MISSION - University of Arizona
2012-2013 RCTE Handbook Table of Contents
The online version of this Handbook is revised as policies change and supercedes this hard copy.
Mission Statement 1
Faculty 1
Associated Faculty 8-9
Required Courses 10
Courses Outside RCTE 12
Transfer Credits 12
Mentors 14
RCTE Colloquium 15
E-mail Accounts and the RCTE Listserv 15
Annual Review 15
Curriculum Vitae 16
Plan of Study 18
Satisfactory Progress 18
Independent Study in RCTE 19
Foreign Language Requirement 21
Minors 23
Examinations Overview 25
MA and Qualifying Examinations 25
Qualifying Examinations 27
Comprehensive Examinations 29
Advancement to Candidacy 43
Dissertation 44
IRB/Human Subjects 47
Dissertation, cont 51
Internships 57
Graduate-Level Teaching Experience 57
Administrative Experience 59
Work toward Publication 60
Financial Aid Opportunities 62
Job Search 68
Dissertation Proposal Packet 70-78
MISSION STATEMENT
Last Revised: April 2004
The RCTE program was officially created in 1988. Its progenitor was a program in English Education founded at UA in the 1960s. It is one of four graduate programs in the Department of English. The others are Literature, Creative Writing, and English Language and Linguistics. RCTE offers the MA (as a concentration in English) and PhD degrees.
At the University of Arizona, we view rhetoric and composition as arts that must be studied and practiced in the context of broad cultural and public interests. These commitments are reflected in the array of research published by our faculty and graduate students and by our efforts to improve the teaching of writing at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Our work on writing program administration and curriculum development is informed by our commitment to addressing issues of difference in equality and our outreach to the community. Our outreach efforts have taken us to local schools, reservations, community literacy centers, and advocacy groups. Because of these commitments, students and faculty look for opportunities within our institution and the Southwest region to relate the study of rhetoric to the cultural and technological changes that are redefining what it means to teach writing in the twenty-first century.
Inter- and Intradisciplinary Opportunities
As a civic art, rhetoric is an interdisciplinary study that is practically engaged with public politics, community and academic literacies, and the educational reforms needed to make state universities public institutions. To support this vision of rhetoric, the RCTE program has established diverse opportunities for graduate students to work with outstanding graduate programs in Native American studies, creative writing, women's studies, English as a second language, anthropology, and cultural and literary studies.
Graduate students have opportunities to teach in a collaborative environment that fosters engaged teaching, grounded research, and reflective service. In addition to teaching and administrative work, graduate students have the opportunity to work with a leading journal in the field, Rhetoric Review. We understand research, teaching, and service to be integrally related areas of work, and we share a dedication to challenging the hierarchies that have subordinated work in community literacies, undergraduate education, and minority recruitment and retention to research within narrow disciplinary specializations. This dedication is most obvious in the integral relations between the RCTE Program and the Writing Program. This collaborative ethos is also evident in many other practical instances, ranging from outreach programs to local schools and community centers, to our extensive teacher-training programs where graduate assistant instructors meet weekly with faculty in small groups to talk about teaching. In these ways our community of teachers, scholars, and activists is founded on a shared commitment to a civic vision of rhetoric.
FACULTY
Listed below are faculty involved with the Graduate RCTE Program 2012/13, their areas of specialization, and representative publications.
DAMIÁN BACA, Assistant Professor. PhD, Syracuse University. Chicano rhetoric and poetics. Comparative technologies of writing in Mesoamerica/later America. Globalization, colonial world system, and Subaltern studies. Ancestral literacy.
Publications:
MARITZA CARDENAS, Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Michigan. Cultural Theory, Subjectivity, Narrative Discourse, Diasporic and Transnational community formations, Latina/o studies, U.S Central American Literature and Culture.
Publications:
THERESA ENOS, Professor. PhD, Texas Christian University. Phi Beta Kappa. The Rhetoric of Scholarship, Professional and Institutional Issues, the Politics of Higher Education, Twentieth-Century Rhetoric, Basic Writing, Invention, Writing for Publication, Women and Language. Editor of Rhetoric Review. President of the National Council of Writing Program Administrators, 1997-99. Director of RCTE 1997-2004, 2008-2009.
Publications:
ANNE-MARIE HALL, Associate Writing Specialist, PhD, University of Arizona. English Education, Alternative Assessments, Ethnographic Research and Teacher Research, Composition Theory and Pedagogy, Teacher Education, Comparative Pedagogies, Critical Pedagogy and Democratic Methodologies. Director, Southern Arizona Writing Project. Principal Investigator and Administrator of Federal grants from National Writing Project ($284,000 between 1993-2004) for K-12 programs in southern Arizona. Vice-President and President-Elect, Arizona English Teachers Association (1994-96).
Publications:
AMY C. KIMME HEA, Associate Professor. PhD, Rhetoric & Composition (Purdue University); Interests include Hypertext theory, WWW and electronic media, professional writing, and articulation theory.
Publications:
ADELA C. LICONA, Assistant Professor. PhD, Iowa State University. Borderlands' Rhetoric, Cultural & Queer Studies, Agency & Authority, Feminist theory, Critical Pedagogy, Collaborative Learning, Intercultural Communication. President-elect of the National Women's Studies Association Journal (2008-).
Publications:
KEN S. MCALLISTER, Associate Professor. PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago, English - Specialization in Language, Literacy, and Rhetoric (1998); M.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, English - Specialization in Creative Writing (1992); B.A., University of Illinois at Chicago, English (1989). Computer game culture, popular computing, VR-enhanced education, and Marxist dialectic. Coeditor, Works & Days; Going Down Press. Executive Director, Alternative Educational Environments. Co-Director of the Learning Games Initiative and the Virtual Environment Rapid Prototyping Consortium. .
Publications:
THOMAS P. MILLER, Professor. PhD, University of Texas. Classical and modern rhetorical studies, political rhetoric, minority recruitment and retention, histories of the profession, educational reform, writing program leadership, and service learning.
Publications:
CRISTINA RAMÍREZ, Assistant Professor. PhD, University of Texas at El Paso – English - Specialization in Rhetoric and Writing Studies (2010); M.A. University of Texas at El Paso – English – Specialization – Teaching English 7 – 12 (2005); B.A., University of Texas at El Paso, English and a minor in Spanish and Education. Feminisms, rhetoric, history, Mexican Studies, border rhetorics. Editorial Board of Journal of Global Literacies, Technologies, and Emerging Pedagogies.
Publications:
JOHN WARNOCK, Professor. MA, Oxford University; JD, New York University. Theories of Composition, Literacy Studies and Community Literacy, Literary Nonfiction, Rhetorics and Cultures of the Borderlands and American Southwest, Legal Writing.
Publications:
ASSOCIATED FACULTY
Below is a list of associated faculty members with whom RCTE students and faculty have worked.
Associated Faculty (from disciplines outside RCTE)
* =faculty from whom RCTE students have taken courses
@ =faculty who have served on RCTE examination committees
# =faculty with whom RCTE faculty have collaborated in research
English Department
Barbara Babcock*, Literature, Anthropology
Jerrold E. Hogle*, Literature, Critical Theory
Geta LeSeur, Literature, Afrikana Studies
Suresh Raval*@, Literature, Critical Theory
Judy Nolte Temple*@, English, Women's Studies
Linda Waugh*@, English, French and Italian, SLAT, EL/L
College of Education
Luis Moll*, Language, Reading and Culture
Gary Rhoades*#, Higher Education
Richard Ruiz*@, Language, Reading and Culture
Kathy Short*, Language, Reading and Culture
Other Departments
Julio Cammarota, Mexican-American Studies
Jennifer Croissant*@#, Women's Studies
Caren Deming*, Media Arts
Grace Fielder@, Russian Studies
Barry Goldman*, Management and Policy, Eller College of Business
Steve Martinson*, German Studies
Martha Ostheimer#, Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, College of Engineering
Suzanne Panferov@, CESL
Jennifer Roth-Gordon*, Anthropology
REQUIRED COURSES
Students choose either the MA or PhD program at the time of application. The RCTE program offers the MA in English with a concentration in RCTE, and the PhD in RCTE. MA students who wish to continue in the PhD program may apply in the fall of their second year. If, for some reason, a student enrolled in the PhD program is unable to finish the degree, a MA (“master’s en route”) in RCTE may be awarded.
Students Seeking the MA Degree
Revised: August 2011
Thirty (30) units are required for completion of the MA degree. Coursework is concentrated within RCTE, although there are opportunities to explore courses in the other English programs, as well as outside the department.
Distribution Requirements:
18 units of RCTE coursework
• One foundational pedagogy course
• One history, one theory, and an additional pedagogy are recommended.
• RCTE also offers professional studies, praxis, and research courses that can be taken as part of the 18 required units.
3-6 units of Literature
• MA students may take either 2 Elective courses and 1 Literature, or 2 Literature and 1 Elective
3-6 units of Electives
• Students may benefit from taking courses outside the department.
3 units in English Language/Linguistics
Some courses outside of English may count under RCTE. Students interested in having an outside course count as a requirement should obtain a copy of the course syllabus and consult with the RCTE Program Director.
Additional Requirements for the MA include the MA Examination and the Optional Foreign Language Requirement.
Students Seeking the PhD Degree
Revised: August 2011
PhD students must complete 45 units of coursework, plus an additional 18 units of dissertation. The RCTE program course requirements outlined below allow students flexibility to develop a plan of study that best suits their individual interests. Our categories for course listings reflect our attention to program philosophy at the curricular level, balancing basic structure and electives.
21 units of coursework must be taken in residence, including at least one in each of the three core categories. Students will develop a list of foundational courses in consultation with the Program Director, including courses that emphasize research and pedagogy.
Core Requirements:
Category 1: 12 units in Research, Theory, and Praxis
Category 2: 6 units in Histories of Rhetoric
Category 3: 6 units in Professional Studies
Additional Course Requirements:
6 units in Literature and 3 units in Language and Linguistics
• Students demonstrating Masters-level coursework may be able to transfer in all 9 required units of Literature and Language/Linguistics. Students who have not taken the appropriate coursework can satisfy the requirement in residence at the UA.
12 units of Electives
• For students interested in interdisciplinary emphases, electives may also include courses from outside RCTE (e.g., comparative literature; history; cultural studies; Women’s Studies; Language, Reading, and Culture; Teaching and Teacher Education).
18 units of Dissertation
• Upon the completion of coursework, students must take at minimum 18 units of dissertation units. Once 18 units have been reached, students have the option of dropping down to one unit per semester, depending on GAT status or other financial assistance requirements.
Minor Course Requirements
• Students electing a minor outside of RCTE must take a minimum of 9 units in the minor field. These most likely will count towards the 12 units of Electives.
Additional PhD Requirements
• Optional Foreign Language Exam
• Qualifying Exam
• Comprehensive Examinations
• Dissertation
RCTE Core Course Offerings
Research, Theory, and Praxis
This broad category reflects our field’s commitment to exploring the dynamic overlap of systemic inquiry, the theories that underlie the making and using of knowledge, and classroom and civic action. Rather than assuming research, theory, and praxis are separate domains, this broad categorization emphasizes the commonalities among important issues being pursued by rhetoric and composition scholars.
Examples of recent course offerings include: Comparative Pedagogies, Teaching of Composition, Spatial and Visual Rhetorics, Bodies of Knowledge, Action Research, Stylistics and Writing for Publication
Histories of Rhetorics
These courses will include surveys in classical, medieval and Renaissance, 18th and 19th century, and contemporary rhetoric, as well as thematic courses in the history of rhetoric. Such thematically orientated history courses could include, “Classical Rhetorics and Postmodern Practice” or “Enlightenment Rhetorics and the Creative of the Civic.”
Recent course offering include: Classical Rhetoric, The History of Literacy and Literacy Studies in American Colleges, 21st Century Rhetoric, Medieval and Renaissance Rhetorics.
Professional Studies
Professional Studies units can be earned via courses, internships, and seminars in RCTE. Involvement in professional development roles such as Writing Center Coordinators, Student Guide editors, and Writing Program Assistants will also count towards Professional Studies units. Such work can be combined with an Independent Study to fulfill a limited number of required units (see Handbook for detailed information on Independent Study units, and how to apply them towards Professional Studies. A paper connecting research and theory to the professional activity will normally be required).
Recent RCTE seminars in Professional Studies include: Colloquium, Community Literacy Practicum, Rhetoric Review Internship, Writing Program Administration.
COURSES OUTSIDE RCTE
Revised: August 1998
RCTE students take one of their Comprehensive Examinations in an "area of specialization within the field of rhetoric and composition or an interdisciplinary area." If a course looks interesting to you, find out when it is offered, get the course description from the department, find out who the professor is, and consult with the Director to be sure there is agreement on what RCTE requirement the course satisfies.
Here are some recommended courses related to but outside Rhetoric and Composition:
• Science and Social Theory (Jennifer Croissant, Materials Sciences and Engineering)
• Tech and Social Theory (Jennifer Croissant)
• History of Criticism and Theory (Jerrold Hogle, Literature)
• Theories of Criticism (Jerrold Hogle)
• Cultural Dimensions in Second Language Acquisition (EL/L)
• Research Design in Second Language Acquisition (EL/L)
• History and Theory of Criticism (Suresh Raval, Literature)
• Cultural Studies (Suresh Raval)
• Postcolonial Literature and Theory (Suresh Raval, Literature)
• Women's Narratives of the West (Judy Temple, Women's Studies)
• Women's Journals (Judy Temple)
• Feminist Theory (Miranda Joseph, Women's Studies)
• Discourse Analysis (Linda Waugh, SLAT)
• Contrastive Rhetoric (SLAT)
• Semiotics and Language (Linda Waugh)
• Linguistics and the Study of Language (Linda Waugh)
• Issues in Higher Education (LRC--Education)
• Sociolinguistics (Anthropology)
• Any relevant course in Speech Communication
TRANSFER CREDITS
The Graduate College sets the policy for Transfer Courses in MA and PhD programs. For the most up-to-date Graduate College Policies, please see their website at . Students who wish to transfer in credit must go into MyGradColl and submit the Graduate College's Transfer Credit Form online through GradPath before the end of their first year of study.
PUT UNDER SAT PROGRESS Time-to-Degree Requirements for MA Students:
All requirements for the master's degree must be completed within 6 years. Time-to-degree begins with the earliest course to be applied toward the degree, including credits transferred from other institutions. Work more than 6 years old is not accepted toward degree requirements.
Students who take a leave of absence should check with the Graduate College Degree Certification Office to determine their options.
RCTE Policy on Transfer of Credits
Revised: September 1998, May 2005
With the Director's approval, students in the MA program may transfer up to six credits from another institution to satisfy RCTE program requirements.
Students newly admitted to RCTE should meet with the RCTE Director in their first semester to ascertain which credits will transfer. Students should bring to the meeting a list of courses they'd like to transfer (on the RCTE MA Course Planning and Transfer Form), together with supporting materials such as syllabi and papers.
Restrictions on Transfer Credit
Graduate credit earned at other approved institutions may be counted toward the requirements of a doctoral degree, but will not be included in the calculation of the University of Arizona GPA Transferred units are subject to the following restrictions:
• The credits must be approved by the major department and the Graduate College
• The minimum grade for transferred credits must be an A or B or equivalent at awarding institution.
• Transferred units may not count toward more than one doctorate.
• A student may not use more than 30 credits from an earned master’s degree from another university toward a University of Arizona doctorate.
• If a student counts credits from a UA M.S. or M.A. towards a UA Ph.D., then additional transfer credit may be limited to ensure that some UA coursework is taken while in the doctoral program. Thesis credits used for a master's degree cannot count toward the Ph.D. course credit requirements.
• Credit for correspondence courses or extension work obtained at other institutions will not be accepted for graduate credit.
Students who wish to transfer in credit must go into MyGradColl and submit the Graduate College's Transfer Credit Form online through GradPath before the end of their first year of study.
