APPENDIX 1: COMPREHENSIVE EXAM FORMATS AND PREREQUISITES
Effective 9/1/2022
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Exam |
Structure |
Committee |
Prerequisites |
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American Politics
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8 hour open book and note exam. Oral examination at discretion of examination committee. 3 questions (no choice). One question will address issues of democracy, participation, and citizenship; a second will address governance and institutions; a third will reflect a special sub-field topic tailored to the student’s area of interest. |
Students intending to take this examination must consult with, at a minimum, the field clerk and with each senior member of the American politics field at least 6 weeks prior to the examination date. Consultation with all faculty in the field are strongly recommended. The comp committee will be a committee of three convened by the field clerk. |
Courses Completion of American Politics Seminar Introduction to Quantitative Methods plus one additional methods course with the approval of the field clerk. Depending on the student’s research interests, methods classes in other departments may be acceptable, with the American Politics field clerk’s approval. Students should confer with the American Politics faculty, especially the field clerk, about the kinds of classes that would be appropriate given their research interests. Other Recommended reading list |
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Comparative Politics |
One week take-home with oral examination. The exam is structured in three sections: I. Methods/Methodology II. Seminar Related III. Research Related For each of the three sections, students will be given a choice of up to three questions. They shall answer one question from each section.
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Determined by the field clerk and consists of three core comparative politics faculty members. One member shall be the faculty member with whom the student developed their Seminar reading list. If a different person from the first member, the second member shall be the faculty member with whom the student developed their Research reading list. The remaining member(s) shall be appointed by the field clerk. |
Courses 1) Political Inquiry 2) Comparative Politics Proseminar 3) Any one of the following methods courses: Interpretation, Qualitative Methods, Quantitative Methods, Political Ethnography 4) Any one additional graduate seminar taught by one of the core comparative politics faculty. Other Reading list of 15 books or book-equivalents for each of the three sections of the exam. Each section should contain a series of orienting questions highlighting the most important themes and problems of that section. The reading list and orienting questions for the Methods/Methodology section are predetermined by the second week of each spring semester by the comparative faculty. The reading list and orienting questions for the Seminar Related section are jointly determined between the student and the core comparative politics faculty member teaching the 4th required course. The reading list and orienting questions for the Research Related section of the comp shall be developed jointly between the student and a core comparative politics member of their choosing. All reading lists and the orienting questions that guide them must be emailed to the field clerk as a single PDF document by May 1 for students taking the exam in the fall and October 1 for students taking the exam in the spring. |
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Contemporary Social and Political Theory |
1 semester “Publishable” research paper of 35 pages with public oral defense. |
2 faculty from any field. |
Courses Other |
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History of Political Thought
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1 week take-home with oral examination. 1st question: single author (8-9 pages). 2nd question: one of two authors (one author from reading list and another covered in graduate courses) selected by student (8-9 pages). 3rd question: one of two authors (from reading list, not covered in graduate course) selected by the student (6-7 pages).
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Minimum 3 faculty. |
Courses Courses in the history of political theory Other |
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International Relations
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72 hour take-home with oral examination. |
Minimum 2 faculty. |
Courses Any one of the following: Introduction to Quantitative Methods,
Other |
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Intradisciplinary and Interdisciplinary Studies |
1 semester Conference-presentation-quality paper of 35 pages with public oral defense, drawing on literatures of two different fields outside the student’s primary field, situated meaningfully in a cross-cutting research area relevant to the student’s area of specialization. This comp can only be taken as a second comp. Other Paper abstract, bibliography, and course selection approved by the outside-field exam committee members, Graduate Program Director, and student’s current faculty advisor at the time of the second comp exam. |
Minimum 3 faculty.
Options: |
Course Options: A coherent group of three courses from outside the department and/or outside the student’s primary field, which prepare the student to write the paper. |
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Law, Politics, and Society |
72 hour take-home with oral examination. 3 questions (with choice) in 3 of the following areas (to be decided in consultation with the field clerk):
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At least 2 faculty. |
Courses 3 courses including either Proseminar in Law and Courts (formerly Proseminar in Public Law) or Proseminar in Law and Society, only one “slash” course can count towards fulfilling these requirements. 2 methods courses (at least one prior to the comp and the other completed before the prospectus defense) |
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Public Policy
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8 hour open book, open note exam. 2 questions (one general public policy literature, and one in the area of the student’s specialization).
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Minimum 3 faculty.
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Courses Any two of the following: Introduction to Quantitative Analysis, Qualitative Methods, Interpretation. Students with prior training can waive one or both of these introductory courses and substitute advanced courses with the approval of the Public Policy field clerk. The two methods courses do not need to be completed prior to taking the comprehensive exam, but they must be completed prior to the dissertation prospectus defense. Other
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