How to Assemble Preliminary Ph.D. Comprehensive Exam Lists

Use the CRES reading list as a springboard to developing your own comprehensive exam lists. Notice the scholars and essays/books listed within the sections you have chosen to focus on for your four exam areas. PLEASE NOTE: One of your areas must be a general list in composition/rhetoric studies.

The reading list is provisional, i.e. a recommendation for places to look for ideas about developing your sense of a field. Check the bibliographies attached to these items to find other works which might fit your topic more closely. Also, since we cannot update the reading list every year, check other resources like the library and online databases (JSTOR for example) to find the most current items. Your reading lists should combine important research from the past as well as current research that looks like it will help you envision each field.

You should also choose an exam committee consisting of three CRES faculty. Your finalized reading lists will go out to every CRES faculty member, but while developing your lists you should consult with your committee members and other faculty who are experts in the area to see if new research has appeared. Once CRES faculty read your finalized lists, they will suggest additions or deletions if need be, then approve the revised final lists. After that, you will begin preparing for comprehensive exams and schedule a date in consultation with the field advisor. In many cases, your exam committee will go on to form the core of your dissertation committee.