Revised Written Exam Format (beginning Autumn 2018)
The written exam will be in the form of a field statement. The field statement, to be written in consultation with committee members, should be 20-30 double-spaced pages (not including the bibliography) and must define 1) the student's field or fields of expertise, 2) the student's methodology, and 3) a research question. The nature of the document that students produce will vary depending on their field and research interests. The field statement might proceed as a single discussion or as a series of related sections. The formal flexibility of the field statement should give exam committees some discretion over what their students produce while ensuring that there is a uniform purpose to the endeavor.
Reading Lists
Prior to beginning the field statement, students will construct three reading lists that will inform the field statement and prepare the student to engage all three areas of the field statement.
The first list should constitute a primary field. It might be defined by the rubrics of period, nation, and genre, but could also be a specialization such as rhetoric and composition studies, applied linguistics, history of English, or the environmental or digital humanities. This area should be recognized by relevant professional organizations such as the MLA, ASA, CCCC, RSA, TESOL and AAAL. For some fields, this list may focus on a canonical set of texts; for others it may explore debates surrounding the constitution of the field itself.
The second and third lists are flexible and might include the following possibilities: a second field constituting a distinct specialization from the primary field; a sub-area within or adjacent to the primary field of specialization; a genre; an approach, theory, or method; a conceptual problem; or a clearly delimited topic of the student’s choice.
Timeline
Students should organize their committee and finalize their reading lists by the end of their third year of graduate study (second year for those entering with a master’s degree from elsewhere). This allows students about six to twelve months of directed reading.
Students should expect to complete their PhD exams in Winter or Spring of their fourth year of graduate study (third year for those entering with a master’s degree). In order to make satisfactory progress, students must complete the PhD exams by the end of the fourth year (third year for those entering with a master’s degree). Students will work with their committee to determine when they are ready to take their exams.
In the quarter during which a student takes their exams, they should use the following timeline:
- By the end of Week 5:
- The student submits their finalized written field statement and syllabus to englgrad@uw.edu
- The student provides the names of their committee members and their general availability for the oral exam to the Graduate Advising staff
- Week 6:
- The Graduate Advising staff forwards the field statement and syllabus to the student’s committee members for comment
- In consultation with student and committee members, the Graduate Advising staff schedules a date and time for the oral exam
- Week 7:
- The committee chair forwards the committee members’ comments to the student
- The student submits a formal request for the oral exam through MyGrad Program
- Weeks 8-10:
- The student completes the oral exam