Department of History Graduate Student Handbook 2022-23.docx

Last update: Wednesday, September 28, 2022

University of Southern California

Van Hunnick Department of History

Graduate Student Handbook

2022 – 2023

3502 Trousdale Parkway

Social Sciences Building (SOS) 153

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0034

http://dornsife.usc.edu/hist/

Phone: 213-740-1657

Fax: 213-740-6999

Twitter: @USCHistory

Facebook: www.facebook.com/uschistory

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Welcome 2

Who We Are 2

History Faculty & Joint Appointments 4

Affiliated Faculty 5

Adjunct & Visiting Faculty 5

Current Graduate Students 5

The Doctoral Program 6

Degree Requirements 7

Transfer Coursework 8

Fields (Major, Minor, Area of Specialization) 9

Language Requirements 10

Qualifying Examination 11

Scheduling the Qualifying Examination 12

Preparing for the Qualifying Examination 12

The Written Examination 12

Oral Examination 13

The Dissertation 13

Dissertation Committee 13

Prospectus and Prospectus Defense 14

Dissertation 14

Defending the Dissertation 15

Submitting the Dissertation 15

Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony & Commencement 16

Screening Procedures 16

Registration & Course Enrollment 16

Advisement 17

Funding Information 18

Teaching Assistantships 18

Other Sources of Funding 18

Exceptional Funding 18

Payroll & Stipend Payment Information 19

Helpful Links 19

Introduction

The aim of this handbook is to provide students with the resources needed to successfully

navigate through the Ph.D. Program in History. It is not exhaustive, but strives to include

important information regarding program requirements, timeline to degree,

examinations, research and dissertation writing along with campus resources and

information related to Dornsife College of Letters, Arts, and Sciences and The Graduate

School.

While this handbook covers a significant amount of information, it is not a substitute for

advisement. Please seek out your Faculty Advisor, the Director of Graduate Studies and

the Student Services Advisor for assistance with any questions.

Some content within this handbook comes directly from the USC Catalogue, The

Graduate School website and publications, and the USC Student Affairs SCampus. The

USC Catalogue is the primary source of all academic and university policies. The USC

Graduate School mission is to promote a distinguished Ph.D. educational experience, to

celebrate graduate student achievements, and to provide leadership in the establishment

and communication of policies, standards, and processes related to graduate education at

USC. The Division of Student Affairs is devoted to creating an integrated learning

experience that helps students reach their educational, personal, and professional

aspirations. They help create a campus community where students are prepared to

contribute to a changing world. The University of Southern California has outlined

studentpolicies, rules, regulations and standards of conduct in the 2018-19 edition of

SCampus.

University Catalogue: http://catalogue.usc.edu/index.php

USC Graduate School: http://graduateschool.usc.edu/

USC Student Affairs SCampus: https://studentaffairs.usc.edu/scampus/

WHO WE ARE & WHAT WE DO

Department Chair – Professor Jay Rubenstein

[email protected]; SOS 153

The Department Chair determines the department’s tone and direction and represents

the department in College and University administration and in the wider profession. The

department chair, who generally serves a three-year term, oversees allocation of financial

resources to the graduate program and the History Graduate Student Association, has

ultimate responsibility for assigning Teaching Assistantships and is involved in

determining course offerings and faculty responsibilities.

Director of Graduate Studies – Professor Jason Glenn

[email protected]; SOS 163

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS), is an appointed faculty member responsible for

overseeing all aspects of the Graduate Program including, but not limited to, directing the

admissions process; serving as a representative of the graduate program; planning

progress through degree; organizing language exams; discussion of exam fields; grants

and fellowships; teaching and teaching assistantships; placement; professionalization.

Graduate Studies Committee – Members appointed annually before start of Fall semester

The Graduate Studies Committee, one of three standing departmental committees,

approves curricular change, evaluates fellowship applications, evaluates admission

applications, and serves as a resource for graduate student advisement.

The History Graduate Students’ Association (HGSA)

President – Lauren Kelly

[email protected]

Vice-President – AnnaBella Grant [email protected]

Secretary – Daniel Delgado

[email protected]

GSP Rep – Abby Gibson [email protected]

HGSA organizes scholarly, social, and professionalization events throughout the

academic year. It also collaborates with the DGS in organizing the weekend visit for

students newly admitted to the doctoral program each spring.

Department of History Staff:

Student Services Advisor (SSA) – Jennifer Hernandez

[email protected]; SOS 153

Provides information regarding the technical aspects of the Ph.D. program; maintains

student files; tracks progress to degree; grants D-Clearance; schedules and organizes

qualifying examinations; disseminates information on funding opportunities; initiates

petitions with The Graduate School; manages and tracks student funding with Dornsife

College and The Graduate School; serves as a liaison to Graduate Admissions and The

Graduate School; coordinates technical aspects of graduate program admissions.

