Oral Examinations

Students must pass two qualifying exams:

1. An  oral examination based on readings in the constituent disciplines of CHSS. In general, students choose to focus mainly on one discipline, such as History, Philosophy, Sociology, or Anthropology.

2. An oral examination based on a draft syllabus for an undergraduate course and teaching statement compiled by the student. 

The order in which students take the exams does not matter. These exams are, in part, designed by the students themselves. In the case of each exam, the process begins when the student proposes to the Chair two faculty members to serve as an exam committee. At least one of the two must be a member of CHSS. The committees for the two exams may overlap, but they must not be identical. Following the approval of the Chair, and with the commitment of the two faculty members, the student will then work with the committee to develop reading lists for the exams. The administrative assistant of CHSS should be given a copy of the student’s approved reading list and questions for inclusion in their file. The student arranges the exact day and time of the exam in consultation with the members of the exam committee.