Every student will sit for a General Examination in May of their second year, with the exam administered orally by three faculty not known in advance.
The ninety-minute exam will cover two of the four major substantive fields in political science (chosen by the student from among American Government; Comparative Politics; International Relations; and Political Philosophy), plus an additional focus field defined by the student. For the focus field, each student will submit by a date designated by the director of graduate studies a five-to-eight-page statement outlining a special area for examination. This area may encompass a special literature; an area of the world; a realm of special interest spanning subfields or disciplinary boundaries; or a research approach. Political Philosophy and Social Policy students are not required to submit focus field memos.
Course-Out Options
Students are allowed a “course-out” option instead of taking a minor field oral exam in either Political Methodology or Formal Theory by completing four (4) courses from a pre-approved list with an overall average grade of B+ or higher. The course-out option in methods requires students to take all four courses in the methods sequence – Gov 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2004. One substitution will be allowed, but students must discuss their plans with the methods field coordinator and receive approval in advance. Students who choose to course out will sit for the other two 30-minute exams as usual.
Field Seminars
The department regularly offers “field seminars” introducing each of the four major fields of the discipline. However, no examination field is co-terminus with any one course, or even with any group of courses. The student is responsible for preparation in the field and should not assume that satisfactory completion of a course or courses dealing with the material in the field will constitute adequate preparation for the examination. The student should consult faculty members in each field to ensure such preparation. All students who choose a field are responsible for the same range of materials.
Progress toward the Degree after the General Examination
Requirements relating to courses, seminars (research) papers, quantitative methods and political philosophy should normally be completed before the General Examination, that is, during the first two years of graduate work. In special circumstances, a student may defer fulfillment of two four-credit courses or two of the following until after the General Examination:
- One seminar paper
- One four-credit course
Within six months of passing the General Examination, the student must have fulfilled one of these deferred requirements. Within twelve months, he or she must have completed both deferred requirements.
Following completion of the General Exam, each student will engage faculty advisors through a two-stage process of research exploration and prospectus approval, marked by two meetings as follows:
- An initial “Research Exploration Meeting” must convene in the fall semester of the third year, to discuss an approximately ten-page statement from the student, which, as appropriate, may either present a potential research question for the dissertation, or set forth alternative possible research questions for consideration and development. The student may consult the director of graduate studies to identify three or four appropriate faculty consultants, if these are not readily apparent.
- Involving the same three or four faculty or a different set where appropriate, the second “Prospectus Evaluation Meeting” will convene to discuss and approve the student’s written dissertation prospectus. These faculty members are chosen by the student with the approval of the director of graduate studies. The evaluation meeting will preferably be held in the spring semester of the third year and in no instance later than October 1 of the fourth year. Whenever this meeting is held, there may be a one-month follow-up period for final changes in the prospectus. To be in good standing, therefore, all students must have an approved prospectus, with the dissertation title and name(s) of the advisor(s) registered with the director of graduate studies, by no later than November 15 of the fourth year.