Office Manager – Lori Rogers

[email protected]; SOS 153

Oversees the management of the Department of History main office; distributes Lab keys.

Administrative Assistant II– Sandra Hopwood

[email protected]; SOS 153

Distributes departmental keys (with the exception of the Lab); provides copier

access/codes; manages dossiers for job placement; point person for exceptional funding.

Administrative Assistant II – Simone Bessant

[email protected]; SOS 153

Manages TA classroom requests for review sessions; organizes make-up exams.

HISTORY FACULTY (& JOINT APPOINTMENTS)

For more information about faculty research interests and contact information, please

refer to the Department of History website:

http://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/hist/people/hist-faculty-roster.cfm

Richard Antaramian

Alice Baumgartner

Marjorie Becker

Lisa Bitel (Religion)

Daniela Bleichmar (Art History)

William Deverell

Christina Davidson

Alice Echols

Philip Ethington

Joan Flores-Villalobos

Richard Fox

Jason Glenn

Anne Goldgar

Joshua Goldstein

Wolf Gruner

Sarah Gualtieri (American Studies & Ethnicity, Middle East Studies)

Deborah Harkness

Lon Kurashige

Paul Lerner

Peter Mancall

Jessica Marglin (Religion, Law)

Maya Maskarinec

Admire Mseba

Celeste Menchaca

Alaina Morgan

Lindsay O’Neill

Ketaki Pant

Edgardo Perez Morales

Nathan Perl-Rosenthal

Joan Piggott

Steven Ross

Ramzi Rouighi (Middle East Studies)

Jay Rubenstein

George Sanchez (American Studies & Ethnicity)

Vanessa Schwartz (Art History)

Laura Isabel Serna (Cinema & Media Studies)

Brett Sheehan

Jacob Soll (Philosophy, Accounting)

Benjamin Uchiyama

Aro Velmet

Francille Wilson (American Studies & Ethnicity)

AFFILIATED FACULTY

Bettine Birge (East Asian Languages & Cultures)

Leo Braudy (English, Art History)

Christelle Fischer-Bovet (Classics)

Ariela Gross (Law)

Daniel Klerman (Law)

Carolyn Malone (Art History)

John Pollini (Art History)

Nayan Shah (American Studies & Ethnicity)

David Sloane (Public Policy)

ADJUNCT & VISITING FACULTY

Steve Hindle, Adjunct Professor of History

Darryl Holter, Adjunct Professor of History

Elizabeth Logan (Institute for California & the West)

Robert Ritchie, Adjunct Professor of History

Peter Westwick, Adjunct Professor (Research) of History

POSTDOCS & VISITING SCHOLARS

Karin Amundsen, Postdoctoral Scholar – Teaching Fellow

Naomi Sussman, Postdoctoral Scholar – Teaching Fellow

CURRENT GRADUATE STUDENTS

For more information about current graduate students research interests and contact

information, please refer to the Department of History website:

https://dornsife.usc.edu/cf/hist/hist-student-roster.cfm

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM

The Doctoral Program in the Department of History offers broad training in multiple

fields and methods of historical study. Our students learn how to carry out advanced

scholarly research, write, and publish in multiple media, speak persuasively in academic

and public settings, and teach both in their specialties and beyond. Our curriculum

consists of research seminars, thematic readings courses, historiographical colloquia, and

independent research. And it culminates in the execution of original research and the

writing of a dissertation. The history profession nationwide combines a traditional

emphasis on geo-temporal fields with a new emphasis on transnationalism, comparative

history, and interdisciplinary investigation. The department’s program reflects the

changing landscape of historical training and scholarship and, indeed, is in the process of

revising its curriculum.

The revised curriculum will go into effect beginning in the Fall of 2023. All students who

enter the program that term or thereafter will therefore be required to meet the degree

requirements of the revised curriculum. Students who began the program in Fall 2022 or

earlier have the option of fulfilling the requirements either of the revised curriculum or

the one that is currently in place. Students must declare which curriculum they have

chosen before they take their qualifying exam. In the following pages, the current

requirements and more general commentary on the program will appear in this typeface

and color. The requirements and commentary for the revised curriculum will be in green.

Trajectory

The first year in the program provides opportunities for students both to explore different

historical fields, topics, and approaches and to begin to define their fields of study and

areas of research interest. With rare exception, first-year students use one of their

fellowship years to take three graduate level courses each semester, one of which (History

500) is intended to push students outside their fields of interest to consider the discipline

of history more broadly — that is, research methods, theoretical approaches, and a range

of practical issues. The other seminars give students a chance to explore topics that may

or may not ultimately lead to dissertation work, and while some may ultimately lay the

foundation for published work down the road, others may simply give students a chance

to get their feet wet in unfamiliar fields or topics. In any case, students should plan to

write a research paper in a 600 level seminar at some point during their first year. And

they should use this year (and the summer) to develop any particular skills (languages,

quantitative approaches, familiarity with other disciplines, etc.) that may serve their

emerging research interests down the road. By the end of the year, they should have a

clear sense for which member(s) of the faculty will serve as their principal advisor(s).