SAT PROGRESS Time-to-Degree Requirements for PhD Students:
All requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy must be completed within 5 years of passing the Comprehensive Exam. Should a student not finish within that time period, he or she may be allowed to re-take the Comprehensive Exam with permission of the program, and then proceed to complete other requirements, e.g., the dissertation
MENTORS
Graduate Students
The Peer Mentoring Coordinators (two graduate students appointed by the Director), in consultation with the RCTE Director, match each incoming student with a peer mentor and oversee mentoring activities during the year. Students will be contacted by their mentors before school begins.
Faculty
Although the Director of RCTE serves as official adviser to new students, a Faculty Mentor for each student is also assigned for their first year. Students will be contacted by their faculty mentor before school begins.
Students working on their Qualifying papers may also choose to consult with their mentor or another faculty member as well as the Director. (See section on Qualifying/MA exam.) Students will work with the Director to select the paper to be reviewed and draft their reflective essay. Chairs of Comprehensive and Dissertation Committees also serve as mentors.
The Annual Review and semester meetings with the Director provide an additional opportunity for mentoring through the RCTE Program Director's written responses. The RCTE Professional Studies Colloquium also provides occasions for discussing issues that arise for students as they move through the program.
RCTE COLLOQUIUM - ENGL 595a
Revised: August 2011
This course is available for three credit units of Professional Studies and taught each semester by the Director. Colloquium introduces new students to the Program and to issues of professional development in the field. It is also intended to give continuing students timely refreshers on various matters. The Colloquium provides a forum for the exchange of information between, for example, students who have passed their Qualifying Examination and those yet to take it. Students advanced in the program are always welcome to attend any session to share ideas and experiences.
Entering students must attend the sessions their first year, though they need not register at this time. Generally, students wait to register for the three units until they are in a semester they’re studying for examinations, in order to fulfill minimum course-load requirements.
E-MAIL ACCOUNTS AND THE RCTE LISTSERV
Revised: August 2011
Students should create e-mail accounts soon after they arrive and register for classes. Accounts are created at through the UITS (University Information Technology Services) website. UA email accounts are the official email accounts used for all UA purposes. Students are responsible for maintaining and checking their UA email accounts.
RCTE maintains a general listserv with all students and faculty, as well as one for students. The Program Assistant will add you to the listservs. The listservs are used for everyday announcements, conference announcements, calls for papers, and job announcements. The listservs allow faculty and students to get the latest news and to converse with each other, with the Director, and with the RCTE Program Assistant, on any number of topics--academic, bureaucratic, and logistical.
You can get technical help from your compatriots in the program and from the help desk at CCIT, 626-TECH (626-8324).
ANNUAL REVIEW
Revised: August 2008
All students in RCTE except (1) those in the incoming class, and (2) those completing their Quals (3rd semester students), must complete an Annual Review, which is to be submitted on or before the first day of classes in the fall semester.
In the three parts of the Review, you are asked to:
1. Write (or revise) your Vita.
2. Locate your position in the program.
3. Write a reflective essay on your professional growth this year.
If you are writing your dissertation, please submit your CV, a short memo characterizing where you are with the dissertation and when you expect to finish, and the Annual Review cover sheet.
If you are on the job market, please simply submit your CV, a draft of a letter of application, and the Annual Review cover sheet (available from the RCTE website).
THE CURRICULUM VITAE
Vitae vary according to the situation. For the Review, the vita should observe the conventions of the standard academic vita as set out in the MLA Career Guide.
Guidelines
Here are some suggestions for how to compose your curriculum vitae (or “CV”), which will serve as the record of professional activity and achievement that you will use to apply for jobs in the academy:
1. Begin by creating the general categories. You can then fill the CV out as you go along. Possible categories are listed below.
2. The proper heading is "Curriculum Vitae" or “Vita.”
3. It should not be too long. The MLA Career Guide recommends 1 or 2 pages and says 6 pages is "an absolute maximum." CVs should never appear to be padded.
4. Begin with Personal Information: your name, addresses, telephone numbers, email address. You do not need to include your age, marital status, number of children, health, ethnic or national origin, or religious affiliation. It's illegal for potential employers to ask for such information.
5. Next is Education. Begin with most recent degree (i.e., UA, with expected date of degree) and end with first postsecondary institution. Include names of schools attended, degrees earned (if any), fields of study, titles of theses or dissertations.
6. Next, title of the dissertation, and a brief but perspicuous abstract. It's good to practice writing these even before you are certain of your topic. The abstract is extremely important in getting you over the first hurdle.
The order of the following items can be varied.
7. Academic Honors or Awards. Don't include high school.
8. Teaching Experience. Give description of courses, not just numbers or titles, where taught, and number of sections, semesters, or years taught.
9. Areas of Teaching and Research Interest. You want to show not only flexibility but also focus (particularly with respect to research). Ideally, this section will highlight what the particular job advertisement asks for. Whatever you list should be backed up with experience or educational preparation.
10. Other Employment, if it relates to the particular job, like work as a research assistant, editor, or journalist.
11. Publications. List from most recent. It may help to describe the kind and extent of one's work on jointly authored or edited works, like The Guide. List works submitted and major works in progress, but don't pad here.
12. Conference Presentations and Lectures. List in chronological order, most recent first. Give title, names of co-presenters, conference, location, and date.
13. Academic Service. List here work done on departmental committees, for conferences, EGU. Briefly describe the work, if necessary to your reader’s understanding of what the service entailed.
14. Languages. Specify extent of ability. Here you might also add Other Skills, and list a knowledge of computer conferencing, for example.
15. Professional Memberships. According to the MLA Career Guide, such memberships “provide evidence of commitment to the profession and awareness of its activities."
16. References: Three to five professors who have agreed to write for you, with addresses. Big names are useful only if they write a good letter. Get permission to list your references and request letters no later than beginning of year of job search.
17. Specify address where one could write for your dossier.
Be sure to let your mentor see the CV before you send it out. Send a copy with every letter. Work on your vita every year for the Annual Review. If you are updating a vita you have composed before, highlight the items you have added. If you have revised your vita for a particular situation (for example, a particular job application), please describe the situation.
Please also see to it that the RCTE Program Assistant has a clean copy of your vita that can be used for such things as rankings for summer employment and fellowship nominations.
PLAN OF STUDY
Revised: August 2011
The Graduate College sets the requirements for the Plan of Study—please visit their website for the most updated information. The Plan is completed online on GradPath.
MA Students—the MA Plan of Study should be submitted online on GradPath no later than the second semester in residence.
PhD Students—the PhD Plan of Study should be submitted online on GradPath no later than the student's third semester in residence.
Developing the “Plan of Study” for the Graduate College: The Four-Part Process
The Plan of Study summarizes the student's courses and intended courses and transfer units. Usually students do not know all their courses by the third semester, so the Plan of Study is an estimate that will often need to be changed later, around Comps time. Changes can be made by emailing the Program Assistant or Graduate Degree Auditor, Nancy Lindsay.
1. First semester: Students meet with the Director to approve their transfer courses on the RCTE Course Planning and Transfer form (click here or email Program Assistant). Once those are approved, submit an Evaluation of Transfer Credit form to the Graduate College on GradPath.
2. First or early second semester: Students meet with the Director to work on their projected coursework. Use a copy of the form containing your approved transfer credit. Aside from outlining the student's course of study, this form serves as a draft for the Graduate College's Plan of Study form.
3. Complete and Submit the Plan of Study: (see deadlines above for MA/PhD). If you are a PhD candidate, choose “Rhetoric, Comp & Teaching English” under the “Major” selection when filling out your Plan of Study. If you are a Master’s candidate, choose “English.” Submit Plan of Study on GradPath.
If you did not submit the Evaluation of Transfer Credit form to the Graduate College in your first year, but intend to transfer in courses, you will have to first do that in order to open the Plan of Study form.
4. No later than Comps: Get finalized approval from the Director for your coursework on the RCTE Course Planning and Transfer form, if you haven't yet done so.
***Remember that you will need to revise your Plan of Study if you have made any changes in your coursework since submitting the original. The Graduate College will let you know how to do that when necessary.
SATISFACTORY PROGRESS
Revised: August 2012
Please see the Graduate College website for the Continuous Enrollment Policy,
Guidelines for Satisfactory Progress
Students not making satisfactory progress are not eligible for the financial aid that the program is able to award. A recommendation may also be made to the Graduate College that they be placed on academic probation.
Satisfactory progress toward the degree is established by, among other things:
• taking at least 3 units of coursework/dissertation credit per term unless on an approved Leave of Absence;
• timely submission of an Annual Review;
• meeting with the Director each fall to go over the Annual Review;
• timely submission of the signed RCTE Course Planning & Transfer Form by the end of the second semester in the program;
• timely submission of all Graduate College forms.
• maintaining a grade point average of 3.5 or higher;
• removing incompletes within one year after they are received (or, if coursework cannot be completed within one year, a Petition for an Extension of Time to Complete an Incomplete must be approved by the Program Director and filed with the Graduate College);
• taking the Qualifying Examination no later than the third semester if entering with an MA, and the fourth semester if entering with a BA;
• taking the Comprehensive Examinations by the end of the second semester after their last required course; and
• getting committee approval of a Proposal for the Dissertation no later than the semester after the one in which the Comprehensive Examination is passed.
Students may have good reasons for not meeting the criteria for satisfactory progress (family emergencies, medical problems, special research or administrative undertakings). In such cases, students should inform the Director of RCTE in writing of these reasons and propose an alternative schedule for completing requirements. The Director will inform the student as to whether or not the proposed schedule is accepted.
If an exam (either the Qualifying, MA, or Comprehensive) or the Dissertation Proposal has been delayed, the student must fill out an Extension Form (located on the RCTE website).
INDEPENDENT STUDY IN RCTE
Revised: January 2002
Students in RCTE can do Independent Study (English 599) for credit, after approval of the RCTE Director, with faculty who agree to work with them.
Students can do no more than two independent studies.
After consultation with the Director, students must develop a proposal for the Independent Study, for the faculty member's signature and Director’s approval in the semester before the semester in which the Independent Study is taken.
A copy of the signed proposal will be given to the Program Director for approval. The English Department also has a Request for Independent Study form, which must be signed by the Program Director and filed with the main desk in 445.
Grades given for Independent Study are S[uperior] P[ass], C, D, E, I or W. Credit varies, according to agreement with the faculty member.
General Guidelines
18. Independent Study should be taken later in a student's course of study.
19. Independent Study presumes that the student already has a certain level of expertise in the proposed area.
20. Independent Study should deal with matters not dealt with in regular coursework.
21. A student should ordinarily do only one Independent Study with an individual faculty member.
22. Independent Study should be completed in one semester. If a particular project is going to take longer than one semester, appropriate portions of it should be completed for the grade each semester.
23. Students contemplating Independent Study should approach the faculty member in the semester before the planned study with ideas and drafts of a proposal.
24. Proposals should be as detailed as course syllabi, should include course description and objective(s), and should specify a required number of meetings with the instructor. (All proposals and course materials are to be on file in the program office.)
25. Independent Study should ordinarily result in a paper submitted to a conference or journal.
Specific Guidelines for Proposals
I. Empirical Research
26. A study must originate in a focused research question, even though it can be exploratory.
27. The research must be completed in one semester, including data collection, summary analysis, and write-up. Where the nature of the study warrants, additional analysis may be performed in a second Independent Study. Hence, small studies leading to larger studies for the dissertation are ideal to begin with.
28. Students should have already done the scholarly research needed to provide the theoretical basis for the research. This may have been done in coursework or in another Independent Study.
29. Students should have performed some rudimentary piloting of materials to be used in the study.
30. Study should result in a paper submitted to a conference or journal.
Note: If you wish to conduct research in a composition class, you will need to get permission from WriPAC, the Writing Program Advisory Committee. See the Director of the Writing Program to begin this process.
Outline for Proposal
1. Introduction--sets up purpose and necessity for the study. Puts forward specific research hypothesis or question.
2. Review of Literature--situates proposed study in context of existing knowledge in the area: identifies the gap the proposed study seeks to fill or the study that will be replicated, and the assumptions, methods, materials that will be tested.
3. Methods--details particulars of proposed study, including design of study, number and kind of participants, nature of materials to be used, kinds of data to be collected, kinds of analyses to be performed.
31. Studies may use more than one research methodology.
32. Students must demonstrate that they have
□ adequate time to collect and analyze data,
□ access to participants and materials to be included in the study, and
□ access to necessary equipment, funds, or personnel necessary for collecting, transcribing, or analyzing data (such as taping equipment, transcribers, quiet rooms, raters, computers, statisticians).
33. If study is collaborative, responsibilities and contributions of collaborators must be spelled out.
4. Conclusion--argues potential contribution of proposed study.
II. Scholarly, Theoretical, or Historical Study
Students should propose to do more than read generally in a particular area. Students may, for example:
34. seek to synthesize diverse areas of research into an original argument or theory,
35. go more deeply into a particular area to explore historical developments or situate events or ideas in broader theoretical contexts, or
36. apply a particular body of research to a specific rhetorical issue.
Outline for Proposal
1. Introduction--sets out the specific goals of the study and shows why they cannot be met in regular coursework.
2. Background--indicates what brought you to propose this study and how the study fits into previous coursework or plans for future study.
3. Readings--specifies the specific readings to be done and the schedule for doing them.
4. Writing--specifies the writings to be done, the reason for doing them, and deadlines for doing them.
5. Required Meetings--sets out the schedule for meeting with the faculty member.
OPTIONAL FOREIGN LANGUAGE REQUIREMENT
Revised: April 2010
On April 28, 2010, the RCTE faculty voted to suspend RCTE’s foreign language requirement for two years. They still plan to recognize with a certificate or some other appropriate document those who do have foreign language proficiency or who want to immerse themselves in another language that carries with it cultural richness.
After the two-year hiatus, the faculty will decide whether or not to reinstate the requirement that all graduate students in RCTE demonstrate proficiency in a language other than English. This requirement is intended to promote (1) technical proficiency of the sort that would permit research, scholarship, and composition in a language other than English, and (2) cultural awareness of the kind that can be developed by language study.
A student who still wishes to pursue the foreign language requirement should follow the guidelines below.
If you intend on completing the optional requirement, you should indicate it on your Annual Reviews and state how you plan to fulfill it.
The RCTE faculty allows students to meet this requirement in a number of ways:
1. Departmental Translation Exam
Translation of a passage of scholarly writing or of literary writing (350-500 words) with a grade of PASS—offered once a semester in French, German, Spanish, Italian, and Latin. A list of representative works has been assembled. Please contact Marcia Marma for dates of the exam and guidelines. Exams are given twice a year: on the day before classes (or thereabouts) in the fall and on “Dead Day” in December so that students who take French or Spanish can, if they fail the exam, sign up for a translation course (French regularly offered in the spring, Spanish sporadically the same) without having to pay a late registration fee of $250.
2. Coursework
i. Completion of a 400-level course with an A or B, or one 300-level course with grade of A (for PhD students) or a grade of A or B (for MA students). (If this class is audited, a written statement from the instructor is sufficient to show the student attended and completed the work at "A" or "B" level.)
ii. Completion of a 400-level intensive summer course in a language with a grade of A (for PhD students) or an A or B (for MA students).
iii. Completion of the second-semester 200-level course in two different languages.
iv. Completion of a special translation course in Spanish (SPAN 599) or French (FREN 500) designed for Humanities graduate students. (See those departments for details.) Because of the special nature of this course, PhD students need to get an A in order to satisfy their requirement. MA students can get an A or B.
v. Completion of one of the following courses with a grade of A or B: C SC 330 (Object-Oriented Programming and Design), C SC 340 (Foundations of Computer Programming), C SC 372 (Comparative Programming Languages), C SC 438/538 (Computational Linguistics), C SC 470/570 (Foundations of Artificial Intelligence), or C SC 473 (Automata, Grammars, and Language).
