Comps Exam 2008-2009

Students can fulfill the Sociology/Anthropology integrative exercise through a comprehensive, six-hour examination consisting of four essay questions. The students will write required exam essays covering material from the core required courses for the major, Sociological Thought and Theory; Anthropological Thought and Theory; and Social Research Methods. In addition, students will choose one from several substantive subfields of anthropology and sociology (for example, race/ethnicity, social inequality, gender, religion, etc.), on which they will write an additional exam essay.

Procedures

The Sociology/Anthropology comps examination will take place Spring Term and will consist of a three-hour morning exam and a three-hour afternoon exam. The morning exam will test the student's mastery of sociological and anthropological theory and will consist of a 1½ hour exam on Sociological Theory and a 1½ hour exam on Anthropological Theory. The afternoon exam will consist of a 1½ hour exam on social research methodology, and a 1½ hour exam on one of the topical areas covered by the department (see attached list).

Exam responses will be read and evaluated by at least two faculty members. In the event of possible failure or distinction, additional faculty members will evaluate the exam. If the student fails all or part of the exam, he or she will have the opportunity to retake a similar exam covering the portion(s) of the comprehensive exam that he/she failed. Failure on the retake results in failure on the comprehensive exam.

To earn distinction on the comps exam, a student must earn a grade of distinction in three of the four exam areas (Sociological Theory, Anthropological Theory, Methods, and Topical Area) and pass or distinction on the fourth exam.

Schedule

Friday, October 3, 2008 - Students planning to take the comps exam turn in a statement of intent to the Department Chair. This statement should indicate the student's intention to take the comps exam and include a list of courses that the student has taken in the major.

Friday, October 17, 2008 - Sample exam questions for core sections of exam distributed.

Friday, January 9, 2009 - Deadline for switching from the thesis option to exam option. Students notify Department Chair of the topical area on which they will write the fourth exam question.

Friday, January 16, 2009 - Study guides for topical areas distributed.

Winter Term 2008 - Study groups meet to prepare for exam.

Saturday, April 4, 2009, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. - Comps exam (place to be announced)

Saturday, May 2, 2009, 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. - Date of second exam for those failing the first exam.

Topical Areas for the Comps Exam

Students will select one area from the following list, on which they will write the fourth comps exam question. For each topical area, we have indicated courses offered by the Department that deal centrally with this topical area, and which would provide core readings and materials to review in preparation for the exam. In most if not all cases, material drawn from other courses will also be relevant to each topical area. Students are encouraged to draw upon relevant material from other courses that they have taken in the department, both in preparing for the exam and in writing it. For example, although SA228, Sociology of Religion, and SA260, Myth, Ritual, and Symbolism may be the core courses for the topical area “Religion, Society, and Culture,” material dealing with religion, healing and health drawn from SA262, Anthropology of Health and Illness, would also be relevant to this area. Students who elect to take the topical exam on “Religion, Society, and Culture” and who have taken SA262 are encouraged to review relevant material from the latter course in preparation for the exam, and incorporate it into their exam response if relevant. Syllabi for these courses will be available in the Department’s COLLAB folder for Comps. After students inform the department chair of the topical area on which they intend to write the fourth part of the comps exam, they will also receive a study guide to help them in preparing for the exam.

1. Religion, Society and Culture (Core courses: SA228 and SA260)

2. Power, Inequality and Identity (SA220, SA222, SA395 “Idioms of Inequality”)

3. Gender (SA226, SA395 “Anthropology of Reproduction”)

4. Health and Healing (SA260, SA262, SA395 “Anthropology of Reproduction”)

5. Deviance, Law and Society (SA221, SA303)

6. Economic Intensification and Exchange (SA234, SA312, SA395 “Idioms of Inequality”)

7. Environment, Culture and Society (SA130, SA234, SA244)

8. Indigenous Peoples and the State (SA250, SA259, SA302)

9. Ethnicity and Race (See core reading list drawn from a cross-section of our courses)

10. Archaeology (SA230, SA246)