The second year is generally a time for students to begin to sharpen their interests and

hone in on potential dissertation topics as they begin to think more systematically about

their qualifying exams (fields, committee members, reading lists, timeline, etc.).

Second-year students typically work as teaching assistants and take two courses per

semester plus the teaching practicum (HIST 595x), which is required by the college in the

first semester of teaching assistantship. By the end of the summer — if not by the end of

the spring term — they should have completed all required coursework and their language

exams and to have begun to develop reading lists with members of their qualifying exam

committee. Ideally, students would devote at least a significant part of the summer to

preliminary research for their dissertations so that they will be able to apply for

dissertation research to lay a foundation for their prospectus and research fellowship

applications (fall of their third year).

The third year is one of transition from course work to dissertation work. Students

typically teach during the fall and usually in the spring as they take any additional courses

they wish, prepare for exams, write a dissertation prospectus, and ultimately advance to

candidacy so that they can embark on full time dissertation research. During the fall,

students will be strongly encouraged to apply for additional (internal and external)

funding support for their fourth year. Some students will also plan to take their exams in

the fall, but when they do so depends on the vision of their advisors, the particular fields

students have chosen, and the depth of background they had when they entered the

program — students with previous masters degrees, for instance, tend to take them earlier

and those who have developed a more advanced draft of their prospectus before the

exams, may wish to take them in the spring. Either way, it is advisable to dedicate several

months of focused study to exam preparation. Shortly after completing the exams,

students submit and defend a prospectus and, in any case, should plan to have advanced

to candidacy and begin dissertation research at some point during the year.

Fourth- and fifth-year students usually use fellowship — either from part of their original

funding package or from other USC programs or external institutions — to support

research and dissertation writing.

Although we prefer for students to complete the program in five years, it is not

uncommon for students to require additional time, which is typically funded by either

additional years of fellowship students have won either from USC or other institutions —

when you win a competitive fellowship, you are able to bank fellowship from your initial

funding package for use later — or by additional terms as a teaching assistant.

Requirements

All entering students (including those with MA degrees) are required to take HIST 500in

their first semester of study. All students are required to take two 600-level research

seminars in the Department of History. At least one of these seminars must be in the

major area of study. Students must complete a minimum of 60 units of course work. No

more than 8 units of the 60 may be in HIST 794a, HIST 794b, HIST 794c, HIST 794d, HIST

794z(dissertation writing sequence). Students must complete at least 30 units of

graduate course work within the Department of History.

Coursework is expected to be taken at the graduate level, although students may take up

to four 400-level courses toward completing the field requirements (outlined below) with

the prior consent of their faculty advisor. Required courses include:

• 4 courses (minimum) in a Major Field

• 2 courses (minimum) in a Minor Field

• 3 courses (minimum) in an Area of Specialization

• Fulfillment of general course work requirements

The revised curriculum has streamlined course requirements and no longer requires a

particular number of courses in the major field, minor field, or area of specialization:

• Students must complete a minimum of 60 units of coursework.

• Students must complete 10 (4-unit) courses before their qualifying exam, including

the following:

• History 500 in the fall semester of the first year.

• Two 600 level research seminars within the history department (or taught by an

affiliated faculty member in another department). One of the seminars must be

History 600 and be taken in the spring of the first year. And at least one of the

research papers to satisfy the 600 level requirement must focus on a topic in the

student’s major field.

• At least eight (4-unit) courses must be taught by faculty with appointments in the

History Department.

• At least one course must be taught by faculty not affiliated with the History

Department.

Transfer Coursework

The Degree Progress Department in the Office of Academic Records and Registrar

determines whether course work taken elsewhere is available for transfer credit. Faculty

of the student's degree program determine whether such credit is applicable toward a

specific graduate degree, subject to approval by the dean of the degree-conferring unit.

The faculty's decision should be made no later than the end of the second year.

Credit will only be allowed for courses (1) from an accredited graduate school, (2) of a

quality of at least 3.0 on a 4.0 grading scale, (3) constituting a fair and reasonable

equivalent to current USC course work at the graduate level and (4) logically fitting into

the program for the degree. The university also evaluates courses completed through the

armed services and may grant credit for such courses as detailed in the subsequent Credit

for Military Education section (see below). Transfer course work is applied as credit (CR)

toward the degree and is not included in the calculation of a minimum grade point

average for graduation.