*Students may need to take prerequisites before taking courses above the 100-level. If you are starting from scratch, you should plan to take a 100- and 200-level course each semester for your first two years in the Program. Students opting for computer programming coursework should be aware that several of the above courses require completion of C SC 127A (Introduction to Computer Science I), 127B (Introduction to Computer Science II), and in some cases C SC 318 (Unix Tools) or their equivalents.
3. Research Proposal
Revised: Fall 1994
Students interested in this option should prepare a proposal as part of the Research Agenda required for the Qualifying Examination. The proposal assessed according to the following criteria:
1. This option is intended for students who are willing to do more work with a language than is called for by the departmental exam.
2. The work proposed must have a clear relation to an identified research interest of the candidate. It should show specifically, not generally, how the work proposed is related to the candidate's research interest.
3. If the work proposed is translation, students should expect to read at least the equivalent of an untranslated book in another language, translate on their own (in writing) the equivalent of a long chapter, and write a commentary upon the rest of the work. The proposal should show that any translation proposed has not been done before.
4. The proposal should show what in the proposer's education or experience suggests that he or she will be able to do the work proposed. If the work proposed involves computer programming, students must present evidence of sufficient proficiency in programming to begin the proposed project. Acceptable forms of evidence might include a combination of computer programming coursework; previous software development projects; CGI scripting projects in PERL, PYTHON, or Tcl; Web applet development using JavaScript; or sophisticated implementations of HTML (e.g., frames, forms, use of other programmers' CGI scripts, etc.).
5. Where possible, students should offer a public performance. This might be appropriate, for example, if a student proposed to learn American Sign Language in order to teach deaf students for a semester in a writing center. In the case of a computer program, the author should arrange a demonstration for the Department.
6. The proposal should show how it will be certified that the work has been done competently.
7. The proposal should give a timetable for doing the work. In any case, the work must be completed and certified competent before the Comprehensive Examinations can be taken.
8. In appropriate cases, this proposal can become the basis for an Independent Study proposal so that students can receive credit toward the degree for the work done.
4. English as a Foreign Language
Speakers of English as a foreign language (not a “second” language) will be considered to have satisfied the foreign language requirement in RCTE.
MINORS
RCTE Students (Revised: May 2006)
The Graduate College requires graduate students to have a minor. You may, however, choose to declare a minor in RCTE.
Rhetoric and composition studies are interdisciplinary in nature, and in RCTE you can take many courses outside of RCTE that will satisfy RCTE’s course requirements. Declaring an official minor in some cases can make good sense.
If you declare an official minor outside RCTE, the Graduate College requires you to:
• take a minimum of nine units in the minor field,
take a fourth Comprehensive Examination in the minor subject (the minor department decides how to implement their portion of the exam), and
have someone from the minor field serve on the Comprehensive Examinations Committee.
Beyond this, different minors have different requirements.
To establish a minor, begin by paying a visit to the Program Director, departmental Graduate Adviser, or department head in the minor field. The person may recommend another member of the department as a mentor, perhaps someone from whom you have already had a class.
Some minor fields that might be of special interest:
In the Department of English
11. Literature (for students who want to teach in 2- or 4-year colleges where they will likely be in English departments where all faculty teach literature and composition courses)
12. English Language and Linguistics (for students interested in ESL teaching and research)
13. Creative Writing (for students who hope to teach creative writing as well as work in rhetoric and composition. Please note that non-MFA students must write their way into graduate classes in Creative Writing by submitting pieces in advance of the class.)
Outside English
14. Language, Reading, and Culture in the College of Education (for those interested in work in and with the schools)
15. Anthropology (for those who are interested in qualitative cultural research)
16. History (for those interested in a particular historical period or historiography)
17. Communications (for those who are interested in jobs that involve speech communications)
18. And many others.
Non-RCTE Students (Revised: April 2003)
An RCTE minor can benefit students majoring in interdisciplinary programs like Second Language Acquisition and Teaching (SLAT), language/linguistics programs like English Language and Linguistics (EL/L), and general language programs like literary studies.
Non-RCTE students who wish to have an official minor in RCTE must take at least fifteen (15) units, distributed as follows:
|History-------------------------------------------------- |3 units |
|Theory-------------------------------------------------- |3 units |
|Research----------------------------------------------- |3 units |
|Pedagogy ---------------------------------------------- |3 units |
|Elective (outside student’s major)------------------ |3 units |
With the approval of the RCTE Director, as many as six (6) units of courses in Rhetoric and Composition may be transferred toward the total.
RCTE minors will consult with their RCTE member regarding administering the RCTE portion of the comprehensive examinations, but the exam is typically administered as either a take-home exam or timed writing following the format of RCTE’s Written Comprehensive Examinations.
EXAMINATIONS OVERVIEW
MA, Qualifying, and Comprehensive exams provide opportunities for students to develop focused lines of research and receive feedback on their work along those lines. When students are preparing for their Qualifying Examinations, they will work with the Director of RCTE and other faculty to develop specific lines of study or “threads” that pertain to their areas of scholarly interest. Students will discuss these intended threads in the reflective essay required for the Qualifying Examination. This discussion should articulate a student's interest in the threads and plans for future coursework that would constitute the threads. The discussion, however, can be tentative and preliminary and thus subject to future revisions. One example of a thread that a student might select is research methodology, which could include courses such as Research in Rhetoric and Composition, Historiography, Ethnography, Qualitative Methods in Rhetoric and Composition, and Quantitative Methods. Another example might be technology, with courses like History of Teaching with Technology, Rhetorics of Computing, and Teaching with Computers.
While developing threads is not a formal requirement, sketching out specific lines of study can help a student make steady progress toward a degree. A thread does not require additional paperwork, nor is a thread necessarily composed of a particular, predetermined sequence of courses. (Two students pursuing similar threads, for instance, could take different courses both inside and outside of RCTE.) Developing lines of research can help students to make strategic choices in courses and major assignments, and then prepare the reading lists for the Comprehensive Examinations with a clear sense of the topics they want to emphasize. For those reading lists, students have to write descriptive paragraphs that sketch out areas of concentration. Students will then follow through to focus their dissertation research on the lines of study that they have developed in their coursework.
To help students progress toward these goals, students should sketch out threads in consultation with the Director of RCTE and other faculty in the reflective essay for their Qualifying Examination. Students will propose in their reflective essays two potential threads that they would like to pursue in the Program. Having made this initial attempt to define threads, students would be better prepared to complete, in consultation with their faculty adviser, the required Doctoral Plan of Study for the Graduate College. Ideally, by the time a student is ready to prepare his or her reading lists for the Comprehensive Examinations, that student will have a much clearer sense of the chosen areas of concentration. Defining threads in this manner will help students reflect critically on and plan effectively for the process of moving from the Qualifying Examination to the Comprehensive Examinations.
MA and Qualifying Examinations
Revised: October 2009
Introduction
MA students will complete their graduate study by taking the two-hour MA Oral Examination.
If a PhD student wishes to receive his or her Master’s diploma en-route, he or she will be asked to submit a Master’s Plan of Study as well as the Master's/Specialist Completion of Degree Requirements form to the Graduate College.
The MA Examination
The terminal MA degree is a MA degree in English with a concentration in Rhetoric, Composition, and the Teaching of English.
A thesis is not required. Students submit an article-length paper and are examined orally on a reading list approved by the Director of RCTE. The candidate should work on the reading list with the Director, starting with books used in one's classes, preserving a more-or-less even distribution of works among the areas of rhetoric/composition, literature, language, and pedagogy.
Ordinarily the candidate will work on developing and revising the article-length paper with the faculty member chosen to chair the MA examination committee. The paper and oral examination will be assessed against the criteria that are described in the section on the Qualifying Examination, though the level of abilities required for an MA degree are not the same as those for admission to a PhD program.
The Graduate College also has set requirements for the completion of the Master’s degree:
Timelines and Paperwork for the MA Exam
SECOND SEMESTER OF RESIDENCE:
• File an official Plan of Study with the Graduate College.
Starting eight weeks before your oral exam:
1. Work with your Chair to revise a seminar paper.
2. Find a date you and your committee can meet for two hours for your defense.
3. After you confirm a date with your committee, see Program Assistant to schedule ML 451 or another suitable room. Exams will not be conducted during the first or last two weeks of regular classes, or during the summer.
No later than three weeks before your intended oral exam:
• The Director assigns a committee of three people. If you have not done so already on the Annual Review, you should let the Director know your preferences for the committee chair.
• Turn in the final draft of your paper to the Committee and the Program Assistant
The committee must have time to confirm the adequacy of the written materials before proceeding to the oral exam.
MA Students Applying for the PhD
Revised: October 2009
MA students interested in pursuing the Ph.D. in the RCTE program need to apply following the same guidelines as other student applicants. See the application guidelines on the RCTE web page. Students should apply in the fall semester of their final year in the MA program to continue uninterrupted graduate studies.
The Qualifying Examination
Revised: August 2011
Students who enter the RCTE Doctoral program with an MA in English or a related field and transfer in 15 or more graduate units will participate in a Qualifying Examination, which here takes the place of the Annual Review, in their third semester in the program. MA students who transfer in less than 15 graduate units or students who enter with a BA will complete an Annual Review in their third semester, and they will complete the Qualifying Examination before the end of their fourth semester in the program.
Like Annual Reviews, the portfolio for the Qualifying Exam must be completed by the first day of classes.
• MA Students: Your Quals Portfolio is due on the first day of fall classes (your third semester).
• BA Students: You will turn in an Annual Review on the first day of fall classes (your third semester). Your Quals Portfolio is due on the first day of spring classes (your fourth semester).
The candidate is responsible for scheduling a one-hour meeting with the RCTE Director within the first two weeks of the semester. A sign-up sheet will be provided.
The Quals portfolio will contain the following materials:
1. Updated CV;
2. reflective essay with two parts: (a) an assessment of the candidate’s perceived strengths and weaknesses as an academic writer and researcher, and (b) a proposed research agenda that includes threads of inquiry for future research; and
3. sample of academic writing that demonstrates strong research, writing, and critical thinking skills
(graded, with comments from an instructor).
4. Optional—a proposal for fulfilling the optional foreign language requirement.
Students are encouraged to consult with other faculty before submitting these materials for review.
The Director will form a Qualifying Exam Committee of two other faculty members to review the portfolio if the student has not made satisfactory progress, has not maintained a 3.5 grade point average, or has had other problems in the program.
The Qualifying Exam provides students with an assessment of their potential for joining the professional conversation in the field of rhetoric and composition that is based on their records in the program, the writing in their portfolios, and their meetings with the Director and/or Qualifying Exam Committee.
The materials in the portfolio provide the Director and/or Committee with a detailed sense of the candidate's analytical and writing skills. These points are considered in evaluating the reflective essay and academic writing:
• Has the candidate developed a seminar paper or project that indicates her or his ability to do advanced graduate level work?
• Does the reflective essay suggest that the candidate can step back from his or her writing and recognize her or his strengths and weaknesses as a scholarly writer?
The Qualifying Examination is intended as a mentoring opportunity for the participants to have useful conversations about the candidate’s possibilities for writing and research.
Procedure
1. Choose one seminar paper to submit for your Qualifying Exam that reflects your professional and academic potential. Write your reflective essay on the selected paper. You may also consider your writing strengths and weaknesses in general in your coursework.
2. Sign up for a time for you and the Program Director to review your Qualifying Exam.
3. Download the RCTE Qualifying Exam Form from the RCTE website and attach it to your portfolio.
4. Turn your portfolio in to the Program Director no later than the first day of classes.
The Reflective Essay
In about four to six single-spaced pages, describe how you see your scholarly writing and your developing research agendas.
• Discuss the strengths of your paper and why it is a strong example of your scholarly writing.
• Discuss weaknesses of the paper and of your writing and talk about how you have worked or will work to overcome them.
• Demonstrate what this essay illustrates about you as a writer, researcher, thinker, emerging scholar.
• Discuss the threads of inquiry that you will follow in your future research and coursework.
• Discuss what courses you have taken or hope to take that have or will inform your research agenda.
COMPREHENSIVE EXAMINATIONS
Graduate College Policies and Procedures for Oral Comprehensive Examinations for Doctoral Candidacy can be found on the Graduate College website,
All students must complete their comprehensive exams by the end of the second semester after their last required course. This allows each student one complete semester to study for comps without taking coursework. Please note that this does not mean non-required courses can be taken to push back the deadline of taking your comps!
Basic Outline of the Comprehensive Exam Process
First Steps
Form your Comps Committee
• The Committee must be formed in the semester before taking comps, if not earlier
• Comprised of 4 members, at least 3 must be RCTE faculty including the chair; the 4th member will be selected by the director.
• If you have a minor in a department other than RCTE, ensure that you are following their requirements for comps. One member of your Committee must be from the minor field.
• Committee Members from outside RCTE must be approved by your chair and other Committee members. To have a non UA tenured or tenure-track faculty member serve, you must submit a Special Member Form and the person’s CV to the Graduate College
Stage 1
Step 1: Readings Lists
• Guideline: 12-20 books and 16-24 articles per list
• List 1—General Overview of Rhetoric and Composition
• List 2—Area of Specialization in RCTE
Step 2: Guiding Questions
• At least 5 questions per list
• Should include some contextualization
Step 3: Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay
• Work with chair to determine which option is best for you
Step 4: Circulate to Committee with Stage 1 Cover Sheet
• Committee will review Lists, Questions, and Article/Essay
• Committee will provide you with feedback after 2 weeks
Forms Needed:
Stage 1 Cover Sheet- On RCTE Website
Stage 2
Timed Written Exam, Take-Home Written Exam, and Oral Exam can all be scheduled with Program Assistant. It may be best to work backwards—schedule Oral first, then three weeks back is the date the 2nd Written can be taken. Stage 2 materials must be submitted 3 weeks before 1st Written.
Step 1: Revise Reading Lists and Guiding Questions
• Revisions based on Committee’s feedback; discuss revisions with Chair
• Guiding Questions should be richly contextualized (situate importance, complexity, scope of question)
• Committee members often write exam questions based, in part, on Stage 2 Guiding Questions and Lists
Step 2: Revise Article or Develop Bibliographic Essay
• Revisions based on Committee’s feedback; discuss revisions with Chair
Step 3: Submit Chair-approved revised Lists, Questions, and Article/Essay to Program Assistant
• Program Assistant will distribute to Committee with a “Call for Questions” Cover Sheet—the committee will have about 2 weeks to formulate exam questions
• Notify Committee and Program Assistant which Reading List will be basis of each written exam
• Must be submitted at least 3 weeks prior to the 1st Written Exam
Stage 3
Take your written Comprehensive Exams
• They can be taken in either order, and with as much time in between as you feel comfortable
On-Campus Timed Exam
• 4 hour timed exam, during which time you will be asked to answer two questions (usually from a selection of 4-6)
• The exam will take place in a testing room in Modern Languages, and will be done on the computer
• You are not allowed books or notes, but you are allowed your Reading Lists w/Contextualized Questions
• You will be allowed to keep a copy of questions and answers to help prepare for the Oral
Take-Home Exam
• You have 72 hours to complete exam (eg, 12:00 Friday to 12:00 Monday)
• You must schedule to have the exam emailed to you during business hours (8:00-5:00)
• You will answer 2 questions from a selection, with a maximum length of 20 pages total
Written Exam Evaluation
• Both exams will be circulated to your committee with a “Ballot” form attached
• The Committee has 2 weeks to read and evaluate your written exams.
o If they are passed unanimously, the Oral Exam proceeds as scheduled
o If a unanimous decision is not reached, the Committee may ask for portions of the Exam to be re-written, or they may decide on other measures
• The Oral Exam must take place at least 3 weeks from the date of the last Written Exam
Stage 4
Take your Oral Comprehensive Exam
Prepare for the Exam
• Read over all the work produced for Written Exams
• Refresh your memory about the materials on both Reading Lists
• Get help/support of friends and fellow students
Sit the Oral Exam
• Prepare a brief (5-10 min) statement to be given at the opening of the Exam
• RCTE Oral Exams typically last 2 ½ Hours in a closed session (Exam may last 3 hours if there is a Minor Written exam)
• You may bring your Reading Lists, Questions, Exam Responses, and Article/Essay
Await the Exam Evaluation
• Student leaves the room while the Committee deliberates
• The Committee votes for a pass/fail
• Should the Committee vote for a fail, there are 2 options voted on by the Committee
• Repeat the Oral Comprehensive Exam
• Committee votes not to recommend a repeat examination
Results are given to the Program Assistant, who delivers them to the Graduate College
RCTE GUIDELINES TO FORMING YOUR COMPREHENSIVE EXAMS COMMITTEE
Revised August 2011
You should try to form your committee a year before your exams take place; however, you must form your committee at least in the semester before you plan to take your written exams.
