African Studies Written Comprehensive Exam Procedure

Students in the Ohio University African Studies M.A. Program will be required to take a written comprehensive examination, or complete a professional project or thesis. Those choosing to take the comprehensive exam will do so during the final semester of their program as an integral part of the degree requirements. The procedure for the written comprehensive exam is as follows:

1. All written comprehensive examinations will be scheduled at one time each semester, normally in the last three weeks of the semester.
2. Each student preparing to take the written exam must:
   1. Submit the Notification of Intent Form to the African Studies Director. This form indicates your intention to sit for the written examination and can be found on the Center for International Studies website.
   2. Appear at the designated time and place equipped with a pen to write the comprehensive exam or with a diskette if you prefer to work on the computer. Blue books will be provided for the examination by the center.
   3. Note that as this is an interdisciplinary program, the exam questions will be addressed from a variety of disciplinary perspectives.
3. Students will be given approximately 10 questions and will answer three in a four-hour time period.
4. Each faculty committee member will read and evaluate the entire examination and submit his/her evaluation in writing to the comprehensive coordinator. The coordinator will then report the outcome of the examination to the Program Director, who will convey the results to the student as soon as possible.
5. Four possible results may emerge from the examination:
   1. Unconditional Pass — Successfully passed exam. The oral examination is waived.
   2. Conditional Pass — A subsequent oral examination is required.
   3. No Pass — Student may retake the written examination once after he/she completes remedial work as determined by the examination committee members.
   4. Fail — A grade of “fail” can be returned to the Program Director only when all members of the examination committee concur. A candidate who receives a grade of “fail” will be automatically dropped from the program.

In preparation for the exam, students should review the major works that were used in their coursework. Questions will cover a variety of disciplines but will focus on the core disciplines of African Studies, including history, political science, geography, anthropology and the humanities. Answers should show a comprehensive understanding of African issues. Students should be able to incorporate readings and the works of major scholars, while not necessarily providing exact bibliographic information. The focus of the exam is on the content of the questions but the format should be well thought out and defined.