Graduate transfer credit will not be granted for life experience, credit by examination,

extension courses not accepted toward a degree by the offering institution,

correspondence courses or thesis supervision. Graduate transfer credit will not be granted

for course work taken elsewhere after a student has been admitted and enrolled at USC

unless the student receives prior written approval from the department. Students may not

take courses elsewhere as a substitute for courses in which they have received grades that

fail to meet departmental or university requirements.

Transfer work must have been completed within seven years of admission to a USC

master's degree program (or 10 years for a doctoral program) to be applied toward that

degree. Departments have the option of reevaluating transfer work when a student is

readmitted to a USC graduate degree program. Requests for exceptions should be directed

to the dean of the degree program for approval.

• A maximum of 30 units of transfer credit may be applied toward the doctoral degree.

• Students must provide documentation such as transcript and course syllabi for the

courses to be considered.

• The Faculty Advisor in collaboration with the DGS will evaluate the proposed courses to

determine whether credit can be granted.

Students should consult with the SSA and the DGS about this process.

Fields

Major Field

: Students must declare a major field in a geo-temporal area at the time of

application to the program. Major Fields of study include: American/U.S.; Early Modern

Europe; Korea; Latin America; Medieval Europe; Middle East; Modern China; Modern

Europe; and Pre-Modern Japan. The purpose of the major field is to prepare students

broadly for teaching and research. Students may, with the support of their advisor,

petition the DGS and Graduate Studies Committee for an alternative major field.

The course requirement for the major field is a minimum of4 courses. There are

additional, field-specific requirements in the major American/U.S. field, which requires

the three-semester historiography sequence HIST 566, 567, and 568.

Minor Field:

By the beginning of their second year in the program, each graduate student

must declare a minor field. The minor field is intended to broaden skills beyond the

geo-temporal boundaries of the major field. The minor field may be chosen from the list

of major fields, or it may be conceived comparatively, thematically or cross-disciplinarily.

Possible minor fields include: Atlantic World; Gender and Sexuality; Modern Europe;

Pre-Modern Japan; Trans-Pacific History; and Visual Studies. This list is not exhaustive

and is meant to suggest only possible courses of study.

The course requirement for the minor field is a minimum of2 courses. Depending on

their areas of interest, some students may substitute a second major field for the minor

field, or complete two minor fields.

Area of Specialization:

By the beginning of their second year in the program, each student

must declare an area of specialization. The area of specialization is intended to deepen

the student's scholarly training in the chosen area of the dissertation. Possible fields for

the area of specialization include: Gender Studies; History of Science and Medicine; The

American West; Urban History, Visual Studies; and War and History. This list is not

exhaustive and is meant to suggest only possible courses of study.

The course requirement for the area of specialization is3 courses.

Either the minor field or the area of specialization must be outside the major field of

study, transnational, or outside the discipline of history. Students must consult with their

advisor in putting together these fields of study.

Under the revised curriculum…

For their qualifying exams, students will be examined in two fields (major and minor) and

an area of specialization, but students may opt to be examined in a second area of

specialization, too, if they wish and their advisor approves.

The

major field

will be selected from a list of fields offered by the department and will

typically require examination by two members of the faculty. [This list will be set in Fall

2022 and revised as necessary thereafter.]

The

minor field

may be selected either from a list of minor fields offered by the

department. Students may not select a minor field which represents a subfield of their

major field. [This list will be set in Fall 2022 and revised as necessary thereafter.]

The

area of specialization

may be selected from the lists of the department’s major or

minor fields, be a field in another discipline (examined by a member of another

department), or be developed by a student in consultation with faculty to suit the

student’s particular needs and interests—the student’s advisor must approve the area(s) of

specialization.

Language Requirement

Students are expected to satisfy language requirements before the end of their second

year in the program and, in any case, the requirement must be satisfied before a student is

eligible to take the qualifying examination.

Language exams to be offered three times per academic year: once in the second week of

the fall term; a second time in the penultimate week of the fall term; and a third time in

the last week of the spring term.

Students may demonstrate competence in two languages or proficiency in one.

Competencein a language denotes the ability to read and translate passages into English.

It must be demonstrated either in a two-hour translation examination (with a dictionary)

or by a student passing a reading course in the language offered at USC. Proficiencyin a

language denotes advanced reading ability and conversational ability for spoken

languages. For non-spoken languages, proficiency denotes advanced reading and

translation abilities. To demonstrate proficiency, students must first pass the translation

exam and then take an oral examination with a faculty member designated by the DGS.

The choice of languages used to satisfy the requirement shall be worked out with the

advisor and must be approved by the advisor and the DGS. An advisor may also require a

student to meet more than the department's minimum requirement, e.g. by requiring a

second language at the level of proficiency or a third at the level of competence.