Begin with your Chair, usually the professor who knows your work best. Your committee will consist of four professors, at least three of whom should be in RCTE. Effective Fall 2009, in order to even out faculty workload and to alleviate the pressure on students’ having to find a fourth member, the RCTE Program Director will appoint the fourth member. If you have an official minor outside of RCTE, one of your committee members must be from that field. The Director will try to accommodate the students’ wishes, but evening out the faculty workload is the priority. The fourth member will not offer feedback on list one, list two, or the publishable paper. You may provide copies of your stage 2 materials to the fourth member, but they are not required to provide feedback. The fourth member will read the lists and exams, attend the oral exam, act as Recorder, and vote.
Special Members
If you choose to have a Special Member (that is, a committee member from outside RCTE) as your fourth member, your chair and other committee members must agree that the non-RCTE member is qualified enough to be part of your committee. If the committee member is not UA tenured or tenure-track, you will need to submit a Special Member Form and the person’s CV to the Graduate College for approval.
Description of and Criteria for Assessing Comprehensive Examinations
(Revised: June 2009)
Purpose
The Comprehensive Exams serve as the transition from students’ coursework to the program of research that they will develop in their dissertations. The Exams provide students with an opportunity to reflect upon their studies, draw together lines of inquiry that they have been developing, fill in gaps in their studies, and strengthen their skills to discuss and write about those issues. These opportunities are intended to prepare students to write for publication as well as to complete the dissertation.
Overview
The topics for the Comprehensive Examinations are
1. General Overview of Rhetoric and Composition,
2. Area of Specialization in Rhetoric and Composition,
3. Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay,
4. Minor other than RCTE (optional).
Explanation of Each Exam
General Overview of Rhetoric and Composition
This exam offers you the opportunity to synthesize and fill gaps in your knowledge about the field of rhetoric and composition. The Reading List should include works from all of the areas in which coursework is required in RCTE.
2. Area of Specialization
This exam offers you the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in a specialized area within the field. Most candidates develop a Reading List related to their research program.
Below are listed some of the areas of specialization that RCTE graduate students have used to focus their second and third Comprehensive Examination Reading Lists and articles. This list is neither exhaustive nor determinative. Rather, it showcases the wealth of options that RCTE students have as they define their concentrations.
• collaborative learning and teaching
• community literacy
• comparative pedagogy
• critical pedagogy
• labor rhetorics
• cultural studies
• feminist research
• genre theory
• the personal essay
• postcolonial rhetorics
• rhetorics of race
• reader-response theory and pedagogy
• rhetoric of media
• rhetorical analysis
• rhetorical education
• environmental rhetorics
• rhetorics of technology
• service learning
• transcultural rhetorics
• borderlands rhetorics
• visual and spatial rhetorics
• writing assessment
Submission-Ready Journal Article, Submission-Ready Book Chapter, or Bibliographic Essay
Submission-Ready Journal Article.
The candidate will prepare an article that she or he thinks is ready for submission to a particular refereed journal, either by revising a promising seminar or conference paper or writing an article from scratch. The candidate should include with the paper a memo indicating which significant refereed journal it is intended for along with that journal’s publication guidelines. If the candidate submits a book chapter, it is to be accompanied by a copy of the official call for paper (CFP). The submitted paper or book chapter must precisely follow the publication guidelines for the approved journal or CFP and, once approved by the Chair, is to be included with the first circulation of the lists.
The following is a non-exhaustive or determinative list of peer-reviewed journals compiled by the RCTE faculty to give you some ideas about where you might place your article. You are welcome to suggest a journal not on this list as long as it is peer-reviewed.
• Assessing Writing
• Bilingual Research Journal
• Chicana/Latina Studies: The Journal of MALCS
• College Composition and Communication
• College English
• Communication and Critical/Cultural Studies
• Community Literacy Journal
• Composition Studies
• Computers and Composition
• English Education
• IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication
• Journal of Advanced Composition
• Journal of Writing Assessment
• Journal of Basic Writing
• Journal of Business and Technical Communication (JBTC)
• Kairos
• WPA: Writing Program Administration
• The Writing Instructor
• Technical Communication Quarterly (TCQ)
• Rhetoric Society Quarterly
• Rhetoric Review
• Rhetorica
• Learning, Media, and Technology
• Pedagogies: An International Journal
• Written Communication
• Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language, Composition, and Culture
• Association Journal
• National Women’s Studie
-OR-
Bibliographic Essay.
The candidate will write a bibliographic essay that is a comprehensive survey and analysis of the scholarship in a specialized field that is somehow related to possible dissertation topics. This essay should not be mere summary, but offer a coherent perspective on the field.
4. Minor other than RCTE (optional)
This optional exam is required of all students who declare a formal minor outside of RCTE. It offers you the opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in the area of the minor. If a formal minor outside RCTE is declared, one member of the Committee must be from the minor field. (The exam requirements for the minor will be decided by the minor department.)
Description of Stages and Criteria for Assessment
The exam consists of four major stages:
1. Development of the (a) Reading Lists, (b) Questions, and (c) Draft of Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay Proposal.
2. Revision of (a) Reading Lists and Questions with Contextualizing Sentences, and (b) revision of Submission-Ready Journal Article or development of the Bibliographic Essay.
3. Written Examinations and Final Drafts of the Essay.
4. Oral Examination.
You must gain the approval of your Comprehensive Examinations Committee at each stage of the process in order to move on to the next stage.
Stage 1: Prepare Your Comprehensive Exams Materials for Review
Stage 1A: Develop Reading Lists One and Two
Work with your Comprehensive Examinations Committee Chair to develop your two Reading Lists and the Guiding Questions that attend them. The suggested Reading List quantities are 12-20 books and 16-24 articles per list. These numbers are meant as a guideline, not a requirement; it is difficult to pinpoint a specific number due to varied areas of specialization.
Stage 1B: Develop Questions
The drafts of each Reading List should begin with at least five (5) Guiding Questions that serve as a lens through which to read books and articles on the List. Typically, Guiding Questions contain a bit of background about why the query is relevant, what its origins are, and so forth. Here are two examples:
• Many writing teachers purport to teach critical thinking skills in their classes, citing skills such as the ability to analyze new stories for ideological content and the ability to inhabit multiple perspectives on an argument as examples of what they teach. To what extent do such skills coordinate with early and often more ideologically driven understandings of “critical thinking”?
• Hobbyists are famous for squaring off into traditional and progressive camps, from woodworkers’ hand tool/power tool cliques to photographers’ film/digital media divide. What rhetorical features are common to these antagonisms and what purposes do they serve?
Stage One Lists and Guiding Questions are circulated, upon approval by the Chair, to the committee for feedback. Expect to spend some time working with your chair on these Lists and Questions as this process will be repeated until you and your chair have agreed that they are sufficiently developed to be considered by your other committee members.
Stage 1C: Develop Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay Proposal
The third part of your Comprehensive Exams will be an example of your written scholarship, which may take one of two forms: a submission-ready article or a bibliographic essay. After you work with your Committee Chair to determine which option is best for you, you will prepare and submit the appropriate document (article draft of essay proposal) with your Stage One Lists. Candidates will receive feedback on this document as well as on their Reading Lists.
Submission-Ready Journal Article or Book Chapter. If you choose this option, you will prepare an article that you think is ready for submission to a particular refereed journal, either by revising one of your promising seminar or conference papers or by writing an article from scratch. (If you chose to write a book chapter, you will be following the publicized CFP.) When you submit this document to your committee—which you will do at the same time you give them your reading lists—you should include with it a memo indicating for which significant refereed journal it is intended, as well as the publication guidelines for that journal. The submitted paper must precisely follow the publication guidelines for the selected journal and, once approved by the Chair, is to be included with the first circulation of the lists.
If you choose the journal, you will essentially be following the process known to publishing researchers as “Revise and Resubmit.” Professional scholars, such as those comprising the RCTE faculty, often write articles, send them in to journals they think will be interested in the subject matter (indeed, they will usually have written it with a particular journal in mind), and will receive the response “Please revise and resubmit this interesting article.” Included with this response will be comments from the scholars who blind reviewed the article. The author must then review all the comments and consider how best to take that feedback into account in order to make the piece better. In some cases, the requested changes will be minor—e.g., rephrasing sentences for clarity—and in others major—e.g., writing a new introduction or reframing the argument. There are also times when the author will disagree with one or more of the reviewers on a particular point; in such a case, the author will usually contact the editor to explain the situation and ask for advice. Responses to such situations can include everything from doing a major rewrite to pulling the submission and submitting it elsewhere (this latter option is not available to you for the Comprehensive Exams). When the author has addressed all the issues raised by the journal editor and the reviewers, she or he then resubmits the article in hopes that it will be accepted.
The Submission-Ready Journal Article option mimics this professional experience. First you prepare your submission, which you eventually submit to your committee. The committee members will read in your memo where you hope to place your article, and they will then read and respond to your article as if they were outside reviewers for that journal (which in many cases they really are). You will then receive all these comments back and be asked to “revise and resubmit,” which is what you will do to complete the next stage of the process (i.e., Stage 2). (The process is similar if you are submitting a book chapter.)
Bibliographic Essay. If you choose this option, you will prepare a proposal for a bibliographic essay, and then you will actually write that essay. A bibliographic essay is a comprehensive survey and analysis of the scholarship in a specialized field. In reviewing the scholarship that exists in a very particular area, the author makes an argument about general scholarly trends that might not be visible to someone who hasn’t looked for patterns that span the literature. This essay is not mere summary, but rather offers a coherent perspective on the field. If you choose to craft a bibliographic essay, you would be well advised to connect it in some way to possible dissertation topics you have been considering.
In Stage 1, Candidates submit a one-to-two-page proposal describing the focus of the bibliographic essay, as well as a tentative but well-researched bibliography. Unlike the Submission-Ready Journal Article, the Bibliographic Essay need not strive for publication worthiness, and your proposal need not state a journal that might accept it for publication. That said, this essay should be very well written, and it might well be to your long-term advantage to imagine which journals might consider publishing such a useful contribution to the field.
The proposed bibliographic essay must not significantly overlap with the topics of your two Reading Lists. Before this proposal and bibliography is circulated to the Committee for feedback, it must first be approved by the Chair.
Stage 1: Miscellaneous Notes
• Regarding your Submission-Ready Journal article: Your Committee Chair is not responsible for ensuring that your article is in peak form before it proceeds to Stage 2, but only that it meets the basic requirements for being submitted to a journal: it is formatted properly and contains all the requisite parts. Its ultimate quality is up to you and will be evaluated fully by your committee members for Stage 2.
• If you successfully complete Stage 1 and then decide to go in a new direction with your lists or your article/essay, you will need to consult with your Chair and very likely your entire Committee about how to proceed. In such a case, you will probably be asked to re-do the relevant parts of Stage 1 that pertain to your change.
• In between Stages 1 and 2, your Committee will review your Lists, Questions, and Article/Essay, then provide you with detailed feedback. On the Lists, they may ask you to add or delete some of the sources. On the Questions, they may ask you to clarify something, ask you to drop or change a question, or recommend that you consider a different but related question. On the Article/Essay, they may suggest anything from minor corrections to major rethinking. The extent to which you change your Exam Materials based on these recommendations is up to you and your Chair.
• If you choose the Submission-Ready Journal Article, your Committee will evaluate it according to these general criteria:
o Are the Article’s focus and argument sound and clearly laid out?
o Is the Article’s underlying theory clear and is it well deployed?
o Does the Article bring to bear all relevant scholarship?
o Does the Article offer new ideas and insights?
o Is the prose clear and engaging?
o Does the author sufficiently account for opposing views?
o Does the Article follow the submission guidelines mandated for the chosen venue?
o Does the Article sufficiently and accurately detail the relevant contexts (historical, social, cultural, technological, etc.) of the Article’s subject matter?
o Is the Article, in fact, of publishable quality for the specified journal?
• If you choose the Bibliographic Essay, your Committee will evaluate it according to these general criteria:
o Are the essay’s focus and argument sound and clearly laid out?
o Does the essay sufficiently survey and synthesize all the relevant scholarship in the field?
o Is the prose clear and engaging?
o Does the author sufficiently situate within her/his argument the multiplicity of views within the field?
o Does the essay sufficiently and accurately detail the relevant contexts (historical, social, cultural, technological, etc.) of the essay’s subject matter?
Completing Stage 1
You will be judged to have passed Stage 1 of the Comprehensive Examination process when you have
• Identified major lines of inquiry and appropriate works within the general field of rhetoric and composition;
• Developed an area of specialization within the field of rhetoric and composition or an interdisciplinary area and identified the works most appropriate to that area;
• Articulated the questions that will motivate your inquiry into the works on your lists;
• Identified either (a) a significant refereed journal and prepared a submission-ready article for that journal that your Chair believes is ready for examination by outside reviewers (i.e., your committee members), or (b) developed a second area of expertise within the field of rhetoric and composition or an interdisciplinary area, identified the works most appropriate to that area, and drafted a proposal and tentative bibliography for a bibliographic essay that will offer a coherent perspective on that field.
Upon completion of Stage 1, your materials will be ready to circulate to your Committee.
Stage 2: Revise Your Comprehensive Exam Materials
Stage 2A: Revise Reading Lists and Guiding Questions; Add Contextualizing Sentences
After you have received feedback on your exam materials from all of your committee members, discuss the suggestions with your Chair and decide together how to proceed with the revisions. Certain changes will be best made sooner rather than later, additions or deletions from the Reading Lists, for example. Other changes, such as clarifying a guiding question or two, might be best undertaken after you’ve done a bit of the reading and your thinking about the relevant topics has begun to mature. Ultimately, you will submit your Chair-approved revised lists and guiding questions—which at this stage should each now be richly contextualized with three or four sentences that situate, for example, the importance, complexity, and scope of the question—to the Committee at least three weeks prior to beginning the Exam.
Stage 2B: Revise Submission-Ready Journal Article or Develop the Bibliographic Essay
Just as you revised your Reading Lists based on your committee members’ feedback, so too should you revise your journal article or bibliographic essay. This is likely to be a demanding process, not only because the document is more complex than your two Reading Lists but also because your reviewers may have conflicting views on how you should revise your scholarly writing. This is a very common conundrum for publishing scholars, and part of what you will be practicing in this part of the Comprehensive Exams is your ability to discern from among a chorus of attentive interlocutors which suggestions will help you best craft the piece you want to produce and send into the world. Typically, this will involve accepting most of the small suggestions, and carefully selecting, modifying, or rejecting the various more significant suggestions. As with most parts of the Comprehensive Exam process, this discernment should be done in consultation with your Committee Chair.
If you have opted to do the Submission-Ready Journal Article, the end result of Stage 2 will include your revised article, which is tantamount to the professional scholar’s version of the resubmitted version of an article produced in response to a journal’s “Revise and Resubmit” directive.
If you have opted to do the Bibliographic Essay, the end result of Stage 2 will include your completed bibliographic essay. This document should be no longer than twenty pages long (not including the bibliography), double-spaced, 12 pt. font, 1-inch margins, MLA style.
Stage 2: Miscellaneous Notes
• Committee members will often write exam questions for you based, in part, on your Stage Two Guiding Questions and Lists. Therefore, be sure you do not pose questions for yourself that feel that you cannot answer. Indeed, if any of the questions from Stage 1 seem to you by Stage 2 to be problematical, do not hesitate to discuss with your Chair the wisdom of removing the offending question and replacing it with one more appropriate.
