The Doctorate in “Philology and Literary Criticism” is devoted to the philological and literary study of classical, medieval, and modern European tradition.
The structure of the doctorate has been modified over time to allow a programme with a strong comparative component. Its initial core involved merging the European school of the Doctoral Programme in “Romance Philology” and two sections of the Doctoral School in "Interpretation", founded on their common philological and comparative approach, and on the commonality of the cultural areas considered, starting from Italy to expand to Romance Europe and western cultural tradition as a whole.
Since 2023 this project has expanded to the classical realm, with the further merging of the section “Anthropology of the Ancient World”, which until 2022 was part of the Doctorate in “Sciences of Antiquity and Archaeology” with its administrative headquarters in Pisa.
Starting with Cycle XXXIX (which began on 1 November 2023), the Doctorate includes three curricula: Modern Literature, Medieval Philology, and Anthropology of the Ancient World.
- The curriculum in “Medieval Philology” is designed for the study of the literary tradition of the Middle Ages, with a particular focus on its philological and linguistic elements and methods, with the additional support of information technologies. The main field of research is literary production in Romance and Germanic languages as well as Medieval Latin, on which European and Italian cultural tradition is based. There is a special focus on the old Italian lexicon, with the participation of the NRC “Opera del Vocabolario Italiano” Institute; there are also focused tracks planned for musical theory and praxis.
- The curriculum in “Modern Literature”, in addition to its theoretical-comparative approach to movements, genres, and literary themes, and to cultural reflection (from gender studies to postcolonial studies), promotes the study of individual national traditions (in particular Italian, English and Anglo-American, French, German, and Spanish), from a historical, philological, stylistic, linguistic, and hermeneutic perspective, with the additional support of information technologies.
- The curriculum in “Anthropology of the Ancient World” aims to specifically highlight the ensemble of “patterns” that were historically critical for the construction of Greek and Roman culture: the form and function of myth; kinship structures; forms of economic organization; the construction of religion and cultural norms; the depiction of war; interspecies relationships (the relationship between humans and animals); gender configurations; and the translatability of languages and cultures.
Starting with Cycle XXXII, the Doctorate in “Philology and Literary Criticism”, has annually obtained funding for five scholarships through the Region of Tuscany’s “Pegaso” programme, joining together three universities and one research organization in a TAP (Temporary Association of Purpose): the University of Siena (administrative headquarters), the University of Pisa, the University for Foreigners of Siena, and the NRC “Opera del Vocabolario Italiano” (OVI) Institute; in addition there is a scholarship for “Romance Philology” financed by the Fondazione Ezio Franceschini in Florence.
The Doctorate in “Philology and Literary Criticism” has a significant international character: different members of the teaching faculty belong to foreign universities, and part of the educational activities are carried out in English or French. As a general rule, doctoral students carry out their own dissertation research in co-supervision with a foreign university and carry out part of their research activity abroad (for from a minimum of 6 to a maximum of 12 months).
There are various framework agreements in place with Italian or foreign universities and organizations for carrying out research activities or placements:
- École Pratique des Hautes Études, Paris
- Sorbonne Université, Paris
- Université Sorbonne Nouvelle – Paris III
- Université de Lausanne
- Universidade de Santiago de Compostela
- Universität Zürich
- Fondazione Ezio Franceschini – Archivio Gianfranco Contini, Florence
- NRC "Opera del Vocabolario Italiano" (OVI) Institute
Agreements and co-supervision are additionally stipulated with various other sites: Barcelona, Freiburg, Leiden, Leuven, Liege, Nancy (Université de Lorraine), Namur, Paris 10-Nanterre, École Nationale des Chartes (Paris), Salamanca, Tours, etc.
FRANCO FORTINI CENTRE
The interdepartmental Franco Fortini Centre, with headquarters at the Department of “Philology and Literary Criticism” (DFCLAM), promotes activities open to the participation of doctoral candidates and keeps materials subject to study and research and doctoral dissertations in its archives.
CENTRE FOR ANTHROPOLOGY AND THE ANCIENT WORLD
The interuniversity Centre for Anthropology and the Ancient World, with headquarters at the DFCLAM, arose from the collaboration between the University of Siena, the University for Foreigners of Siena, the University of Sannio in Benevento and the University of Milan, with the arrival of new lecturers and research prospects. The disciplines represented at the Centre cover all aspects of the field of classical antiquity—from history to literature, linguistics, philology, and Roman law—synergistically developed from an anthropological and comparative perspective.
HERMES
The doctorate is a partner of the Hermes Consortium for Literary and Cultural Studies: (https://hermes.au.dk)
The selection call is typically published in June at the following link: https://www.unisi.it/ricerca/dottorati-di-ricerca
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMME FOR THE A.Y. 2023-2024
The educational activities of doctoral candidates in “Philology and Literary Criticism” are subdivided into:
- activities done on the premises of the doctoral consortium (University of Siena: UNISI; University for Foreigners of Siena: UNISTRASI; University of Pisa: UNIPI) and on the premises of the partner research organizations across the country (NRC “Opera del Vocabolario Italiano” Institute, Florence: OVI; Fondazione Ezio Franceschini Onlus, Florence: FEF)
- activities done abroad, typically (but not exclusively) on the premises of the affiliated foreign Universities: École pratique des Hautes Études (Paris); Université de Lausanne; Universidade de Santiago de Compostela; Université Sorbonne Nouvelle - Paris III; Université Paris Sorbonne - Paris IV; Universität Zürich.
All doctoral candidates with scholarships must spent at least six months at a foreign University, entering into a co-supervision agreement where possible.
CURRICULUM
YEAR I: 60 credits
- Research: 30 credits
- Educational: 30 credits, of which:
3 credits of language
5 credits of soft skills
10 credits of seminars and conferences
12 credits in modules divided thus:
2 credits (12 hours): module common to all
5 credits (30 hours): curriculum-specific module
5 credits (30 hours): curriculum-specific module
For the common modules, doctoral candidates for each curriculum are invited to read the following essential books (class time: November-December):
- Jean-Pierre Vernant and Pierre Vidal-Naquet, Myth and Tragedy in Ancient Greece
- Erich Auerbach, Mimesis: The Representation of Reality in Western Literature
- Ernst Robert Curtius, European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages
- Pascale Casanova, The World Republic of Letters
YEAR II: 60 credits
- Research: 35 credits
- Educational: 25 credits, of which:
3 credits of language
5 credits of soft skills
7 credits of seminars and conferences
10 credits in modules divided thus:
5 credits: specific module (shared with year I students)
5 credits: specific module (shared with year I students)
YEAR III: 60 credits
- Research: 50 credits (of these 50 credits, 16 can, according to the type of dissertation approved, be issued for attending placements through the NRC-OVI, Mondadori Education, Pacini, or Scribedit).
- Educational: 10 credits for internal and external seminars and conferences.
