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Research Field: African American History
Teaching Field: U.S. History
Theoretical Field: Black Power Studies

Q: What are comprehensive exams?

A: They can be written, oral, or a combination of the two. The idea is to prove to my exam committee that I have a base knowledge that I have acquired through coursework and reading. They look differently for every discipline, and even within disciplines they look differently depending on the year the graduate student takes them and the composition of the committee. Each graduate division has its own guidelines for how they work. At the History Department of the University of Oregon, we take oral exams consisting of roughly one-and-a-half hours of conversation with the committee, in which they test my understanding and interpretation of events and the historiography (the history of people writing about history).

Q: Why are you posting your unedited notes here?

A: These notes were primarily for me, so I have not polished them, but I was inspired by the work of Cameron Blevins, whose summaries have been helpful to so many. There may be inconsistencies, misinterpretations, mispellings, misquotes, and sections that still need page number citations, so use them with caution. Feel free to comment and offer suggestions—some day I hope to return to this work with a more careful pen.