The student should then draft a reading list in consultation with all of their committee members, along with the rest of the FRIT faculty. The intention behind the reading list is twofold: (1) offer supplementary readings that can help the student revise the seminar papers (or write the thesis) that they will feature in their M.A. portfolio, and (2) expose the student to canonical French and Francophone works.
When constructing the reading list, the student first looks over the M.A. lists (short and long versions) and highlights works that they have already read (recently in coursework or even a while ago). They should then share this with committee members and many of the other FRIT faculty members. Ideally, the student should meet with every tenure stream faculty member in FRIT if possible in order to get a broader perspective on the canon and critical theory. Faculty will recommend additional titles from the MA lists and from the canon, as related to a student's research area of interest. Their suggestions should demonstrate both historical breadth and an attention to diverse genres and styles. The intent behind the reading list is to tailor it to each individual student as specifically as possible; the final size, direction, and scope of the reading list is meant to be collaboratively determined between the advisor, committee, and student. While the exact number of texts on each reading list may vary widely according to the difficulty or complexity of the works read, each reading list must include a substantial list of primary works (literary or historical texts, works of criticism, theory, or philosophy, or films and other media) in addition to any relevant secondary criticism.
During the summer in between their first and second year in the program, students should focus on making significant progress in their reading list. Then, during the winter break in between their third and fourth semesters in the program, students should finish preparing a finalized reading list as well as complete any major revisions for their two seminar papers (or thesis). Near the start of their fourth semester in the program, students will present a finalized reading list to their committee, the DGS, and the GPC. The Committee may ask for a certain number of précis (summaries) of texts on the reading list.