Completing Stage 2
You will be judged to have passed Stage 2 of the Comprehensive Examination process when you have
• Revised your final Reading Lists, your contextualized Guiding Questions, and your Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay;
• Discussed all the revisions with your Committee Chair;
• Circulated all of your approved materials to your Committee at least three weeks before taking your first written exam;
• Notified both your Committee and the Program Assistant which Reading List will be the basis of the timed-writing exam and which one the take-home exam.
Upon completion of Stage 2, your remaining time prior to taking your Written Exams should be spent reviewing your readings and article/essay, as well as answering practice questions that you derive from these materials.
Stage 3: Take Your Written Comprehensive Exams
Stage 3A: Complete Your On-Campus Timed Comprehensive Exam
When you arrive at the appointed hour of your exam at the RCTE Program Assistant’s office, you will be escorted to a computer-equipped office and given a sheet of paper with the exam questions on it. There are typically two to six questions from which to choose; you will usually be instructed to write answers to two of the questions for two hours each.
You are not allowed to bring any notes or books into the testing room. You may, however, bring your Reading Lists with your contextualized Guiding Questions. Some form of storage medium, some blank paper, and a writing implement will also be provided for you. You may spell-check your work within the four hours. After you have finished taking your exam, you will use the storage medium to save your answers and convey them to the Program Assistant; she or he will take care of distributing copies to your Committee. You are allowed to take the questions and answers home with you so that you may use them to prepare for your Oral Examination.
Stage 3B: Complete Your Take-Home Comprehensive Exam
Your take-home exam will be given to you on a Friday at noon and must be returned on the following Monday at noon (or an equivalent amount of time) in email form. As with the on-campus timed exam, you will receive a copy of the exam with a list of questions on it. There are typically two to six questions included on this exam, and you will usually be asked to choose and then answer two of them. You are allowed to submit a maximum of twenty pages (double-spaced, 12-pt. font, 1-inch margins) for this exam, (approximately 5,000 words) total. In other words, you will probably end up writing two roughly ten-page answers. The twenty-page limit does not include your bibliography, but it does include your notes.
Stage 3C: Wait for Written Comprehensive Exam to be Evaluated
After you have finished taking both of your written exams, your committee members will be given a ballot and will have approximately two weeks to read all three parts of your exam, complete the ballot, and return it to your chair. In order for you to proceed to the Oral Exams, the Committee must unanimously pass both of your timed writing exams and your article/essay. You will be notified by your Chair as soon as she or he has received all the ballots and the decision is made.
Any committee member may request a meeting of the Committee before the Oral Exam to discuss the Written Exams and/or the article/essay. This might happen if a faculty member is unsure about how to evaluate one of the exams or wishes to point out to other committee members particularly problematical areas. Such a meeting might also be called in order to orchestrate the direction of inquiry in the Oral Exam; this might be done to ensure that a small but significant weakness in one of the Written Exams is touched on during the Orals. If the Chair cannot arrange a meeting of the Committee before the scheduled Oral Exam, the Oral Exam may have to be postponed.
If all of the Written Exams are passed by the Committee unanimously, the Oral Exam proceeds as scheduled. If a unanimous decision is not reached, the Committee may decide to ask you to rewrite one or more portions of the Exam, or they may take other measures.
Completing Stage 3
You will be judged to have passed Stage 3 of the Comprehensive Examination process when you have
In the Written Exams:
• Mastered the major arguments of the readings through careful and accurate summary;
• Provided succinct and insightful analysis of the readings, including the major assumptions and rhetorical stances of the authors;
• Situated the readings within the broader theoretical, pedagogical, and/or historical contexts;
• Reflected critically upon the arguments, contexts, and lines of inquiry in the readings in order to advance your own argument;
• Written your responses with clarity and concision;
• Followed MLA format or other major citation style consistently on the take-home portion of exam.
In the Submission-Ready Journal Article:
• Followed the submission guidelines for the approved peer-reviewed journal including the journal’s chosen style manual;
• Met the standards for professional scholarship delineated by the journal.
• Targeted one of the approved journals from the list on the RCTE website.
In the Bibliographic Essay:
• Offered a innovative and coherent perspective on the field of specialization;
• Sufficiently surveyed and synthesized the relevant scholarship in the field;
• Situated your own argument within the multiplicity of views in the field;
• Sufficiently and accurately detailed the relevant contexts.
Stage 4: Take Your Oral Comprehensive Exams
Stage 4A: Prepare for the Oral Comprehensive Exam
Some of the best ways to prepare for the Oral Exam are obvious:
• Read over all the work you produced for the Written Exams, keeping an eye out for mistakes, oversights, and places where you think you might effectively expand on what you’ve written.
• Refresh your memory about all the materials on your two Reading Lists. Even in the Oral Exams, you may be asked about sources on your lists that are not discussed in any of your written answers.
• Have friends read over all your Exam materials and ask you questions about them. Get used to summarizing your major arguments quickly and clearly in front of an audience, and practice getting out of interrogatory jams with them too.
• Get plenty of rest and eat well prior to the Oral Exam. The Orals are always mentally and emotionally draining; you’ll need to be in top shape to perform well in them.
• Bring your Reading Lists, Questions, Exam Responses, and Article/Essay to the Oral Exam. You will be allowed to consult these materials during the Oral Exam should you need to. It is acceptable for you to have written notes to yourself on these documents.
• Prepare a brief (5-10 minute) statement to be given at the opening of the Exam. Your Chair will offer you some guidance on this formality, but it is typically a brief reflection on the process of studying for and taking the Comprehensive Exams, focusing in particular on major themes and arguments that you discerned in the course of your preparations.
• Prepare to briefly discuss possible dissertation topics. This may not come up, and if it does, will not usually occupy more than five or ten minutes. Nevertheless, should it arise, it would be well for you to be able to offer some ideas.
Stage 4B: Complete the Oral Comprehensive Exam
According to the Graduate College, in the Oral Exam, “the examining committee must attest that the student has demonstrated the professional level of knowledge expected of a junior academic colleague.” Indeed, because much of what occurs in the Oral Exam is dictated by Graduate College rules, it is worth reading their policy guidelines online at .
When the Comprehensive Exam committee meets to orally examine the student, it is charged with evaluating three things:
1. Broad knowledge of the chosen field of study (Rhetoric and Composition);
2. Sufficiently deep understanding of an area of specialization;
3. Professional readiness of the student to become a junior academic colleague (i.e., an assistant professor).
In order to determine whether or not the student meets these criteria, the Committee will examine the student for up to two and half hours if there are three Exams and three hours if there are four Exams (RCTE Exams + minor exam). The subject of the oral exam may include all the materials generated for the written portion of the Comprehensive Exam, including:
• Answers to the timed on-campus writing exam;
• Answers to the timed take-home exam;
• The Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay;
• Unanswered questions on the written exam sheet.
The Committee Chair will be responsible for ensuring that a fair amount of time be spent examining the student on each of the major parts of the Written Exam. Based on a three-list sample and taking into consideration the student’s opening remarks (10 minutes), a short break (10 minutes), and the Committee’s final deliberations (10 minutes), this allows up to forty minutes per exam. If there is a Minor Written Exam as well, the Oral Exam is extended by 30 minutes; this additional time is to be devoted to the Minor Exam.
Minor flaws and inadequacies in the Written Exams (i.e., problems that are not sufficiently egregious to warrant failure of the written component) will be addressed during the Oral Exam, as will any notable argumentative ambiguities. Additionally, the student will be evaluated on her or his professional demeanor, which may include qualities such as the ability to:
• Spontaneously imagine connections among different scholars and ideas;
• Summarize or paraphrase particularly relevant works;
• Engage in a professional-level discussion with colleagues;
• Listen carefully to one’s inquisitors and to respond appropriately;
• Illustrate points with historical and/or present day examples;
• Clearly explain the meanings of key terms used in the written and oral exams;
• Outline the theoretical framework that informs each written answer;
• Effectively negotiate the sociodiscursive space of the exam (e.g., offer answers of appropriate length and depth, avoidance of “rambling” answers).
Stage 4C: Wait for the Oral Comprehensive Exam Evaluation
When the committee members deliberate over your performance during the Oral Exams, they do so using the following criteria:
Timed Campus and Take-Home Exam Evaluation Criteria
1. In light of the answers provided during the Oral Exam, have all the salient elements of the questions been answered with sufficient depth?
2. Has the candidate adequately demonstrated comprehensive knowledge of each question’s context and answer?
3. Has a clear and relevant argument been made that is consistent across both Written and Oral Exams?
4. Is the candidate able to demonstrate sufficiently the ability to summarize or paraphrase the work of scholars that she or he has cited?
5. Is the candidate able to clearly explain the theory or theories that she or he has deployed in the Exams?
6. Is the candidate able to demonstrate sufficiently the ability to synthesize new ideas or approaches to the proposed problem/question based on questions proffered during the Oral Exam?
Submission-Ready Journal Article Criteria
1. Is the candidate able to articulate the article’s focus and argument well?
2. Is the candidate able to spontaneously address the relationship between the article’s arguments and relevant but unmentioned scholarship described by committee members?
3. Is the candidate able to sufficiently account for opposing views?
4. Is the candidate able to clearly explain the theory or theories that she or he has deployed in the Article?
5. Is the candidate able to respond to feedback in a professional manner?
Bibliographic Essay Criteria
1. Is the candidate able to articulate the essay’s focus and argument well?
2. Is the candidate able to spontaneously address the relationship between the essay’s arguments and relevant but unmentioned scholarship described by committee members?
3. Is the candidate able to sufficiently situate within her/his argument the multiplicity of views within the field?
4. Is the candidate able to clearly explain the theory or theories that she or he has deployed in the essay?
5. Is the candidate able to respond to feedback in a professional manner?
Here, again, the final evaluative actions of the Committee are largely dictated by Graduate College Rules:
At the conclusion of the Oral Comprehensive Examination (and after the student has left the room), discussion of the student's performance is initiated. Each member of the examination committee is expected to evaluate the student's performance on the basis of the examination as a whole, not just on a particular area of questioning or only on his/her own field of specialization. The reporter reviews aloud the voting policies and procedures prior to the voting. Straw votes are encouraged. However, only one final, official, and secret vote by ballot is permitted. There can be no more than one negative or abstaining vote. Programs will have written policies regarding whether or not students may retake failed oral exams as well as specific policies regarding second attempts. In any case, the Graduate College allows no more than one retake of the oral exam.
Special care to ensure the secrecy of the voting process must be taken in those rare instances when a committee member cannot be present and the examination is conducted by conference telephone call (this requires prior approval by the Dean of the Graduate College). Obtaining the official vote (and any straw votes) of the absent member with the telephone speaker temporarily switched off, and making sure that none of the members present disclose the other ballots, are important additional responsibilities of the reporter at these times. Ensuring the audibility, attribution of questions, and responses during both the questioning period and the subsequent discussion prior to voting is also the responsibility of the Reporter in these instances. The Reporter, acting as proxy, signs for the absent member in an examination involving a conference call.
Ballots are tallied by the Reporter, who informs the committee whether the vote was Pass or Fail. Other than the Pass/Fail decision, the numbers of Pass versus Fail votes and the identities of persons voting one way or the other are kept in strict confidence by the Reporter. An examiner who disagrees with the committee's decision may note the objection beside his/her signature on the report if desired. A student passes or fails the Oral Comprehensive Examination. If the student fails, the Committee has two options that need to be noted on the Results of the Oral Comprehensive Examination form. The option to be followed is determined by a majority vote of the Committee.
Option 1. Repeat the Oral Comprehensive Examination.
Option 2. The Committee votes not to recommend a repeat examination.
No further coursework is required from students before a reexamination. If a reexamination is recommended, the committee members must be the same as those present at the first examination. If changes are made in the composition of the examination committee, they must be approved by the Dean of the Graduate College prior to the examination.
Regardless of the outcome of the Oral Comprehensive Examination, the Graduate College Representative returns the Results of the Oral Comprehensive Examination form, the Report of the Graduate Representative on Doctoral Oral Comprehensive Examinations form, and the Ballots to the Program Assistant who returns them to the Graduate Degree Certification Office.
Appeals
A student may appeal a failure on the Oral Comprehensive Examination. The procedures are outlined in the section "Grievance Procedure."
Completing Stage 4
You will be judged to have passed Stage 4 of the Comprehensive Examination—and thus passed your comps—process when you have
• Addressed successfully any perceived weakness in the arguments in your written exams;
• Illustrated your points with historical and/or contemporary examples;
• Identified the theoretical frameworks or principles informing the Written Exams and your Submission-Ready Journal Article or Bibliographic Essay;
• Joined a scholarly conversation;
• Engaged the Committee in a professional manner;
• Offered insights into new lines of inquiry that arise from a discussion of your Exam materials;
• Engaged effectively in a discussion about your scholarship;
• Connected your current scholarship to your tentative plans for dissertation research.
ADVANCEMENT TO CANDIDACY
Revised August 2008
It is a good idea to revisit the Grad College Policy to ensure they have not made any changes:
When a student has an approved Doctoral Plan of Study on file, has satisfied all coursework, language, and residence requirements, and passed the written and oral portions of the Comprehensive Examinations, he or she may advance to candidacy.
The Graduate College will automatically advance a student to candidacy after the student completes the comprehensive exams. This means the Candidacy fee, the dissertation processing fee, and the archiving fee (for a total of $135) will be assessed and billed to the student’s bursar account after the student passes the Oral Comprehensive Examinations. This is a one-time fee and the student will not be billed again even if he or she changes the expected graduation date. Copyrighting is optional and carries an additional fee.
The Committee Appointment Form must be turned in to the Graduate College as soon as the student has a dissertation committee, but no later than six months prior to the dissertation defense date. This is the form that allows the Graduate College to verify committee membership and human subject approval, so it is very important that students submit it as soon as possible so that there are no unpleasant surprises on the defense date. A student may add committee members or make changes to the committee, the dissertation title, or the expected completion (graduation) date as necessary by contacting RCTE's degree auditor in the Graduate College.
DISSERTATION
Finding a Topic
It is crucial to find a good topic, a topic that will do more than allow you to get a dissertation written. The dissertation will, ideally, open out into further research after you graduate. In the eyes of hiring committees, the dissertation will define who you are as a potential colleague and your possible future contribution to the field. For these and other reasons, you need to think carefully about what you want to study in the dissertation, and you should consult with various faculty on your possible choices.
You may have heard that you should begin thinking about your topic for your dissertation fairly early in the Program. Here are some specific ways you can move this thinking along:
37. Volunteer as a CCCC bibliographer (see Director), or look through Dissertation Abstracts International.
38. Examine the programs for the CCCC, NCTE, and MLA conventions.
39. Review journals for last ten years.
40. Think of papers written for classes as opportunities to investigate possible topics. If papers for classes can become chapters in your dissertation, you are way ahead.
41. Look back at the papers you have already written for classes to see what themes or threads you may have already developed.
42. Continue to discuss your research agenda from your Qualifying Exam with your mentor.
43. Use the Comprehensive Exams strategically to advance your research agenda. You can develop your reading lists in such a way as to advance your work on your dissertation. The first section of the Comprehensive Exams is intended to help you fill in any gaps in your general knowledge of the field, but the second part of the exams provides opportunities to focus on issues related to the research for your dissertation.
44. Consult sample dissertation proposals on file with RCTE Program Assistant.
45. Look at dissertations (available through the UA library and in Modern Languages, Room 453).
You should be able to declare your topic (though not to offer your specific Dissertation Proposal) by the time you complete your Comprehensive Examinations.
FORMING YOUR DISSERTATION COMMITTEE
The Graduate College Policy for forming your committee can be seen here:
RCTE Guidelines to Forming your Committee
You should form your Dissertation Committee as soon as possible after the Comprehensive Examinations are completed, but no later than the beginning of the semester after passing your Comprehensive Exams.
