Latin American History Comprehensive Exams
The Graduate Regulations of the History Department govern how all students take the comprehensive examinations and defend the dissertation prospectus. Students should consult those regulations, as well as the day-of-exam rules outlined on the form which they must submit in advance of the examination. As an addition to those general departmental rules, this document outlines the specific regulations of the Latin American field.
Overview. The practical goals of the comprehensive examinations are preparation for teaching and dissertation writing, both of which require breadth of knowledge as well as particular expertise. In Latin American history, the examination is especially tailored to the needs and interests of each student, and the questions will emerge from conversations between students and their professors. Students should begin these conversations well before the semester in which they intend to take the exams.
Format. The exams include three days of test taking, which students may schedule at any time in the semester before the department's cutoff date. Students are urged to consult the Graduate Secretary to learn the cutoff date and for other help in scheduling. The three exam days need not be consecutive and may be widely separated in time, but all students taking the exams in a given semester must coordinate to take them on the same days. Finally, the proposed schedule must be approved by the field convener.
Exam preparation. The three days mentioned above correspond to the three exams that all students must prepare: colonial, national, and thematic (i.e. dissertation-related). Preparation for each exam will be based on a set of personalized questions: 4 questions for the colonial exam, 4 for the national exam, and 3 for the thematic exam. Normally, questions for the colonial exam will be negotiated with Kathryn Burns; questions for the national exam, with Lou Perez and John Chasteen. The questions for the thematic exam will be prepared by the dissertation advisor in concert with the student. For each question, students should compile a reading list of about 10 items and have it approved by the professor.
Testing and evaluation. On each day of test taking, students will be asked 2 questions and must answer both. There is no choice at this stage of the examination. Students may use whatever books, notes, and other aids they have prepared.
Each written exam will be graded by the examining faculty as "acceptable" or "unacceptable." An acceptable grade on all three exams is required to pass the comprehensive examinations as a whole. Students who receive an unacceptable assessment for only one exam day will be allowed to repeat that exam at a time determined by the examining faculty. An unacceptable grade on more than one exam constitutes a failing grade for the comprehensive examinations as a whole. Students who fail their comprehensive examinations will be allowed to reschedule and retake them one time only.
Syllabus. Apart from the three exams, each student is to prepare the syllabus for a colonial or national period survey course. In addition to the normal contents of a syllabus, this one should be annotated and accompanied by a brief essay explaining how particular assignments contribute to the pedagogical goals of the course. The syllabus and accompanying material are to be turned in by the department's cutoff date.