Comprehensive Exam Policy for Rhetoric and Composition

After completing their coursework, all doctoral degree students will take comprehensive examinations in their major and cognate areas, if applicable. Administration and evaluation of the examinations are the responsibility of the examining committee.  
 

The exams will be offered in August (the week before fall semester begins) and in January (the week before spring semester begins). The student should inform the committee of his/her intention to take the exam the semester prior to the exam; the student is strongly encouraged to schedule practice exams with the examining committee at that time. In order to prepare for the exams, students should also review past exams (available in the Graduate Programs Office, RB 295) and consult with their advisors and graders of the exam.  
 

Forming an Examining Committee

Students will create a committee of four graduate faculty members (typically Rhetoric and Composition faculty) within one year of beginning coursework. If the student is taking cognate exam(s), a cognate representative will be added to the committee. The student should select a chair, and in consultation with the chair, select other committee members who are a good fit for the student’s possible dissertation research area. In most cases, the exam committee will remain in place for the student’s dissertation (plus the addition of one outside member).  
 

The examining committee will be responsible for approving the reading list, composing the exam questions, evaluating the written exam, and conducting the oral exam. 
 

The committee chair will be responsible for calling a meeting for exam reading list approval, scheduling the written exam, creating the written exam with the committee, calling a meeting for evaluating the exam, and scheduling the oral exam. 
 

Exam Reading Lists

Students will draft reading lists before completion of graduate coursework. Students will be tested only on the texts included on the reading lists; therefore, the reading lists should include works from coursework along with other key works. The reading lists must be approved by the examining committee the semester before the written exam.  
 

In consultation with the exam committee, the student should compile a list of 20-30 significant and relevant texts for each of the five main exam areas (Theory, Research, History, Pedagogy, & Specialty). In most cases, a “text” will be a book or selection of key articles by an author. No texts should appear on more than one list; however, students are welcome to draw on all readings in answering any question on the exam.

A sample reading list is available to view here, to download online here, and in RB 295. 
 

Exam Structure

The exam format follows policies and procedures set forth in the Graduate Catalog 2009-2011 on pages 36-37. Specifically, the Rhetoric and Composition Exam consists of three parts. Part I (4 hours) includes fifteen identifications and two essay questions (theory and research). Part II (4 hours) includes three essay questions (history, pedagogy, and specialty). Part III (2 hours) is an oral exam. 
 

Identifications

Students will identify 15 of the 20 terms, people, or texts given on the exam. Students will be assessed on their correct identification or definitions and their ability to link each item to significant theoretical, practical, or historical concerns in composition and rhetoric. 

Essays

For each essay section, the student will be given two questions and asked to answer one in a focused, detailed essay. Students will be assessed on appropriateness, completeness, and thoughtfulness of response and their demonstration of breadth and depth of scholarship in respective areas. 
 

Specialty Area

One essay question will be in the student’s specialty area, a topic of his or her own choosing within the field of Rhetoric or Composition and/or related areas. In most cases, this specialty area relates to the broad subfield related to the student’s dissertation topic. For example, recent students have selected Basic Writing and Critical Pedagogy as specialty areas. 
 

Oral Exam

The oral exam will take place no more than 3 weeks after a passing written exam. The exam committee will prepare questions for the student on the student’s written responses, the questions not answered on the exam, and on the student’s reading lists. The student will be assessed on thoughtfulness of responses and agility in drawing on appropriate ideas, terms, texts, and people to answer questions.