The goal of the Comprehensive Examination is to write an original essay that investigates key issues of the assigned topic. Rather than being an "exam answer" or a summary of published literature, the Comprehensive Examination should be 20-30 pages in length.

Guidelines for the Comprehensive Examination

The Department of Folklore follows the basic guidelines for comprehensive examination as described in the University Calendar :

1. The Ph.D. Comprehensive Examination shall be administered in accordance with General Regulations, Ph.D. and Psy.D. Comprehensive Examination. Students will prepare for three examinations by undertaking supervised readings in three fields decided by the Comprehensive Examinations Committee. The basic principle is to integrate knowledge within specific areas of folklore and folklife scholarship. The examination normally will be written with the format to be determined by the Comprehensive Examination Committee in consultation with the student. Assessment will be based on the examination of three papers each of one week duration. The Committee will recommend to the Dean of Graduate Studies a grade of PAS (pass), REX (re-examination), or FAL (fail).

2. Examination normally will take place no earlier than the end of the first year after admission to the program but no later than one year after the completion of the course requirements. The examination normally will be scheduled in the second semester following the student’s completion of courses.

Further Specific Departmental Process for Comprehensive Examinations

In accordance with the University Calendar regulations regarding timing, the student notifies the Head (in writing) of their desire to write the comprehensive examination. This request should be made at least four months before the projected start date of writing.

Preparation

Before notifying the Head (in writing), the student should have several preparation stages completed. They are identified in items #1, 2, and 3 of the following list:

1. The student and supervisor decide on three concentrations within the following categories: 

                  a. Theory and History

                  b. Place and Ethnographies

                  c. Genres

2. The student and supervisor discuss membership of the comprehensive examination committee. Five members, including three for their expertise related to the three topics, are required required from the department faculty or from further afield when necessary for expertise. Normally, the supervisor serves as one of the three experts.  The committee must also include the Graduate Officer who serves as the chair of the committee.

3. The student approaches potential committee members and confirms their participation.  The suggested list of members should be included in the notification note to the Head who passes it on to the School of Graduate Studies (SGS) for approval and official appointment.

4. The student prepares three draft bibliographies – one per category – and presents each to the appropriate expert.

5. Each bibliography will consist of approximately fifty sources (books and articles), for  a total of 150 items, with no entry overlap between bibliographies. Each bibliography should be balanced in terms of fundamental or classic works and more recent material. It must follow current bibliographic guidelines for the latest version of Turabian Citation Style and be free of all errors. The bibliography will be regarded as the core of the student's preparation in each area of concentration, but the student's reading may extend beyond this list of works.

6. The Graduate Officer arranges a committee meeting to review the bibliographies, to make a list of required revisions, to approve their final content, and to prepare the comps questions. The Graduate Officer then arranges with the department office to place the locked-down questions on the learning management system (Brightspace).  The supervisor reports back to the student on behalf of the committee with the required revisions.

7. The student revises the bibliographies and – upon the supervisor's approval –     submits the completed and corrected versions to the main office where they are     filed as the official reading lists for that student's exams.

8. The Head confirms the formation of the committee and the scheduling of the exam with the SGS. The Head also confirms the exam schedule with the student in writing.  Normally this happens at least three months prior to the student's      writing of the comprehensive exam. 

Completing the Comprehensive Exam

1. The comprehensive exams are normally written over a single three-week period, Mondays through Fridays. The student is given one question per week for three weeks, normally released at 9 am on Monday morning. The completed question must be submitted before 5 pm the following Friday (five days later).

2. When all three papers have been submitted, the committee meets to evaluate the exams. The result can be PAS (pass), FAL (fail), or REX (re-examination). The committee will not provide feedback on the exam.

3. The supervisor communicates the exam result to the student. The Graduate Officer provides the exam results to the Head who will further notify the SGS. 

4. When the comprehensive examination is successfully completed, the student begins the process of their PhD Thesis Research Proposal.