Written Exam Procedures
The first section, a take-home examination, establishes the candidates’ general knowledge about representative texts in rhetoric and composition. The composition faculty will create this list and revise it every few years.
The candidate will receive a list of 8 questions based on the reading list two weeks prior to taking the exam. At 8 a.m. on a Friday morning, s/he will receive a copy of the exam, which will consist of 4 of the 8 questions. The exam will be due at 8 a.m. the following Monday. The Graduate Chair will supervise the exam, which are given twice a year-- in the fall and the spring.
The exam will be read by the graduate rhetoric faculty and graded pass/fail. If the candidate fails, s/he may retake it once.
Exam instructions:
Using sources primarily from the reading list, write a 1500-2000 word essay in response to each of the 4 questions. Feel free—but not obligated—to use sources beyond the reading list. You will need a bibliography of cited sources using MLA or APA style. Please remember that this is an individual effort. Don’t collaborate with others during the time you are writing the exam. Edit and proofread, of course.