Morgan State University Department of English and Language Arts Guidelines for PhD Comprehensive Exam Reading Lists (revised 9/16/2016) After satisfying all course requirements (but no later than one semester following the completion of coursework), students must sit for and pass the PhD comprehensive examinations. The examination takes place over two consecutive days, usually in late February to early March (spring) and late October or early November (fall). The exams are created, administered, and graded by the student s dissertation committee. The committee bases the exam on the student s two reading lists. Students should consult the Coordinator of Graduate Studies during the semester in which they plan to take the exam for the examination dates. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Committee Formation for the PhD Comprehensive Exams After the coursework and foreign language requirements have been completed, students take the PhD comprehensive examinations, which are based on the student s PhD reading lists. Students, in conjunction with their committee, must develop two reading lists of 75-100 texts each, containing a balance of primary and secondary texts (The appropriate balance will depend upon the concentration area and topic of each list.). Guided by faculty advisors, PhD students may develop reading lists for their preliminary examinations with a creative or scholarly concentration. Composition of the Committee Prior to developing the exams, students must first select a dissertation committee, composed of a committee of three faculty members. This committee includes one chair (advisor) and two other members who guide the student through the exam and dissertation process. After forming a committee, the student should maintain regular communication with the advisor and other committee members and periodically consult the graduate coordinator to confirm time-to-degree expectations. The third faculty member may include (with the chairperson s approval) members from other departments or members from outside the University. Membership of the dissertation committee should remain constant. However, under extraordinary circumstances, a student may request a substitution in, or a faculty member may ask to be dismissed from, the membership of the dissertation committee. Such requests must be approved, in writing, by the faculty member leaving the committee and by the graduate coordinator. Once the committee is formed, the student must complete the departmental form Dissertation Committee Contract. This form lists the members of the student s committee and must be signed and deposited with CGS according to the stated timeline. PhD Reading Lists: Coverage The separate lists should reflect two areas of specialization (a primary area of specialization and a secondary area). The area of specialization or topic area for each list should be selected by the student
and his/her dissertation committee chair and should reflect a scholarly or creative concentration in recognized academic literary or creative fields. The texts will serve as the basis of both the comprehensive exams and the primary research for the dissertation. The lists should be complementary, but not duplicative. As you start compiling your reading list for the PhD written examinations, keep in mind that the area covered by the written exam should be noticeably broader than the area covered by your dissertation. The broad area of specialization covered by the exam and represented by the works you select for your reading list should include the more specific research area you intend to inhabit while writing your dissertation but should usually not be limited to that focus. You can think of your reading list for the exam as representing multiple research areas, and multiple teaching areas, and you can plan on marketing your research interests and teaching expertise to search committees in terms of these areas when you go on the academic job market. The topic/major field reading list should reflect the tailored research area of interest for the dissertation and will serve as a springboard for dissertation research and writing. It is recommended that the student develop an optional rationale justifying the texts on the lists as it will help articulate how the texts will support the dissertation. For students planning to complete a creative dissertation, please see the additional information for creative writing reading lists (below). The secondary field reading list will include texts that represent the broad area of interest or concentration for the student. It will ensure broad coverage of the field of concentration and complement the first (topical) list. The secondary area list will also consist of 75-100 texts that focus on an area distinct from the research/topic field. The list may have a general orientation toward the texts and scholarly resources important to developing a range of undergraduate courses in a recognizable/marketable area in an historical period or in an interdisciplinary or nontraditional genre or method. Examples of the latter include women's studies, American studies, composition, religion and literature, film and/or popular culture, crime fiction, and science and literature. It should not repeat texts listed in the topic list. Composition of the Lists Content The PhD Examination reading list consists of two parts: a topic/major field and a secondary area. Generally, the topic area examination list focuses on primary and secondary materials that provide an intellectual and theoretical basis for the dissertation; and the secondary field examination establishes a professional working knowledge of the candidate s selected secondary area or field (American Medieval, Renaissance, African American literature, Rhetoric, etc.). The major field list should reflect the student's area of professional specialization (poetry, 16th-century British literature, 20th-century American fiction, rhetoric and composition, folklore). The secondary field list might