Admission to the HSHM-EMST is a competitive process: HSHM PhD students who wish to enroll in the EMST Program in Early Modern Studies apply during their second semester at Yale. They need their advisor’s approval and a letter of support from the HSHM DGS.
Requirements for the HSHM-EMST Ph.D. Degree
- In addition to fulfilling the HSHM requirements as specified in the GSAS Programs & Policies, students in the combined program will take:
- EMST 700/701: Workshop in Early Modern Studies: This core, year-long seminar to be taken as two half-credit courses, offers a historiographic, theoretical, and methodological introduction to key questions in the field through a dynamic engagement with a series of research presentations by scholars within and beyond Yale.
- EMST 800/801: Early Modern Colloquium: This year-long colloquium, taken as two half-credit courses, must be taken concurrently with EMST 700/701. Students will attend regular research presentations by scholars within and beyond Yale, which will complement EMST 700/701. This course will not typically count towards the total number of courses required for the Ph.D.
- 3 Elective courses in early modern studies, of which at least one course must be taken outside the student’s primary department. One of the courses may be an interdisciplinary course (i.e., a relevant course in the sciences or social sciences or other relevant topic outside the traditional humanities). These three courses can count toward the HSHM requirements, whether as electives or HSHM seminars.
- EMST 900: Professional Skills Workshop for Early Modern Studies: This course will typically be taken in spring of the student’s third year of graduate study as a one-semester course designed to support students as they begin to form their dissertation projects. Skills covered will include abstract writing, preparing fellowship applications, interviewing, and presenting, with a focus on how to communicate the contribution of an interdisciplinary dissertation project to a range of audiences. This funded workshop will also culminate in a conference and will offer each student the opportunity to invite one scholar to campus from outside Yale for one-on-one mentoring on their developing research and career goals.
2) Other EMST Requirements:
- Language Requirement: same as HSHM language requirements
- Qualifying Exams: Qualifying exams will follow the student’s primary department. A significant portion of the student’s exam lists must be on early modern topics.
- Prospectus & Admission to Candidacy: At least one faculty member affiliated with the Program in Early Modern Studies must be on the committee
- Dissertation: At least one faculty member affiliated with the EMST Program must be on the committee.
- Teaching: Student’s teaching assignments will primarily be determined by the home department. However, all students in the combined degree will be permitted additional flexibility in the completion of teaching requirements: students may complete their required 4 semesters of teaching in years 2, 3 or 4 of their graduate program. In addition, students will typically assist in the teaching of at least one course in early modern studies.