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM: The Qualifying Examination

Each student must set up a qualifying exam committee by the end of the third semester in

residence. It is composed of five members. Committee members may be tenured, tenure

track and full-time RTPC (research, teaching, practice, clinical) but the committee may

also include a faculty member from an institution other than USC, an individual whose

professional profile demonstrates an impact on the field in significant, measurable ways,

or part-time adjunct faculty. In any case, the committee chair must hold at least a 50%

appointment in the department as tenured, tenure track and full-time RTPC faculty. At

least two additional members must have an official appointment in the department as

tenured, tenure track and full-time RTPC faculty. And at least one member of the

committee must have an appointment outside the department.

The qualifying exam committee will oversee the student's written and oral qualifying

examination, which should be taken by the end of the sixth semester. The examination

covers the major field, minor field and area of specialization. Students prepare for these

exams by developing, in collaboration with members of their qualifying exam committee,

reading lists for study in their major field (with two faculty members), minor field, and

area of specialization.

The qualifying examination consists of two parts:

• Three four-hour (open book and open note) written responses, based, respectively,

on the major field, the minor field and the area of specialization.

• A two-hour oral session, which is an opportunity for further discussion of the written

exam questions with broader field specific discourse.

Students will be placed in an empty office in the Department of History and provided an

internet disabled laptop on which to type their exams. Notes must be either hard copy or

on a flash drive in PDF format.

Students with one fail or more than two low-pass grades on the written responses will not

be permitted to sit for the oral segment of the examination. The qualifying exam

committee determines whether a student may retake any parts of the examination graded

low-pass or fail.

A student must wait at least six, but not more than nine, months to retake any part, or all,

of the qualifying examination. No part of the examination can be retaken more than

once.

This year, the department is considering changes to the qualifying exam for the revised

curriculum.

Preparing for the Qualifying Examinations

Once students settle on their examination fields, in conjunction with their examiners they

create reading lists that provide basic coverage of a particular field’s literature. In some

cases, two faculty members will direct the readings in a single field. In any case, students

and faculty typically work together to design these lists, and the number and types of

items on them varies by field and professor. Students should plan to devote several

months of focused reading to prepare for the exams and may enroll in HIST 590, which is

a directed readings course for credit, or in GRSC 800 during this time.

Scheduling the Qualifying Examinations

The SSA is available to guide through the logistics of this process.

The Appointment or Change of Qualifying Exam or Dissertation Committee form,

available on the Graduate School Website, is used to establish the Qualifying Examination

Committee. The form requires the signatures of each member of the committee, the

department chair or program director, and dean or dean's designate. The completed form

is filed in the student's home department or program. Students must obtain signatures of

the committee members and then submit the form to the SSA.

Form:https://graduateschool.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Appointment_Chang

e_of_Committee_Form_Qualifying.pdf

Students should then consult with their committee chair to determine a date for the

written and oral examinations. Once dates have been confirmed, it is important to relay

them to the SSA as soon as possible to ensure proper scheduling. Typically, students take

the three written exams over the course of a week. Written exams are approximately two

weeks before the oral examination so that the committee has time to review them.

The Written Examination

Students will check in with the SSA each morning of their Written Exam days at which

point they will be provided with the Exam question they wish to take on that day.

Students may check in as early as 8:30am when the main office opens and must be

finished with the exam by 4:30pm to ensure there is enough time to process the exam

before the office closes at 5pm. Students have four hours of writing time for the exam

which may be divided as they wish throughout the 8:30am-4:30pm window of time. They

may take breaks as needed. After completion of the written examinations, the SSA will

disseminate the work to the committee for review. The SSA will also prepare the

necessary approval materials for the oral examination.

Oral Examination

The Committee will meet briefly at the start of the oral examination to determine if the

student passed the Written Examinations; if so, the student will be invited in to

participate in it. At the conclusion of the examination, the committee will determine if

the student has passed the qualifying examinations. Permission to conduct a

remote-participation qualifying examination must be obtained by the committee chair

from the Vice Provost for Academic Affairs and Graduate Programs at least two weeks

prior to the date of the exam. A maximum of two out of the five committee members may

participate remotely. The committee chair and the outside member may not participate

remotely.

The SSA will process the necessary paperwork whether the student passes or does not

pass the Qualifying Examinations. After a student passes, the student is eligible to receive

a Masters in History. The SSA will add the degree to the student’s record and enter the

necessary information to award the degree. Students may participate in the

commencement ceremony for the academic year in which they have been awarded the

degree.

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM: The Dissertation

After passing all required courses and the qualifying examination, and after meeting all

other requirements, the candidate must propose, write, and defend the dissertation. The

doctoral dissertation must be an original contribution to scholarship or scientific

knowledge and must exemplify the high degree of scholarly advancement and power of

investigation demanded by the university for final recommendation to the doctorate.

The semester following successful qualifying examinations, students will begin the

dissertation sequence of coursework (HIST 794a, HIST 794b, HIST 794c, HIST 794d, HIST

794z). Students must register each semester thereafter to maintain continuous

enrollment until the dissertation is completed.