The chair is the most important member of the committee because she or he will be the principal reader of your drafts. You may not have a chair from outside the major (RCTE). The other two members should also be from RCTE unless you have consulted with the RCTE Program Director.
The other members of the committee may read your initial drafts only on special occasions and for specific purposes; you should negotiate a clear understanding with each as to what they wish or do not wish to read.
Remember that committee members must be persuaded to serve and that the supply of faculty is finite. Think of all the professors you take classes from as potential members of your dissertation committee.
You should write up a draft dissertation proposal before forming your committee. A good proposal, or draft of one, can help persuade people to serve. At a minimum, you should give committee members a brief outline before asking them to serve.
If at any time you plan to make any changes in your dissertation committee, you must inform the Director and Program Assistant about the changes before they are made. After the Proposal is approved, changes in the committee must be approved in writing by the RCTE Director.
The Proposal
Revised: August 1999
During the Comprehensive Exams meeting, the timeline for the dissertation proposal should have been set up.
Consult with your Chair on early drafts of the Proposal.
The Chair works with the candidate on the proposal and decides when there should be a one-hour proposal meeting of the candidate with the committee to discuss it. The proposal is sent to the committee before that meeting. All dissertation proposals should be circulated to the committee 3 weeks before the dissertation proposal meeting so that written feedback can be given to the student and revisions can be made. At the meeting the proposal is discussed. It may be accepted as is, returned for minor revisions, or returned for major revisions. If the revisions are major, another proposal meeting must be held.
After one year, if the dissertation committee concludes that a sound proposal has not emerged, it may recommend to the Program Director that the student not continue graduate studies at the UA.
The Proposal should have the following elements:
46. Description of the subject (one succinct paragraph).
47. Defense of the subject: evidence that the dissertation will make a contribution to the field (approximately two pages).
48. Statement of the principle by which the subject will be divided, with a one-paragraph description of each major division.
49. If empirical research is involved, a description and justification of the research methods to be employed.
50. Description of research completed (with bibliographical references).
51. Description of research projected (with bibliographical references).
52. Timetable for completing the research and writing.
If you are proposing to do a project involving human subjects (interviews, oral histories, observational studies, and/or experiments), you should begin the process of receiving formal approval from the Human Subjects Committee now. All researchers and research assistants who have contact with human subjects must pass a test on legal guidelines for interacting with human subjects. (Please see below.)
If you are planning on doing research in a composition classroom, you must submit a one-page abstract of the project to the Director of the Writing Program so that WRIPAC (Writing Program Advisory Committee) can approve it. You also must get IRB/Human Subjects clearance (see below). It is best if you can submit your abstract to WRIPAC the semester BEFORE you are conducting research.
Before your Dissertation Proposal Meeting, print out the RCTE Dissertation Proposal Approval Form and bring it with you to the meeting. After your meeting, return the signed form to the Program Assistant. To complete the process, email the Program Assistant a copy of your approved proposal.
Please see the supplemental Dissertation Proposal Packet at the back of the Handbook for more information about the Dissertation Proposal. If you are missing your copy, please contact the Program Assistant.
IRB/Human Subjects Protection Program
Revised: August 2008
Whenever a university employee, student, or affiliate intends to conduct a study for purposes of presentation or publication of research that involves human beings (including, but not limited to, interviews, surveys, observation of behavior, or analysis of writing), they must seek the approval of an Institutional Review Board (IRB) before the research begins. Researchers who fail to obtain permission to conduct research before the research begins are often denied permission to use any data they may have obtained prior to gaining IRB approval. Casual observations of classroom behavior or student writing that later seem to be worthy of research and research conducted for a graduate seminar involving human participants can be approved after the fact by the IRB because the researcher had not intended to conduct a study for purposes of presentation or publication at the time the potential data was collected. The University of Arizona's IRBs
are administered by the Human Subjects Protection Program (irb.arizona.edu). Permission of the IRB is not needed for research that is conducted solely for the sake of internal evaluation (e.g., a survey administered in the Writing Program that will never be published or presented to anyone other than staff). In all other cases, federal law stipulates that the researcher must contact their IRB to learn whether their research involving human participants is subject to IRB oversight. The RCTE Program strongly recommends that all faculty and graduate students complete the training to conduct human subjects research (further information is available at irb.arizona.edu); the Program also recommends that all faculty and graduate students become familiar with the National Council of Teachers of English Position Statement on Guidelines for the Ethical Conduct of Research in Composition Studies (available at ).
This section serves as a reminder and clarification of the human subjects review process for graduate student research. Established University policy requires that any research involving human subjects (not only clinical work but also surveys, interviews, etc.) must be reviewed prior to study conduct in order to fulfill the University's obligation to protect human subjects. Each student who wishes to conduct research with human subjects must have his/her own approval. Students are the lead investigators on theses and dissertations and obtaining the necessary clearance constitutes responsible research conduct and forms a part of the professionalization process. Please note the following:
1. Responsibility
It is the responsibility of the faculty member (graduate student's thesis/dissertation adviser or committee chair) to advise the student about obtaining clearance from the Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) prior to the start of the research. If the thesis or dissertation involves human subjects, the approval or exemption notice from the HSPP must be attached to the relevant Graduate College form (Master's/Specialist Plan of Study form or the doctoral Advancement to Candidacy form).
2. No "Grandfathering"
Student research carried out via another individual's approved project, such as a work conducted on a faculty member's research grant or use of data obtained from an existing project is not automatically "grandfathered" for approval. Separate approval is required for Master's thesis and PhD dissertation projects. Please refer to the HSPP web site at irb.arizona.edu for the required application form.
3. Exemptions
The HSPP web site includes a decision-tree tool () to help determine if a research project meets the Federal definition for exemption from federal regulations. However, all research conducted with human subjects must be reviewed and approved by the Human Subjects Protection Program office. This includes projects that might be determined to be exempt from Federal Regulations.
4. Continuing Review
Federal Regulations require that existing projects involving human subjects, which include theses and dissertations as outlined above, be reviewed by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) no less than annually. The annual review process is explained on the HSPP web site and covers re-approval as well as conclusion or withdrawal of projects. For example, this applies to students that have not concluded their dissertation research projects within one year of receiving approval.
We raise the above points because the Graduate College and the Human Subjects Protection Program have recently had the unfortunate duty of denying or delaying graduation to a number of graduate students who did not obtain the necessary human subjects approval in advance of the thesis or dissertation research. Please be advised that there is no way to obtain retroactive approval for a research project. A particularly distressing situation occurs when a student's faculty adviser signs a Graduate College form stating that human subjects are not involved, and upon submission of the thesis or dissertation it becomes clear that this was not the case.
We urge graduate students and faculty members to consult the HSPP website () as part of the thesis and dissertation proposal development process, as well as in research design and professionalization courses. For further assistance, please call the HSPP office at (520)626-6721.
Human Subjects Review
Chronology
1. If you are proposing to do a project that involves human subjects (interviews, oral
histories, observation studies, and/or experiments), you should begin the process of receiving review and approval from the Human Subjects Protection Program now. Please visit the Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) website to familiarize yourself with the process. .
2. The first thing you should do is to determine if your project uses human information or is actually research on humans.
3. Copies of Protecting Study Volunteers in Research: A Manual for Investigative Sites (Dunn and Chadwick, 2001) are located with the Program Assistant. Read through this book to familiarize yourself with the issues before you take the online training. Their definition of research is the one used by the Code of Federal Regulations and The University of Arizona:
Research means a systematic investigation, including research development,
testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable
knowledge. Activities which meet this definition constitute research for purposes
of this policy, whether or not they are conducted or supported under a program
which is considered research for other purposes. For example, some demonstration and service programs may include research activities. (200)
4. Students who use human information and/or conduct research on humans for any purpose other than seminar papers (done within a graduate course) must take the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) with a Social Behavioral Science focus [CITI-SBS]. This is an online training module with self-paced lessons and exams. The entire training will take 6 or more hours for most people (and students can take the modules over several days). After completing the CITI-SBS, students must print off the verification of the training and the dates when the exam was passed.
5. The next step is to complete the Project Review Form and the Verification of Training Form (VOTF). It is necessary to have an adviser for both the PRF and VOTF who has completed CITI-SBS training. Important: this adviser does not have to be the dissertation director or even a committee member.
6. Students must also obtain a “site authorization letter” for the location where the research (including recruitment) will occur (Writing Program, high school, community organization, church, etc.). The letter needs to come from the principal or director or minister of the site.
SCENARIOS
For the purposes of research, information from student writing/experiences/interviews is considered human data or information. What matters to the HSPP is
• what you are using it for, and
• whether you are gathered it for research purposes
What is research? Ultimately, the decision on whether the use of human information meets the definition of research is up to the researcher. For example, researchers get ideas about research by being in the genre of their environment. We use our senses to absorb information that may or may not turn into a theory that then turns into a research project. Always ask yourself what your purpose is in using human information. If you have human information to support a theory, if you have a collection mode to talk about, then you have probably conducted research.
What if you are giving an oral presentation or writing a paper for a graduate course at UA and you cite student work, conduct student interviews, or cite student experiences or incidents in your own class to support your own argument?
This use of data falls under the purview of educational work and does not require that you take
CITI nor that you get Human Subjects Protection Program (HSPP) approval. However,
if you change your mind and you ever want to use this data for a conference or publication
paper you would then need approval from the Institutional Review Board (IRB) of the Human Subjects Protection Program for use of that information for research purposes.
What if you quote a student conversation, narrate an incident, summarize something a student wrote – all anonymously – in a conference presentation or publication?
If the use of this data is a single event, it is probably not research. If, however, your observations are becoming part of a research agenda, then you should set up an open project with HSSP that will allow you to collect narrative observations, take notes, audiotape, etc. over a course of 5 to 10 years.
You would get disclaimer forms approved, take the CITI, and thereby enable the use of this kind of human information over time.
What if you are giving a paper at a professional conference or sending a paper off for publication and you plan on using anonymous samples of student work/interviews/experiences with students in your paper?
You need to take the CITI training because you are “using human information.”
At this point, however, you are conducting research. You do not need to get
consent from the students to cite their work because the information (data) is now
anonymous. However, you do need to get Human Subjects Protection Program
(HSPP) approval.
In other words, you can collect the information for non-research purposes and then
decide later to use the information in a publication or for presentation. This is called
pre-existing data. If you want to do this you would complete the Project Review Form
and indicate that the data was collected for another purpose and that you would like to
use it now for research.
What if you are giving a paper at a professional conference or sending a paper off
for publication or writing a dissertation and you are using student work to support research you conducted (e.g., comparing two groups of students with different variables, collecting all student writing over one or more semesters in order to understand some aspect of writing, etc.)?
You need to take the CITI training. In addition, you must complete the Project Review
Form and the Verification of Training Form (VOTF) prior to conducting your research. Because you are a graduate student, you must have an adviser who has CITI training and who will sign off on your work (this individual does not have to be your dissertation director or even a member of your committee). In addition, you need to complete the application before you gather the data. Finally, you must obtain a site authorization letter from the principal, director, or administrator of the site in which you conduct your research. If minor children are involved (under age 18), you will also need parental permission from parents and child assent from the children.
Writing the Dissertation
Don't postpone writing until you are ready to deliver the last word on the subject.
Dissertations are never the last word on the subject and never as good as their writers want. They may reflect disparate demands by committee members as well as the writer's own viewpoint. They are almost never publishable without substantial revision. RCTE dissertations have ranged from 150-300 pages; the most typical length is 150-200 pages.
On the other hand, your dissertation will play an important role in getting you a job, and if your dissertation is not something that can become the basis for your first book, you will be at a disadvantage in your efforts to get promoted or to move to another job.
Start writing early. Don't wait until you have done "all the reading." You will need to do all the reading, but if you are writing as you do it, your reading will be much more efficient and effective.
Set up a regular writing schedule. Keep to it. Allow yourself latitude in some matters, but not in keeping to your writing schedule.
Form a writing group with people on your same timetable. Writing groups can give you valuable feedback and support. Being in a group also helps you keep to your schedule.
Give yourself deadlines. Give your schedule to your Chair. This will also help your Chair budget time to read your drafts.
When you and your Chair think that chapters or portions of the dissertation are ready for editorial response, the chapters or portions of the dissertation should be given to all committee members at the same time. Use the Dissertation Chapter Review Form as a cover sheet for all materials submitted to the committee.
Primary responsibility for responding to drafts lies with your Chair. Other committee members may or may not respond to drafts.
No dissertation chapters will be circulated without the Dissertation Chapter Review form attached. All submissions of drafts to committee members must have the official Chapter Review Form with the following information:
53. Table of contents/outline of whole dissertation.
54. Candidate's sense of where the draft is in the writing process and what is left to be done to complete the writing.
55. What revisions have been done since the last submission.
56. Specific questions about the drafts to help your readers focus their responses.
The Chair will read your drafts carefully. If you want other members of your committee to read your drafts, you should ask them specific questions. The other members will need to be focusing most of their attention on the dissertations they are directing.
Have a life. Come to talks, sit in on classes. It is easy to feel isolated when you stop taking classes.
If you plan to go on the job market the same year that you are completing your dissertation, you must have a major portion of the writing done by the beginning of the fall semester. PhD candidates need to have completed their degrees before taking positions requiring a PhD. Before requesting letters of recommendation for such jobs, a doctoral candidate must have two (2) chapters of the dissertation approved by his or her entire dissertation committee. Job hunting is a major distraction from dissertation work, and it takes a lot of time. If you can finish at least a completed draft in the fall before you go on the market, you will be in a stronger position all around. Faculty will not be able to write a letter of recommendation for you unless they have read several chapters of your dissertation.
Ordinarily, your dissertation should be done two years from the time your proposal is approved. The choice of methodology or problems in data collection may prolong the process by a year, as may an especially ambitious program of reading or writing.
Hiring committees will not be interested in you unless you can convince them, with concrete evidence, that you will have defended your dissertation by the time you come to work. If they have doubts, they may ask for letters from your Chair or the Department Head.
Effective Fall 2010, students may not attend the COH Hooding Ceremony until they have defended their dissertations. Instead, they may attend a subsequent hooding ceremony.
Permissions
Revised August 2009
If you use images or other copyrighted materials in your dissertation, be aware of what does and does not constitute fair use.
You might want to do your own fair use analysis by using a tool from the American Library Association () or the UA Office of General Counsel (). Both sites leave you with a PDF of your results that you should save for your records.
If you find you need to get permissions, start the process early. Getting necessary permissions almost always takes time and sometimes even involves research.
The Dissertation: An Outline of the Process
August 1999
1. Form committee
Form committee no later than early in the semester following Comps.
Forms: Committee Appointment Form due to Grad College after you have formed committee.
Get manual for formatting dissertation (online).
2. Dissertation Proposal
Gain certification and approval for human subjects research, if needed.
Proposal should be approved by the end of the semester when Comps were passed or, at the latest, by the beginning of the next semester.
Dissertation Proposal meeting. Student-chair work on early drafts. Chair decides when ready for meeting of full committee.
Forms: Signed Dissertation Proposal Approval Form confirms approved dissertation proposal.
3. Writing/revising chapters
Give schedule to chair.
Chair decides when chapters ready for full committee comment. Chair sets committee response deadline.
Forms: Dissertation Chapter Review Form for each chapter submitted to committee.
4. Job Market Year
Ordinarily, dissertation will be finished two years from the time your proposal is approved.
You must have a major portion of the dissertation finished by the beginning of fall semester of the year you go on the market. Chapters must be read by all committee members before letters go out, and two chapters must be approved before any letters will be written.
Human Subjects form due to Human Subjects Committee. Note: this form certifies that either (1) your dissertation does not involve human subjects research, or (2) you have ALREADY gained approval from this committee for your research. Signed letter for appendix if required.
5. Defense
Announcement of Final Oral Exam due seven working days before your defense, confirming date and committee’s approval of your final draft. Leave a month or more after defense for revisions.
Fill out the dissertation approval pages (a.k.a., “Page 2s”) before the defense and bring two copies to the examination to obtain committee signatures.
