Instructions for Urban Studies Students taking preliminary examinations

Updated May 2006

Amanda I. Seligman, Associate Professor

 

1.  Observe the page limits strictly:  no more than 10 pages for each essay, footnotes included!

 

2.  This is an exam situation:  you and I are expected not to be in contact during the time when you are writing the exam.  Ask your questions of me ahead of time!

 

3.  We try to structure the exams so that one group of questions is primarily about a topic and the other group is primarily an assessment of the literature; you will probably be asked to pick one question from each group.  You need to demonstrate mastery both of content and of scholarly argumentation.  Do not look at the questions and expect that you can write only about content or only about scholarship.

 

4.  In the oral portion of the exam, we will ask you to elaborate on your written answers.  We might also ask you to talk about things that there was not room for on the written exam if gaps are noticeable.

 

5.  Make sure that your written answer offers a thesis and argument that hold together your essay.  The answer should be more than just a bunch of summaries of your reading list stapled together in an order; it should actually address the larger question being posed.