historical and literary developments in both regions, as well as to study in depth particular aspects of their relationship. Topics of study may include but are not limited to the following: native cultures and indigenista movements, women in colonial societies, independence and nationalism, slave narratives, social revolutions, foundational fictions in the nineteenth century, religious syncretism, modernism and magic realism in twentieth-century fiction, poetic avant-gardes, environmentalism, the U.S.-Mexico border, power and charisma, democracy and dictatorship, American imperialism, popular music, race relations and ethnicity.
 
Students should be in the process of acquiring a reading knowledge of Spanish during the sophomore year. For students specializing in Brazil, a reading knowledge of Portuguese is expected by the junior year.
 
Latin America and North America is a particularly large field to cover. At the end of the sophomore year, students must put together a carefully thought-out statement about their plan of concentration for the combined field and must submit their statement and plan for approval to the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Instruction. Students must design a course of study that includes ten half-courses, five in Latin American history and literature and five in North American history and literature. Five of the courses must be history courses and five must be literature courses. The courses must be distributed over three periods of study – conquest and colonization, 1800 to 1898, and 1898 to the present – including:
• Two half-courses in Latin American or North American history or literature in the period of conquest and colonization, 1492-1815.
• Two half-courses in Latin American or North American history or literature in the period 1800-1898.
• Two half-courses in Latin American or North American history or literature in the period 1898-the present.
Students in the field of Latin America and North America may petition the Committee on Instruction by the spring-term petitioning date of the senior year to be examined in the oral examination chiefly on one well-defined period of approximately 150 years. Alternatively, students may petition to have the field on which they will be examined limited geographically rather than chronologically. (For guidance on this process, they should consult with the Co-Chairs of the Committee on Instruction.) Students with magna or summa elements in their records should recognize, however, that the examination committee will undoubtedly probe beyond these chosen borders.

In exceptional cases students may, at the beginning of the sophomore or junior year, petition the Committee on Instruction for permission to define their own fields of concentration in consultation with the Director of Studies. They should indicate their proposed program in their plan of concentration (see section VII.C. above). Students who wish to design their own field of study are encouraged to contact the Director of Studies as soon as possible to explore the feasibility of such a program.

**A suitably wide-ranging conference course may also be a reasonable substitute. Please consult with the appropriate Co-Chair of the Committee on Instruction if you wish to make such a substitution.