6. After the defense
If committee requires minor revisions, chair approves final revision.
If committee requires major revisions, all members approve.
Make sure final versions of dissertation fits official graduate college format.
Submit the final copy of the dissertation to Graduate Degree Certification. (See “Submitting Your Dissertation” below.)
Fill out the “Survey of Earned Doctorates”
Submit the Distribution Rights Form
Give your committee members a copy of the dissertation.
Attend the COH Hooding Ceremony and UA Graduation Ceremony, if desired.
Please visit the Graduate College for information on Dissertation Submission Requirements:
Suggested Timeline for Defending Dissertation in April of Job Year
Prepared by Julie Jung, PhD 1999 (Revised: August 1999)
Spring (Two years before diss defense)
Take Comprehensive Exams in February/March
Decompress
Summer Reread seminar papers, quals notes, comps notes, and comp exams
Write a draft of Dissertation Proposal
Gain Human Subjects Committee certification and approval
Read what you always wanted to read but had no time to read
Write a chapter of your diss as if you knew what you were doing
Fall
Revise and "defend" dissertation proposal (early in the semester)
Write drafts of two chapters and submit to chair for review
Spring (One year before diss defense)
Write drafts of two chapters and submit to chair for review
Summer
Revise chapters and write another (or perhaps two)
Fall (Semester before diss defense)
Submit new chapter(s) to chair for review
Prepare for Job Search
80. Draft paragraph summary of dissertation to include on vita
81. Revise vita
82. Open file at Career Services
83. Get an increase on your visa credit limit
84. Prepare packet of materials for faculty writing letters of recommendation (Sept) (vita, diss proposal, drafts of diss chapters to date, copies of publications, TEAD evaluations, sample student evaluations)
85. Draft cover letter; submit to faculty for review
86. Prepare/revise writing sample
87. Prepare Teaching Portfolio
Enter job search (read MLA joblist, send out packets, request placement files, etc.)
Spring (Semester of diss defense)
Go on campus visits (prepare presentations and hand-outs)
Submit drafts of all chapters to diss committee (mid February)
Make final revisions (March)
DEFEND (April)
Attend COH Hooding Ceremony and UA Graduation Ceremony, if desired.
Forms and Deadlines
Revised: October 1998
The following forms are available online from the Graduate College website or from the RCTE website.
1. Dissertation Proposal Approval Form--Due in the semester after passing your Comps.
2. Committee Appointment Form--Due six months before you schedule the oral defense. You list your name, dissertation title (can be changed), and address. You also indicate whether your dissertation involves human subjects. You will check either "does not involve human subjects" or "involves human subjects--exempt from review." (Be sure to let Degree Certification know if you change your address or dissertation title or defense semester after submitting this form.)
3. If your dissertation involves human subjects (even if you checked "exempt from review"), you must gain approval from the Human Subjects Committee, 626-6721. You should start this process as soon as possible, but no later than the summer you begin writing your dissertation proposal.
4. Announcement of Final Oral Examination--A simple form due seven working days before your oral confirming your committee and oral date. Dissertation defenses are not scheduled during the last two weeks of regular classes or during the summer months.
Formatting Your Dissertation
The Graduate College has detailed manuals (found online: ) that describe how to format the dissertation. There are two versions: one for paper submissions and one for electronic submissions. These manuals describe margins, layout, format, and the type of paper required of the different copies.
Remember that each committee member should be given a final copy of the dissertation (These do not need to be bound.)
Defending Your Dissertation
Please see the Graduate College for information on the Final Oral Exam:
The oral defense must take place about a month before desired graduation date. (Check here: for the Graduate Degree Deadlines.) Don't cut it too close: Required revisions may take more than a month to complete.
As required by Graduate College guidelines, students may not schedule a defense for a dissertation until it has been completed, including bibliography, and the committee has been provided adequate time for review of the complete manuscript.
Each member of your committee must approve the dissertation unanimously. It is thus important to resolve any basic disagreements (as to methodology or scope of research, for example) before you get to the oral defense. If you sense such disagreements, you should ask your Chair to call a meeting of the committee, preferably at the Proposal stage.
Your committee must be present at the defense. In emergencies committee members can participate by conference call, if the Graduate College approves, and if they are willing and someone pays the bill.
At the defense, the possibilities are
Your dissertation will be accepted as is. This rarely happens.
Your dissertation will be rejected. This is not likely if you have been working steadily with your Chair.
Usually, you are asked to revise:
1. in major ways, in which case all members of the committee will have to sign off
on the revisions.
2. in minor ways, in which case the Chair approves the final version.
Remember when scheduling your defense date that revisions may take more than a month to complete.
INTERNSHIPS
What is an Internship?
Internships are work experiences in particular work settings that are set up in such a way that academic credit may be granted (English 593). What's important, from an educational point of view, is what the student stands to learn from the internship.
What Opportunities Are There for Internships?
Rhetoric Review
Students in RCTE have the opportunity to work on one of the profession's leading journals, Rhetoric Review, and receive internship credit. See Professor Theresa Enos for details.
The Writing Program
Students in RCTE have the opportunity to work with the Writing Program. The Writing Program is charged with administering First-Year Composition and various university-wide writing assessments, with conducting research on the environment for writing at UA, with faculty development, the teaching of writing, and with outreach beyond the campus, in the schools, and elsewhere.
To set up an internship with the Writing Program, students should meet--before the semester of the internship--with the Writing Program Director. The Writing Program also typically offers two to three summer internships. Together they arrive at a description of the internship that reflects the needs of the Program and the aspirations of the student. The student should then draft a description of the undertakings of the internship for the signature of the Writing Program Director and the RCTE Program Director. Internships are not permitted unless such a plan is on file.
Internships in the Community
Outside agencies and businesses sometimes ask us for interns to work as writers and editors. Sometimes they do this as a recruitment device. Students interested in such work should make this known to the Director so that he or she can let them know about opportunities that arise.
Students should also feel free themselves to develop internships in particular organizations outside the Department or the University, such as businesses, the courts, community literacy agencies, city government. The guidelines for these internships follow.
GRADUATE-LEVEL STUDENT TEACHING EXPERIENCE
Graduate-level student teaching experience is a mentoring opportunity between graduate professors in the RCTE program and graduate students who are making timely progress toward the completion of their degree. Working in close consultation with a graduate professor teaching a course in the student’s area of interest, the professor and student share in the planning and teaching of the graduate-level course. To ensure the success of the experience, a previous working relationship (i.e. administrative, course, or research project) between the professor and student is recommended.
The details of this mentoring relationship must be negotiated among the professor, graduate student, and the Director of the RCTE program. To apply, the professor and student must draft a brief proposal outlining 1) the goals and structure of the graduate-level student teaching experience and 2) measures to balance the graduate student experience and his or her dissertation progress. In consultation with other RCTE faculty, the Director determines approval or rejection of the proposal.
Submission Deadlines: Midterm of the semester that precedes the experience semester
Credit Options: 1-3 professional studies credit(s) with an appropriate reduction in the number of dissertation credits during the experience semester.
Note: At no time will the graduate student grade or evaluate his or her fellow graduate student colleagues enrolled in the course.
Graduate Student Guidelines
These are some suggested guidelines for the graduate student’s participation in the teaching experience:
• Participate in mentoring session(s) with graduate professor to discuss the development process of the course syllabus, schedule, projects, and policies.
• Attend all course meetings and adhere to the course attendance policy as articulated on the syllabus.
• Develop and teach two course lesson plans related to the course goals.
• Create a reflective project that addresses the teaching experience.
• Send a report to the Director of the RCTE program identifying the strengths and weaknesses of this particular teaching experience.
Professor Guidelines
These are some suggested guidelines for the professor’s participation in the teaching experience:
• Consult in mentoring session(s) with graduate student to articulate the rationales in the development of the course syllabus, schedule, projects, and policies.
• Schedule two teaching sessions for the graduate student.
• Review the two course lesson plans created by the graduate student and offer substantial feedback in terms of the development and delivery of the course plans.
• Respond to graduate student’s reflective project.
• Send a report to Director of the RCTE program identifying the strengths and weaknesses of this particular teaching experience.
Course Guidelines
These are some suggested course guidelines for the teaching experience:
• Articulate the graduate student and professor collaboration in the graduate student teaching experience in the course syllabus.
• Explain the graduate student and professor collaboration in the graduate student teaching experience during the first course meeting.
• Foster collegiality among the graduate student participating in this experience and his or her colleagues in the course.
Guidelines for Off-Campus Internships
Revised: April 1995
For fifteen weeks (or the equivalent):
3 credits--8-10 hours/wk
2 credits--6-8 hours/wk
1 credit--3-5 hours/wk
1. Tasks
After consulting with the firm offering the internship, the intern should draft a letter to the Director of RCTE, for the signature of a representative of the firm, describing in some detail the on-the-job tasks to be performed as part of the internship.
2. Professional Tasks
Professional tasks include research, composition, revision, document design, and other substantial tasks related to the performance of work as a writer and editor.
Clerical tasks--photocopying, entering data, etc.--are not professional tasks in this sense of the term, except when incidental to a professional task being performed by the intern. If unrelated clerical work is asked for by the firm and performed by the intern, it will be compensated at the currently prescribed hourly rate.
3. Academic Tasks
Interns will be expected to write a ten-page report/analysis of their internship experience. A draft proposal and outline for the paper will be submitted by the intern to the Director of RCTE no later than mid-term of the semester of the internship.
This report/analysis can be integrated with one written for the use of the firm offering the internship, if the firm wants such a report to be part of the on-the-job tasks of the intern.
4. Feedback
Interns should be assigned a mentor in the firm. The University Graduate Council defines a mentor as follows:
Mentors are advisers, people with career experience willing to share their knowledge; supporters, people who give emotional and moral encouragement; tutors, people who give specific feedback on one's performance; masters, in the sense of employers to whom one is apprenticed; sponsors, sources of information about and aid in obtaining opportunities; models, of identity, of the kind of person one would be in [the job].
It is hoped that the intern's mentor will be able to fulfill as many aspects of definition as possible. Interns should know to whom they can go in the firm if the mentor-mentee relationship is not going well.
ADMINISTRATIVE EXPERIENCE
Many of the jobs offered to graduates of RCTE contemplate work in administration. In RCTE we see administration as discipline-based intellectual work, not a distraction from one's "real" academic work. Graduate students in RCTE have a number of opportunities to gain administrative experience. Here are some of them.
Administrative opportunities are available through the English Graduate Union (the representative body of all graduate students in English):
Service on EGU committees
EGU representatives to RCTE faculty meetings
EGU representatives to other departmental committees
Help organize New Directions Conference
Help with Works-in-Progress series and publications
The Writing Program may provide internships and other administrative opportunities in
Writing across the curriculum
Assessment of writing abilities
Community literacy work
Outreach with schools and community colleges
Research on college writing
Helping to organize New Directions Conference
The Writing Program also offers other leadership opportunities such as
12. Assistant to Director. Help edit the Guide, conduct registration, other duties. One course release. All English Department GATs eligible. Competitively selected on basis of teaching evaluations by students and TEADS, and faculty recommendations.
Service on Textbook Selection Committee
Service on Final Examination Committees for First-Year Composition Courses
Internships with the Writing Center
Service on Writing Program Search Committee
Within the RCTE program, you may be able to
Intern with Rhetoric Review. See Theresa Enos.
Work with conferences directed by RCTE people from time to time
Work with community literacy agencies, local businesses, or government agencies in Tucson
Course credit options also provide administrative opportunities, including
20. Internships, English 593 (for Rhetoric Review, in the Writing Program, or with public agencies or local businesses, as discussed above)
community leadership roles available through English 594, the Community Literacy Practicum, or
English 599, Independent Study
WORK TOWARD PUBLICATION
Consider every paper written for a class as an opportunity for publication. Not every paper written for a class will seem to justify the effort of revision, but every paper should be considered in this light, from the time you get the assignment.
Class papers should always be revised before being sent out for publication.
The first opportunity to work toward publication may be when you follow up on the feedback you received in the Qualifying Examination to revise a paper.
Consider a conference presentation as a preliminary step toward publication. You are almost always moving in the right direction when you rewrite a paper for a conference, and rewrite it again after presenting it.
When is a piece ready to send out?
Don't let your enthusiasm to get published make you send out a piece before it is ready. People on the editorial boards of journals report that they are astonished at the low quality of many submissions. In RCTE you have many opportunities to get responses from readers that can help you avoid providing an occasion for this kind of astonishment. Don't wait, though, until your piece is perfect. It never is. Well, almost never. Faculty and RCTE peers can help you make up your mind about when something is ready to go.
Do not send a piece to a journal you haven't researched.
You can write your paper and then select a journal, or write a paper for a specific journal, but in either case, before you submit to the journal, you should learn what you can about the discourse community that the journal participates in, and the kinds of issues it has dealt with. Editors are not amused when they read submissions that reveal no awareness of articles the journal itself has published on the topic.
What is the best place to publish?
From the point of view of the academic job market, the best place to publish is in one of the "refereed" national journals. "Refereed" journals are those that send submissions out to independent peer reviewers.
Invited publications are also good. Some of our students have been invited, after presenting papers at a conference, to submit them for a book collection.
You can get advice about where to send a piece from your Mentor, the teacher of the class in which you wrote the paper, and from your peers.
Don't wait until you are working on the dissertation to send something out.
You need to have a number of submissions out in the year you take your Comprehensive Exams if you are to know their fate by the time you are on the job market.
What happens when you hear back from a journal?
Your submission may be accepted as is, though this doesn't happen often.
You may be invited to revise and resubmit, with or usually without a commitment to publish from the journal.
Or the piece may be rejected. You may or may not get some editorial comment.
Our advice to graduate students is to revise before resubmitting, whether or not you get reviewers' comments. It is possible to overdo this, though. Don't fall into the trap of endlessly revising one piece, unless you have other pieces out.
Reviewers can differ in their views. Finally, you have to trust yourself about your approach, not the reviewers.
FINANCIAL AID OPPORTUNITIES
Revised: August 2011
Below is a summary of the Financial Aid opportunities for RCTE students.
Financial aid from the Graduate College is available only to students who maintain a 3.0 for all UA Graduate credit courses.
The RCTE program can award the following financial aid when it is made funding is made available:
Graduate Assistantships in Teaching (GAT) (or Research, though these are rarely available)
These are referred to as “GATships.” They carry an out-of-state tuition waiver and a one-hundred percent remission of in-state registration fees, leaving GATs responsible only for the miscellaneous fees totaling approximately between $350-450 a semester. The pay for GAT awards varies according to how many classes one is assigned to teach (2 max/semester), prior degrees earned, and how far one has progressed through the program. The awards are ordinarily given for a total of 5 years for students entering with an MA, and a total of 7 years for students entering with a BA (or an MA outside RCTE). The letter from the Department notifying the recipient of the GATship creates the official terms for the award. Satisfactory progress and satisfactory teaching evaluations must be maintained.
Graduate Tuition Scholarships (GTS) for Resident Tuition
These waive resident or in-state tuition for an academic year or semester. Relatively few are available, and they are usually awarded to students in RCTE who do not have GATships.
Graduate Tuition Scholarships (GTS) for Non-Resident Tuition
These waive the out-of-state tuition for an academic year or semester for students with nonresident status. Recipients are still responsible for the resident tuition (unless they are GATs). More GTSs for nonresidents are available for resident tuition. For the last few years, all nonresident students in RCTE have received GTS awards. Advanced nonresident students (post-Comps Exams) should apply to the Graduate College for a Dissertation Scholarship which covers out-of-state tuition. This can free up a GTS for use by students at earlier points in the program.
Fellowships
Fellowships usually carry a waiver of nonresident tuition, if needed. The English Department must apply each year to the Graduate College for fellowships. When fellowships are awarded to the Department, they are divided among the four graduate programs and are awarded to students designated by the faculty of the programs.