Dissertation Committee

After students have successfully completed their qualifying examinations, they select a

dissertation committee consisting of at least three members, including at least two from

the Department of History. These individuals will be in charge of guiding the dissertation

to completion. The dissertation committee should be constituted promptly after the

examination has been passed.

The dissertation committee is composed of at least three and no more than five members,

but the majority of members and the committee chair must have an appointment in the

department. Committee members may be tenured, tenure track and full-time RTPC

(research, teaching, practice, clinical) faculty, and the chair must hold at least a 50%

appointment in the department. If the committee has three members from the

department, it may also include an “outside” member and/or an “external” member from

another department or program at USC, from an institution other than USC, or someone

whose professional profile demonstrates an impact on the field in significant, measurable

ways. Emeriti faculty appointed to a qualifying exam committee when they were full-time

faculty at USC may continue to serve on the dissertation committee until the student has

graduated. Similarly, a former USC faculty member who was appointed to the qualifying

exam committee while they were a full-time USC faculty member may continue to serve

on the dissertation committee until the student has graduated. But note that someone

who serves as an external member of the faculty in the qualifying exam may only serve as

an outside member for the dissertation committee; likewise, someone who served as a

member from the department for the qualifying exam may only count as a member of the

department for the dissertation committee.

The Appointment or Change of Qualifying Exam or Dissertation Committee form,

available on the Graduate School Website, is used to establish the Dissertation

Committee. The form requires the signatures of each member of the committee, the

department chair or program director, and dean or dean's designate. The completed form

is filed in the student's home department or program. Students should obtain signatures

of the committee members and then submit the form to the SSA.

Form:https://graduateschool.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Appointment_Chang

e_of_Committee_Form_Doctoral.pdf

Prospectus & Prospectus Defense

Within six months of passing the qualifying examination — and ideally much sooner —

students must submit a formal dissertation prospectus to all members of the dissertation

committee and pass a one-hour prospectus defense convened by that committee. After

passing the dissertation prospectus defense, a student is admitted to candidacy for the

PhD degree. The student will thereafter concentrate on the dissertation.

The dissertation prospectus is a substantive piece that sets out the historical problems at

the heart of a student’s proposed dissertation. It should lay out in some detail the

importance of the selected topic, situates the project in terms of the existing

historiography, proposes methods for approaching the problem, and describes available

evidence or source base for the dissertation. And it should lay out the plan for the

completion of the research for and writing of the dissertation and provide a breakdown of

proposed chapters. HIST 700 may be available for students who desire a structured

setting for defining their dissertation topics and composing their prospectuses.

In the case of a failed prospectus defense, the student must schedule a second defense

within three months of the original defense date.

Dissertation

The dissertation is a book-length scholarly monograph based on research, fieldwork, and

scholarly analysis. It should be an original contribution to academic historical discourse.

Once students have completed the writing of the dissertation, they must follow the

guidelines set forth by the Graduate School to defend and submit their work. Refer to the

Graduate School website

https://graduateschool.usc.edu/current-students/thesis-dissertation-submission/ for all

resources.

Defense of the Dissertation

Students should consult with the SSA in concert with their dissertation committee to

schedule a date for the defense.

While the oral examination is open to the general university community, only the

members of the dissertation committee have the authority to recommend acceptance of

the dissertation. For the dissertation defense, the committee chair and the student must

be present, unless the relevant dean and the Vice Provost for Academic Programs provide

written permission for remote participation. In any case, all members of the dissertation

committee must be present and must give a judgment on the student's defense. The

recommendation must be unanimous. If the defense is satisfactory, the committee then

signs the electronic Approval to Submit Defended and Final Copy of Dissertation form. If

additional work is required, the electronic form must be signed only on full completion.

Submitting the Dissertation

Required documentation is electronically submitted to the Graduate School by the

deadline date and time. It is then reviewed by the thesis coordinator. When the

documentation is determined to be complete, the candidate is cleared to submit the

dissertation manuscript electronically.

Required documentation for doctoral students includes the electronic Approval to Submit

Defended and Final Copy of Doctoral Work form, the most recent Appointment or

Change of Qualifying Exam or Dissertation Committee form, and for PhD students only,

the electronic receipt confirming completion of the Survey of Earned Doctorates.

Manuscripts are reviewed and required documentation is processed in the order received.

Students have three months from the date the committee chair signs the Approval to

Submit form to complete the necessary corrections to the formatting of the manuscript.

Early Submission Option

Students who submit the necessary documentation a week or more before the add/drop

deadline and who also upload the manuscript to the Graduate School by the add/drop

deadline in a given term are exempted from the requirement to register in 594 or 794 in

that semester. Otherwise, students register for 594, 794 or the equivalent in order to

maintain continuous enrollment. International students considering the Early Submission

Option should check with the Office of International Services to be sure the lack of

course registration will not affect their visa status.

Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony & Commencement

To mark the significant accomplishment of earning a Ph.D., students are invited to

participate in the Ph.D. Hooding Ceremony and Commencement in the academic year in

which they plan to defend their Dissertation. Each year the SSA sends out information

leading up to the event which happens in May.

THE DOCTORAL PROGRAM: Screening Procedures

In the first week of May the department conducts its annual formal screening of graduate

students in the program. First and foremost, the goal of the screening is give faculty the

opportunity to check in on each student; to make sure that they’re making good progress

through the program; and perhaps most importantly, to identify anyone who may be

struggling for one reason or another so as to help them address any issues that might be

impeding progress. In the case of truly unsatisfactory progress, students may be placed on

probationary status which could ultimately lead to dismissal from the program.

Among the documents reviewed in the screening is the annual update and

self-assessment from each student. This document will look different, of course,

depending on where students are in the program. Someone planning to defend their

dissertation in the following year should simply let us know the approximate defense date

and provide any news about recent achievements or plans for the following year. Students

who will be continuing on in the program should indicate recent achievements and what

funding they plan to use in the following year (TAship, fellowship from the initial funding

package, external fellowship, etc.). Pre-Quals students should list their planned fields,

those faculty they expect to serve as committee members, and when they plan to take the

exams. Those who have recently passed the qualifying exams should note the

composition of their dissertation committee, the expected date of the prospectus defense,

and plans for the following year. Ideally, this document should also include reflections on

progress, areas for potential growth, and plans to address them or achieve it. Likewise,

students should feel free to share anything they feel the faculty should know, including

any concerns, struggles, or problems of any kind that they have. Students should send

their self-assessments to the SSA and DGS by 15 April. After the screening meeting, they

will receive a letter from the DGS that addresses any issues the faculty have raised.

REGISTRATION & COURSE ENROLLMENT

All registration transactions occur using Web Registration, which can be accessed by

logging into your MyUSC account. The Schedule of Classes for Spring typically comes out

at the beginning of October, and students may begin registering toward the end of

October. The Schedule of Classes for Fall typically comes out at the beginning of March

and students may begin registering toward the end of March. The SSA will email all

students to inform them of the relevant dates throughout the year.

Once the Schedule of Classes is available, students are expected to meet with their

Faculty Advisor to discuss their course plans for the upcoming semester. This meeting

may happen in person or via email correspondence. If the meeting happens via email, the

Faculty Advisor will need to send their approval of their students’ programs to the SSA.

The Department tracks these discussions and approvals via your Graduate Student

Requirement Guide (GSRG), which the SSA maintains.

All Department of History graduate level courses (level 500 and higher) require special

permission in order to enroll, this is called Departmental Clearance or “D-Clearance” for

short. Section Numbers with a D at the end (37200 D for example) require D-Clearance.

The Graduate Student Requirement Guides will be provided to students in advance of

their meeting with their Faculty Advisor. Once completed, students may return the form

to the SSA’s mailbox for processing. The content will also be updated on the students’

online version of the form. View access to the form will be provided to students via

Google Drive so they may keep track of their progress. Once the form is processed, the

SSA will grant the D-Clearance for the courses and confirm via email. Please allow at

least 48 hours for processing as the months of October/November and March/April are

extremely busy. Students who will be taking courses outside of the Department of History

may need to request D-Clearance from those specific departments. The contact

information for D-Clearance is usually listed at the top of the department page on the

Schedule of Classes. If you have any questions about whom you should contact, please

ask the SSA or DGS.

Once students pass their Qualifying Examinations, they will begin the Dissertation

Sequence course work, HIST 794a-z. They will enroll in these courses until they complete

their Dissertation. The Dissertation Sequence still requires D-Clearance and should be

requested through the SSA. A separate email prompt will be sent to those students who

will be enrolling in the Dissertation Sequence courses.

ADVISEMENT

Graduate students have a number of resources for advisement within the Department of

History. Students should take advantage of these resources early and often to support

their timely progress through the program.

The Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) is available to advise all graduate students in the

program. Students must meet with the DGS at least once per year. DGS office hours will

be announced each semester.

Students who have declared an advisor should meet with their Faculty Advisor at least

once per semester.

The Student Services Advisor (SSA) offers support and counsel graduate students on the

technical aspects of the program. Students should be in regular contact with the SSA

regarding course enrollment each semester, progress towards their Qualifying

Examinations, plans for their Teaching Assistantships, applications for and receipt of

fellowships, and their plans for defending their dissertation. The SSA will send email

notifications from the Department of History, Dornsife College and the Graduate School,

so it is important for students to regularly check their USC email accounts. SSA office

hours will be announced each semester. Appointments are available upon request.

