1) Core Comprehensive Examination (MS 9605)
Core Reading List
The first comprehensive is a ‘core’ examination, on a common reading list of fifty texts. The list is reviewed biennially by the Media Studies Examination Committee, a subcommittee of the Media Studies Program Committee consisting of three faculty members (representing Media Cultures, Media Industries, and Media Technologies). In setting the core exam, this subcommittee will seek input from doctoral students and the media studies faculty at large.
All students in a cohort will write the take-home exam in January of the second year. Students who entered the program before September 2011 will write answers to two of five questions during a five day period. Students who entered the program in or after September 2011 will write answers to three of five questions during a seven day period.The MSEC will set the exam questions and grade the exams; students who are assigned a “pass” by at least two members of the MSEC will pass the exam. The examination committee will provide written comments on each question in addition to evaluating the entire exam on a pass/ fail basis; these comments will be provided to the student and a copy will be kept in the student’s file.
Students who fail the core comprehensive examination will normally retake the exam by the end of that term. Since students must pass the core examination before taking the specialized examination, the deadline for the specialized exam will be extended to the end of the following term. Students who fail the core exam on their second and final attempt will be required to withdraw from the program.
Although the comprehensive exam is set in a take-home format, its writing should be regarded as a solitary activity. Collaboration is not permitted. Collaboration includes, but is not limited to: consultation with others as to content and/or form of answers; discussion of the exam topics with other people during the exam period; having others proof-read and/or edit and/or comment on answers. Such collaboration is grounds for failing the exam. Questions about the exam’s form may be directed to the Chair of the Media Studies Examination Committee. Should a make-up exam for either the core or specialized comprehensive be required, these same rules apply; they do not apply to the Specialized Comprehensive itself, however.
2) Specialized Comprehensive Examination (MS 9606)
The second comprehensive is a "specialized" examination, on a list of twenty-five texts to be compiled by the student under the supervision of his/her advisor and two additional faculty members, who will comprise the “specialized examining committee” (SEC). The two additional faculty members on the SEC may or may not later become members of the student’s thesis committee. The specialized reading list may not contain the same texts as the core list, but it may contain additional works by authors represented on the core list.
Students will be tested by their SEC in a two-hour pass/fail oral examination to take place between the beginning of March and the end of May of their second year. The student will circulate a ten- to fifteen-page written rationale for his/her list to the SEC one week in advance of the oral exam; students will begin the exam by speaking about the list and rationale for five to ten minutes. Consultation with students and/or faculty members in the development of the rationale is encouraged, but the document itself must be written solely by the candidate, and should not be edited or commented on by others.
Students assigned a “pass” from at least two of the three members of the SEC will pass the exam and may proceed to the dissertation proposal; examiners will consider the development of the list, the written rationale and the student’s oral performance in their evaluation. The chair of the SEC, in consultation with the members, will provide a brief written assessment of the oral exam; this assessment will be provided to the student and a copy will be kept in the student’s file.
Students who fail the specialized examination will be asked to respond in writing to at most three questions from the SEC; these questions will be written collaboratively by the SEC within one week of the oral exam, and the student will be given seven days to respond to these questions in writing. If at least two members of the SEC assign a grade of “pass” to the student’s written response, the student will pass the specialized examination and may proceed to the thesis proposal; the student’s written response will be his or her second and final chance to pass the specialized examination. Students who do not pass the specialized examination on the second attempt will be required to withdraw from the program.
The specialized comprehensive exam may include questions about research methods relevant to the candidate’s reading list and about the relationship of the reading list to the candidate’s possible dissertation topic. The exam is not, however, an examination of a dissertation proposal. Questions will generally focus on texts specified in the reading list.
See also: Timelines and Procedures for the Specialized Comprehensive Exam (on the FIMS Intranet; login required)
Updated 11/29/2011