be a related field (For instance, a student with a major list in African American literature might have a minor list in twentieth-century American fiction, or one studying Romanticism might have a minor list in transatlantic colonial literature.), a secondary field (film or linguistics if the student is studying a literary field; a literary field if the student is studying rhetoric or folklore), a genre or sub-genre (creative non-fiction, the sonnet, etc.), or an area of thematic focus (Transcendentalism, nature poetry, etc.). The criticism and theory will vary depending on the topics of the major and minor lists. In cases where the major and minor lists consist primarily of literary works, the criticism and theory list must include sections covering the major works of criticism and/or theory in those fields. The remainder of the criticism and theory list, up to its entirety in cases where both the major and minor list include substantial secondary reading, can be organized around a major subfield of criticism or theory (poetics, 2
psychoanalysis, the history of the novel) or a particular theme (Theories of the Middle Class; The Role of Religion in Contemporary Fiction; Medieval Conceptions of Gender). A primary work refers to a play, a long poem or prose piece, a selection of multiple poems, short stories, or essays, a novella, or a novel; for fields such as rhetoric or theory, primary works refer to key books and essays that together capture their historical development. A secondary work can refer to a book, a long essay, or a group of short essays. The candidate s list will reflect both breadth and depth of reading and a sense of the history of criticism throughout the specialty field as well as contemporary critical approaches to the works. Generally speaking, the candidate should avoid listing dated (more than 20-years old) critical texts on the lists, with the exception of seminal texts or those otherwise recommended by the committee. In assembling selections of poems, essays, excerpts, etc., candidates should not use undergraduate-oriented anthologies such as the Norton or Bedford anthologies; instead, candidates should research and choose an authoritative scholarly edition that surveys adequately for a PhD-level exam each author s writings. All items should be numbered clearly, and lists should be arranged chronologically or in some other systematic fashion. Creative Dissertation Option While most PhD candidates in the Department of English write dissertations of a traditional, researchoriented nature, a candidate may choose to write a creative dissertation, which may take the form of a novel, a novella, a book-length collection of short fiction or a collection of poetry. To exercise this option, the candidate must have taken a sufficient number of creative writing courses as part of the PhD coursework. In addition to the creative part of the dissertation, such a dissertation must also contain a section of scholarly research related to the creative writing. This section will demonstrate the correspondence between the candidate s academic studies and the creative project. The overall length required would be comparable with that of other dissertations approved by the department.. The precise nature of the scholarly research component should be determined by the candidate in consultation with the dissertation committee and the graduate director. Candidates wishing to undertake such a dissertation must complete all departmental requirements demanded for the research-oriented PhD degree. Creative Dissertations Comprehensive Examination Reading Lists The creative writing reading lists follow the same format as the scholarly lists, including being composed of two lists of 75-100 texts each, containing a balance of primary and secondary texts. The creative writing lists should be composed of texts that will prepare the doctoral candidate for a comprehensive understanding of poetics and/or aesthetic approach. Creative writing students design lists in literature, composition and rhetoric, and/or literary theory that complement the creative work they do in their dissertations. The topic/concentration area lists should include texts that demonstrate that the candidate is conversant with the basic theoretical and critical works pertinent to the study. The texts on the list may serve as a draft of the Review of Literature section in the proposal and provide the basis for the critical introduction to the creative dissertation. The development of creative dissertation reading lists may be guided by the recommendations below: The topic/major field reading list. The development of creative writing dissertations involves academic research outside the disciplinary boundaries of literature in English. In the dissertation proposal for creative writing projects, students will be expected to define the guiding question or set of questions; therefore, the selection of lists for the primary/topic area lists should reflect texts that will help the student 3
address a basic thesis (or hypothesis); a delineation of how the works to be studied or the creative writing produced relate to that (hypo)thesis; the theoretical/methodological model to be followed; and how the creative project will be situated in the context of prior scholarship (i.e., its importance to the field). As with research-based lists, it is recommended that the student develop an optional rationale justifying the texts on the lists as it will help articulate how the texts will support the dissertation. As with the scholarly reading lists, the secondary area reading list for creative writing will include texts that represent the broad area of interest or concentration for the student. It will ensure broad coverage of the field of concentration and complement the first (topical) list. The secondary area list must also consist of 75-100 texts that focus on an area distinct from the research/topic field. For this list, students may choose to augment selections from other areas of specialization