Other Fellowship and Teaching Awards
o Barry Briggs Teaching Award
▪ Spring
Contact: Director, Writing Program
o Julie Christakis DeFazio Excellence in Teaching Award
▪ Spring
Contact: Director, Writing Program
o Difference & Inequality Teaching Award
▪ Spring
Contact: Guide Editors
o Ruth Gardner Teaching Award
▪ Spring
Contact: Director, Writing Program
o Johnnie Raye Harper Teaching Award
▪ Spring
Contact: Director, Writing Program
o Milton O. Riepe and Tilly Warnock Summer Fellowships
▪ Summer support for Writing Program GAT's
Contact: Director, Writing Program
o *David L. Patrick Spring Dissertation Fellowships
▪ RCTE & Literature, spring semester support for writing the dissertation
Contact: Office of Graduate Coordinator
*DAVID L. PATRICK DISSERTATION FELLOWSHIP AWARDS
Position/Award Description:
The Patrick Fellowship is designed to support doctoral students in the conduct of dissertation research. Each Spring, three $7,000 Patrick Fellowships will be awarded to Ph.D. candidates in the Literature and RCTE Programs. The awards will alternate as follows: one year two awards will go to Literature and one award to RCTE; the next year, 2 awards will go to RCTE and one award to Literature. Applicants should remember that non-GAT recipients of the fellowship will need to pay for their own Student Health Insurance. Depending on their current status, recipients may also need to register for nine, rather than six, units of coursework, if they are receiving federal financial aid and do not want their loans to be called. If applicable, an out-of-state tuition waiver will be included with the fellowship.
Eligibility:
Ph.D. candidates in the Literature and RCTE Programs who have passed their comprehensive examinations.
Criteria for Selection (see below for more information):
Those nominated will be chosen on the basis of the quality of their record and their writing samples, the timeliness of their progress through their programs, and the committee's evaluation of their future contributions to their fields.
RCTE Selection Process:
Students may nominate themselves by submitting to the Program Director a CV, the dissertation proposal, a dissertation chapter, and a letter of recommendation from the student’s dissertation director. The RCTE Director will serve as chair of an awards subcommittee and will appoint the other two RCTE faculty to serve.
The name(s) put forward by RCTE to the awards committee will be selected by a subcommittee of the RCTE faculty that should not include the chairs of the dissertation committees of any of those candidates who have nominated themselves. If the subcommittee does include a dissertation director of a self-nominated student, that committee member will not vote.
The awards committee will be composed of the Directors of the Literature and RCTE Programs and an additional faculty member in the program receiving two awards.
Application Deadline:
All application materials are due to the Coordinator of Graduate Studies by noon on the first Wednesday in January.
Notification:
Typically within two weeks after application.
Here is how these criteria will be interpreted by the RCTE subcommittee:
the quality of their record
This includes the record of a candidate’s teaching as reflected in TCE’s and TEAD evaluations on file, participation in writing program work, and citizenship in the department and profession, as well as conference presentation and publication, if any, as reflected on the vita submitted.
and their writing samples
The subcommittee will judge the proposal and dissertation chapter according to what they seem to promise concerning the quality of the dissertation.
the timeliness of their progress through their programs
Students not making satisfactory progress are ineligible for financial awards. This includes students who are making satisfactory progress now but who have not met the expectations for satisfactory progress in the past without having extensions granted by the director.
Students on Extension: An applicant who is on extension, who may apply, will not be considered by the RCTE subcommittee; only those who have not received additional financial support will be considered.
and the committee’s evaluation of their future contributions to their fields.
This evaluation will contemplate contributions in the three areas of research, teaching, and service.
How Financial Aid Is Awarded in RCTE
In RCTE financial aid is available to incoming students and students who are making satisfactory progress. Note that to make satisfactory progress in RCTE, a cumulative GPA of 3.5 must be maintained. (The Graduate College requires only a 3.0 for recipients of financial aid.)
Fellowships and GATships may be awarded either to incoming students (for recruitment) or to students already in the program who do not yet have GATships. There are also Summer GATships available (see below.)
It is crucial to RCTE to be able to use these allocations to help recruit new students. In past years, the faculty sometimes decided to hold back some of its allocation and offer GATships to advanced students in RCTE so they can have experience teaching in the Writing Program before completing their degrees and going on the job market. Students eligible for these “advanced student” awards are (1) PhD students who have passed the Comprehensive Exams, and (2) MA students who have passed the Qualifying Exam and intend to apply to the PhD program. GTSs are awarded to students who do not have GATships. In the past few years, however, enough GTSs have been available to cover all of our nonresident students. In awarding these, the faculty considers the recruitment, student financial need, and merit of the sort reflected in the criteria used to rank students for summer employment opportunities (see below).
Summer Teaching
Two kinds of teaching jobs are available in the summer: teaching composition classes in the Summer School, and teaching in Summer Programs. The latter requires more time and pays more. Some tutoring work may be available through Student Services.
The jobs that involve teaching UA classes are awarded only to those who have taught at UA before.
For the Summer School jobs, each graduate program in English is allocated a proportion of the positions available. Each program ranks its applicants according to that program's criteria. For the Summer Programs jobs, applicants are chosen by a panel in Summer Programs.
Below are the criteria that are employed by RCTE to rank students for Summer School positions.
Summer Teaching – RCTE’s Part in the Process
The summer teaching jobs are assigned by the Writing Program. To assist in this process, the Directors of the Graduate Programs are asked to rank the students from their programs who have applied for these jobs. We then forward these rankings to the Writing Program, which makes the final assignments and notifies the applicants.
In RCTE we have explicit criteria for ranking these applications. (As with other financial awards, students must be meeting RCTE’s requirements for satisfactory progress.):
Criteria for Applicants for Summer GATs
First priority is given to students with work visas that restrict them to employment at UA, as agreed to in 1991-92 by the Program Directors.
Beyond that, we prefer students
• who have finished their Comps;
• who have a good record of service, including participation in Colloquia, fora, workshops, and other such events;
• who have good TEAD reports and teaching evaluations;
• who have a record of publication;
• who are making timely progress toward the degree; and
• who haven't taught summer before, other things being equal.
Preference is not given to students
• who have incompletes caused by matters within their control,
• who are more than five years past the MA,
• who have spent more than a year on the dissertation, and
• who have not yet taken the Comprehensive Exam but who have done summer teaching before.
To abide by these criteria, we begin by making a list of students who have passed their Comprehensive Examinations. Those who have not passed their Comprehensive Examinations form a second group.
Within these two groups, we put at the top of the list the students who haven’t yet taught in the summer. Within each of the subgroups, the Director then ranks students according to the remaining criteria (“good TEAD reports and teaching evaluations,” “who have a good record of service, including participation in Colloquia, fora, workshops, and other such events,” and “a record of publication.”) Of these three, the first is the most important. Publication is not necessary but may be considered.
To arrive at these rankings, we consult the TEAD reports for each applicant and the latest vitas we have available for the applicant.
NB: Here is a reason to update your vitas regularly, as the RCTE Handbook suggests. You should update your vita at least annually at the end of the fall semester, as well as for the Annual Review. A copy should be given to the RCTE Program Assistant so that the program will have a recent version available for such tasks such as this one.
As always in RCTE, we work together to develop clearly stated criteria so that the rankings are as transparent and objective as possible.
Other Financial Aid Available through the Graduate College
Complete information about these scholarships and others can be found on the Graduate College website:
• Thesis/Dissertation Tuition Scholarship
Waiver of nonresident tuition only.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Please contact the Director or Program Assistant to recommend you for a Dissertation Waiver if you meet the eligibility, which can be found here:
• Graduate Student Research Fund
Provides research funds directly to the graduate student engaged in theses or dissertation research. Travel funds to conduct research will be considered; however, travel funds to attend meetings and/or present papers will not be allowed.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Student will submit an original and three copies of a brief proposal (2-4 pages, exclusive of letters of support and research approval form, double-spaced) addressed to Graduate College, Administration Building, Room 322.
CONTACT: 621-3471.
• Graduate Access Fellowships
UA Graduate College's Graduate Access Fellowship is intended to broaden the access of U.S. students to graduate education and to promote the diversity of our graduate student body.
Please see:
• Summer Research Support Program
Provides monetary support to a limited number of graduate students engaged in dissertation research.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE: Departments will submit one original and three copies of the application addressed to Graduate College, Administration Building, Room 322.
CONTACT: 621-3471.
• Graduate Student Travel Fund
Provides funding for students to attend professional meetings to present the results of their research and/or creative activities.
CONTACT: 621-9223.
Other Department Aid Opportunities
The Department or College of Humanities offers other kinds of financial aid, including graduate assistant to the Comp Director, Writing Program coordinators, Writing Center coordinators, Writing Program internships, Instructional Computing (COH Lab) positions, and graderships.
THE JOB SEARCH
Revised August 2009
How to Prepare Yourself before the Year of the Search
Besides developing a good program of coursework, doing well in your classes, and publishing some articles, you should join professional organizations, deliver papers at conferences, and attend sessions at UA where visiting speakers from other programs present their work. Such contacts can help you begin to build up your network of professional acquaintances.
As you move through the program, you should give some thought to what kind of job you want to have and where. When you complete your Annual Review, you have an opportunity to reflect on these matters and get some feedback on them.
RCTE will continue to make sure students on the job market are well prepared even if RCTE no longer can offer the credit bearing Job Search Workshop. Although students on the job market will mostly be in charge of putting together their documents and setting up meetings, mock interviews, etc., the Program will make sure there is a faculty who will serve as anchor and provide leadership.
In the fall of the year you are entering the market, you should rehearse the kinds of things you might say to a prospective employer about your commitments as a teacher and researcher. You can do this in the Reflective Essay on Professional Growth in your Annual Review and get some feedback from the Director.
Keep the Director and the Chair of your dissertation committee apprised of your goals and plans. The faculty are eager to help you get the job you want, and they can help. But they need to know what you are thinking and where you stand.
The Year of the Search
The job search is sometimes an exhilarating experience, but it is grueling and time consuming, and you usually become most actively involved in it at the same time that you are most pressed to be writing your dissertation. It is thus essential that you plan ahead.
It’s best not to go on the job market unless a draft of your dissertation is virtually complete.
It’s best to attend the job preparation workshops provided.
Budget for Expenses
These can be substantial. You will need to pay for postage, supplies, copying charges (the Department provides some assistance with these--see Program Assistant), travel, room and board for the MLA Convention in December and possibly the CCCC's convention in March. You should join these organizations if you haven't already, and register for the conventions if you can. It is easily possible to spend over $1,000. Do not stint on the quality of your printing and envelopes. Use UA letterhead provided by the front desk in the English Department office for letters.
The English Department will support your job search in these ways by providing
▪ Access to MLA JIL on-line. (See Program Assistant for password.)
▪ Department letterhead stationery. (However, the Department will not support postage or mailing costs.)
▪ Limited access to the department copy machine. Note: Materials for copying should be limited to those required for the applications. Materials should be given to the front desk in ML 445 with appropriate lead time for copying (i.e., individual job seekers should not use the copy machine). Emergency situations will be addressed by Lourdes Canto.
▪ Access to a small collection of books and articles on the job market which are kept in Marcia Marma's office.
▪
September:
▪ Set up a Placement File with Career and Placement Services in the Student Union (621-4224). They will explain how files are set up and sent out.
▪ Solicit letters of recommendation from faculty.
▪ Put vitae in file.
Letters of recommendation
Have at least three letters.
Do not wait until the last minute to ask for letters.
Be sure to have one from the Chair of your Dissertation Committee.
Detailed letters from people who know your work well are better than vague letters from prominent people.
If possible, have letters addressed directly to institution you are applying to.
Your vita should
Be in good form (see Annual Review instructions and MLA Career Guide), and scrupulously free of errors.
Be included with every letter you send out.
Not be more than three pages long, ordinarily.
Suggest balance between commitments to teaching, research, and service.
Be up to date.
September and October:
▪ Attend Colloquium and Workshops on Preparing for the Market
▪ Draft Letters of Application
▪ Prepare Your Writing Sample
Draft some letters of application and show them to the Director and to the Chair of your dissertation committee, at least. An important part of this letter is your description of your dissertation, which must be as pithy and interesting as possible.
These letters are VERY important. You should take lots of time with them, tailoring them to the particular institutions you are interested in.
As a student, you realize what you don't know. As a candidate, it is essential to give yourself credit for what you do know, what you have done. Don't pad, but DON'T UNDERESTIMATE YOURSELF. This is the time to let your light shine.
A possible outline:
1. Identify the position you are applying for and where it is advertised.
2. Briefly and specifically outline your areas of expertise.
3. Discuss in a concise paragraph your dissertation in specific terms: give its title, specific authors/works important to it, specific theoretical underpinnings. If your work is well advanced, you may wish to prepare a more detailed abstract that you can enclose. State firmly that you will complete the dissertation and have the degree in hand before the beginning of the coming academic year.
4. Give some indication of publications and research interests.
5. Emphasize teaching innovations and versatility. Offer an engaging specific example or two. You may want to indicate courses you would like to develop for them (but don't offer to reform their program until you are asked to). Development here of your teaching is important in many institutions (perhaps more important than writing about your dissertation).
6. Identify enclosures (including your writing sample, for which you may want to provide a context), mention status of dossier, and state your willingness to meet at the MLA convention. Make sure that the search committee has your address, phone number, and e-mail address and that it knows how to get in touch with you all the way up to the convention date.
You should have your letters almost ready to go when the job listings come out.
Very Important: Get faculty input on letters of application and on your writing sample, three reviewers if possible. Attend the job preparation workshops.
October onward:
▪ Study Job Listings
▪ Send Letters of Application
▪ Send Dossiers and Writing Samples to Those Who Request Them
Job Listings
The major source of job listings in English Departments is the MLA Job Information List, which comes out first in October, then in November, February, and March. RCTE offers workshop sessions on the job-search process. (See RCTE’s Program Assistant for the password.)
Job listings also appear in the Chronicle of Higher Education. You can access and search electronically through the web. (See the Department Head’s Administrative Assistant for the password.)
Some institutions ask for dossiers with letters of application. Most make an initial cut before requesting dossiers.
December:
▪ Prepare for Interviews
If your letter of application and your dossier do the job, you may be invited to an interview at a convention.
The major venue for job interviews is the convention of the Modern Language Association, which takes place between Christmas and New Year's. People on the job market should plan to attend MLA for a few days and be prepared for the necessary expenditures, which can be considerable.
You should participate in the Mock Interviews conducted by RCTE for people going to MLA and elsewhere.
January-May:
▪ Prepare for Campus Visits
▪ Negotiate
If you are asked for a campus visit, your expenses will usually be paid. We won't go into detail about the visit here because a workshop on the campus visit is offered in the spring.
If you receive an offer, you must be given a reasonable time to respond to it before it can be withdrawn. It is usually a good idea to take some time, even though you may feel so relieved you want to accept at once.
There is more to think about at the negotiation stage than many first-timers think. You should consult with faculty at this stage.
All Year:
▪ Keep the work on the dissertation going
▪ Keep in touch with faculty
▪ Keep your eye on the job listings
▪ Don't panic
Keep the work on the dissertation going.
You must keep the dissertation going. In four-year colleges and universities, you simply won't get an offer if there is any doubt about your finishing in time.
Keep in touch with faculty.
Some job seekers have kept in touch with several faculty at once by writing up reports of how things went and are going. Don't think faculty want only good news.
Faculty sometimes hear about job openings before they are generally announced--another reason why you should keep them apprised of your goals and progress.
Keep your eye on the job listings.
In recent years a growing number of jobs have come open after the MLA Convention. More and more people are finding jobs that weren't listed in October or even December. Funding uncertainties, among other things, can force institutions to delay their searches.
Don't panic.
If your colleagues are getting requests for interviews or campus visits and you aren't, don't panic. Departments of English vary rather widely in their efficiency in handling paperwork, and even efficient operations can have problems during the process.
People have received invitations to interviews at MLA as late as Christmas Eve, and a significant number of candidates take jobs that come up after MLA. Invitations for campus visits can come as late as the summer.
Keep writing that good dissertation. That will get you there in time.
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