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Grading and Evaluation
The comprehensive examination questions will be written and graded by members of the departmental graduate committee on a rotating basis. Unless you are the only student taking the exam during a particular semester, your identity will be concealed during the grading.
The determination of the graders will be communicated to you in writing within two weeks. A copy of this letter will also be sent to the Office of Graduate Studies.
Evaluation Criteria
Examinations will be evaluated using the following criteria:
All essays
- Does the essay have a clear, well argued thesis?
- Does the essay offer analysis rather than summary?
- Are generalizations supported with specific references to the texts?
- Is the essay well organized and clearly written?
Text question
- Does the essay show a good understanding of the text?
- Does the essay adeptly incorporate critical/theoretical literature on the text?
- Does the essay effectively demonstrate sufficient knowledge of critical theory?
Theme question
- Does the essay show a good understanding of three texts from three distinct cultures?
- Does the essay effectively demonstrate sufficient knowledge of critical theory?
Poetry question
- Does the essay show a satisfactory understanding of the poem?
- Does the essay reveal a familiarity with key terms of prosody?
- Does it emphasize the ways in which form complements content?
