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Department of Political Science
Case Western
Reserve University
Review
the Department Guidelines.
These guidelines describe the
objectives and structure of the exams.
Select Courses Carefully. Courses with regular faculty members,
instead of visitors, and courses with a variety of faculty members will be
useful in preparing for the exams. A comparison of M.A. Reading Lists and
course descriptions may also indicate which courses will be most helpful
for examination preparation. Moreover, students may design an independent
study, POSC 601, to assist them in preparing for the exams. In most cases,
students should work with a faculty member who is a specialist in the subfield
in which the student is least prepared. (For comparative, students have
the option of attending Professor McMann's POSC 260: Introduction to Comparative
Politics, as part of their POSC 601 program of study.)
Establish a Schedule. At the beginning of their graduate career,
students should think about which semester they plan to take their exams. After
having taken a few courses, all graduate students should review the M.A.
reading lists to begin to evaluate how much study outside of coursework will
be necessary for successful completion of exams. Students should set aside
time for this independent work. Doctoral students need to set aside additional
time to develop their own reading lists for their primary and secondary subfields.
Take Notes. To facilitate studying for the exams, students should
take notes on course and reading list materials. M.A. students should take
notes to help them explain, critique, integrate, and apply the arguments of the
leading works in American Politics & Government, Comparative Politics,
and International Relations. Ph.D. students should take notes to help them
explain, critique, integrate, and apply the arguments of the leading works
in the subfield of focus, to fully describe the evolution of the subfield,
and to propose new directions for research in that subfield. One approach
to note-taking is to document the argument, the type of evidence used, the
relationship to other key works in the field, and one's own criticisms.
Form a Study Group. Students may want to form a study group with
other graduate students in preparation for the exams. The Graduate Coordinator
can provide students' exam schedules and contact information.
Meet with Faculty. Students should consult their
advisors, the Graduate Coordinator, and other faculty for advice about each
of the topics
above. Faculty can be particularly helpful in offering suggestions about
course selection. Students should also meet with faculty from the subfields
to discuss substantive questions that may arise in the course of studying
for exams.
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