The Ph.D. program prepares students to engage in rigorous and innovative scholarship and teaching in the theory, history and critical analysis of one or more media, in ways that encompass diverse cultural contexts and historical periods, and within methodological frameworks that include awareness of modern and contemporary textual, cultural and social theory. Plans of study are individualized, based on the student's own particular areas of interest. Students may emphasize the scholarship of one medium or of several media and their interrelationships, but their coursework and exams will also include a component in textual, cultural, and/or social theory. This combination affords students an intellectually expansive perspective, enhancing both disciplinary depth and interdisciplinary flexibility. For students entering the program with a B.A., courses are normally completed in the first three years of the program six courses are taken in the first year, four in the second year and three in the third year. During this period, the student also fulfils the foreign language requirement. After completion of 8 courses in the second year, there is a qualifying review, and the candidate is awarded an M.A. in Modern Culture and Media. After completion of all coursework in the third year, the candidate takes a three-hour oral preliminary examination. Passing the preliminary examination authorizes her or him to proceed to the doctoral dissertation, which is written during the fourth and fifth years.