already cited on the list, or the student can elect to include other kinds of books related to the proposed doctoral research (including, among other options, works of historiography, works of autobiography, etc.) any titles that might be deemed appropriate, in consultation with the committee chair. This is intended to give the student an opportunity to practice the kind of study, normally expected of creative writers, who conduct research in support of a creative project, often reading work in other fields, such as history, science, etc. Alternatively, the second list may have a general orientation toward the texts and scholarly resources important to developing a range of undergraduate courses in a recognizable/marketable area in an historical period or in an interdisciplinary or nontraditional genre or method. Examples of the latter include women's studies, American studies, composition, religion and literature, film and/or popular culture, crime fiction, and science and literature. Format and Submission of Reading Lists When submitting approved reading lists, students should adhere to the following guidelines: 1) create a cover letter or rationale explaining the intellectual rationale for the "Primary/Topic Area" and "Secondary Area" designations; 2) ensure that both reading lists are clearly specified and include complete bibliographic information (use MLA formatting style) on each item; 3) work with their committee chair and COG to create a schedule and timeline for when the student plans to sit for the comprehensive exams, 4) attach the lists to the completed Reading List Contract, which includes the names of the readers, a place for the readers to sign indicating approval of the lists, and agreement to assess the comprehensive. After the readings lists are approved by the committee, the student will complete and submit the departmental form Reading List Contract, which must be signed by the student and dissertation committee. It must be deposited with the Coordinator of Graduate Studies prior to the Graduate School s deadline for registration for the comprehensive exams. Interaction with Your Dissertation Committee It is critical that you have regular interaction with your committee while compiling your reading lists for the PhD written exam. Be sure to communicate regularly with the chair of your committee, in particular, consulting with him or her about the coverage of your reading lists and about the number and types of sources you are including. Whenever you are in doubt about how to proceed with your reading list, meet with, and talk directly to, the chair of your committee. When your chair says you are ready to do so, share your list with the other two members of your committee and ask them to respond to it. You should give your reading list to your chair, and then to the rest of your committee, as early as possible, because the committee members may well want you to make major changes to the list (for example, to add more theory or to replace older secondary sources with more recently published material) before they feel you are ready to schedule the exam. 4
Exam Preparation Once your entire committee has approved your reading lists, you will likely need to spend the next several months preparing for the exam by reading your way through all the works on the list and carefully taking notes on them. As you prepare for the exam, take thoughtful and well-organized notes, which you should compile in a systematic/organizational schematic of your choice so that you can access the material during a dedicated two- to three-week review period prior to the exam. While reading the texts on your lists, you will almost certainly want to write summaries of some of the works (including specific quotes from secondary material). prepared to synthesize the works that is, to make meaningful connections among them, rather than solely offering summaries of narrative plots, theories, and so forth. When your committee assesses your responses to the exam questions, the committee will not expect you to have generated publishable ideas and prose; however, be prepared to write exam responses that will meet the expectations of your evaluators, which will include at least the following: 1) your knowledge of your broad area of specialization; 2) your understanding of the current scholarly conversation(s) to which your dissertation will contribute; 3) your ability to analyze intelligently, and to synthesize with purpose, the works on your reading list; and 4) your ability to write coherent, detailed, and persuasive essays under pressure. Following successful completion of the exams, under normal circumstances, students should aim to submit an approved dissertation proposal within one semester of passing their comprehensive exams. For further information about the PhD Comprehensive Exams, please consult the Graduate Coordinator. Specific information about the exam process, evaluation, and other related subjects is available from the Graduate Coordinator s office and in the Guidelines for the Doctoral Exams and Dissertation Process: Abridged Version. Sample Reading Lists and Exam Questions The questions used on PhD written exams vary as widely as do the reading lists developed by students who take the exams. However, you can consult the Graduate Coordinator to access samples of reading lists developed by students in the department who have recently passed the exam, as well as samples of exam questions recently used by the department faculty. For further information, please contact the Graduate Coordinator, Joy Myree-Mainor, at Joy.MyreeMainor@morgan.edu or via the English office at 443-885-3165/1761. This document reflects the original guidelines for the PhD Reading Lists created in 2013 and revised August 2015. The specific rules regarding the make-up of the lists replicates the procedures outlined in Guidelines for the Doctoral Exams and Dissertation Process: Abridged Version (approved 1/14/15). Submitted by Joy Myree-Mainor, September 16, 2016. 5