FUNDING INFORMATION

Graduate student support packages provide for three years of fellowship to allow full time

focus on academics and two additional years of support as a teaching assistant so that

students may develop the additional skills needed for their professional futures.

Teaching Assistants (TAs) help full time faculty in course instruction, taking

responsibility for leading discussion sections, grading student work and, in some cases,

helping the professor with class preparation. TA stipends are for a full-time appointment,

and also provide tuition remission for full-time study as well as health insurance and

mandatory student health center fees.

Teaching Assistantships are assigned by the DGS for each semester.

Other Sources of Funding for research, travel, and dissertation writing support are

available as USC-funded internal grants and grants/fellowships from external sources.

Students are expected to seek funding through Graduate School Fellowships and outside

sources. Students may reference the Department of History webpage for more

information on available resources: http://dornsife.usc.edu/hist/graduate-resources/ The

Graduate School has a helpful list of external fellowship opportunities here:

http://graduateschool.usc.edu/fellowships/external-fellowships/

EXCEPTIONAL FUNDING

Graduate students in good standing are eligible for reimbursement of up to $750 annually

to support conference travel or to defray research costs and materials (travel, books,

photographic reproduction, language training, etc.). These funds are contingent upon

approval of your faculty advisor/dissertation chair and the DGS. However, due to

fluctuating budgets, the department cannot guarantee that there are sufficient funds for

each student each year.

The Exceptional Funding Form may be found on the departmental website or can be

requested from the DGS or SSA. Receipts for items over $50 are required for

reimbursement.

PAYROLL & STIPEND PAYMENT INFORMATION

The first Fellowship stipend check is mailed to the mailing address in OASIS. Please be

sure to keep this address current. Should you wish to set up Direct Deposit for your

stipend checks, simply login to MyUSC and select the Pay My Bill icon. For more

information, please follow the instructions attached to this document.

Please refer to the following links for more information regarding payment dates:

http://financialaid.usc.edu/general/stipend-domestic.html

http://financialaid.usc.edu/general/stipend-international.html

Students who are Teaching or Research Assistants through Workday (Payroll System)

may set up Direct Deposit themselves. Students can also set up ACH on their student

account through OASIS directly.

The schedule of stipend payments will be sent out by the DGS or SSA every summer.

HELPFUL LINKS

MyUSC: https://my.usc.edu/

This is a customizable online portal which provides access to services at USC. Services

include Web Registration, OASIS, Blackboard, Faculty/Staff/Student Directory, Library

Information, Course Enrollment Information, Daily Trojan, Google Apps, Student

Announcements, and University Event Calendar.

OASIS (Online Academic Student Information System)

This is where you will find all aspects of your academic record. It is recommended to

access OASIS through your MyUSC page.

● Course Information includes your Registered Course List, Book List, Enrollment

History, Restrictions, STARS Report, Grade Report, and Permit to Register.

● Financial information includes your USCe.pay (https://sfs.usc.edu/epay/) and

USC Payment Plan, Financial Aid Services, and Tax Documentation.

● Course Transfer includes your Transfer Credit Report if you have coursework

from other institutions.

● Record Ordering Services includes your Degree Verifications and Transcripts.

● Other Services include Updating Expected Graduation Term, Diploma Delivery,

Change of PIN, Change of Address, Guest Access, and Student Health Insurance.

USC Schedule of Classes – https://classes.usc.edu/

This site is produced by the Registrar and provides a list of all courses offered each

semester by each department throughout the university.

The Graduate School – http://graduateschool.usc.edu/current-students/

Comprehensive student resource for policies, standards, and processes related to graduate

education at USC.

● Appointment or Change of Qualifying Exam Form:

https://graduateschool.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Appointment_Chan

ge_of_Committee_Form_Qualifying.pdf

● Appointment or Change of Dissertation Committee Form:

https://graduateschool.usc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Appointment_Chan

ge_of_Committee_Form_Doctoral.pdf

● Thesis/Dissertation Submission:

https://graduateschool.usc.edu/current-students/thesis-dissertation-submission/

Please refer to the following links for more information regarding payment dates:

● http://financialaid.usc.edu/general/stipend-domestic.html

● http://financialaid.usc.edu/general/stipend-international.html

University Catalogue: http://catalogue.usc.edu/index.php

The USC COVID-19 Resources Center - https://coronavirus.usc.edu/

Information, updates and support for the USC community in response to the coronavirus.

University of Southern California

Van Hunnick Department of History

Graduate Student Handbook

2022 – 2023

3502 Trousdale Parkway

Social Sciences Building (SOS) 153

Los Angeles, CA 90089-0034

http://dornsife.usc.edu/hist/

Phone: 213-740-1657

Fax: 213-740-6999

Twitter: @USCHistory

Facebook: www.facebook.com/uschistory