Ph.D. HANDBOOK FOR RHETORIC AND WRITING STUDENTS

Ph.D. HANDBOOK FOR

RHETORIC AND WRITING

STUDENTS

1996-97

DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH

BOWLING GREEN STATE UNIVERSITY

This handbook is designed to provide basic, useful information for completion of the Ph.D. in English with Specialization in Rhetoric and Writing, including information about course work, preliminary exams, and dissertations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

The Doctoral Program

Doctoral Emphasis in the Department of English

Language Requirement

Course Work

Topics Courses and Independent Studies

The TDP and Directions for Completion

Sample TDP Form

The Preliminary Exam Process

The Administrative Process for the Exam

Preparing Reading Lists

Registration Requirements

The Graduate Lecture

Deadlines for Lecture

Preparing for the Lecture

Content of the Lecture

The Dissertation Writing Process

Non-service Dissertation Assistantships

The Dissertation Defense

Guidelines for Defense

Committee Chair Responsibilities

Final Ph.D. Checklist

The Doctoral Program

The Doctoral Program in English at Bowling Green State University, designed to be completed within three years, consists of four components: (1) completion of course work; (2) satisfaction of the language requirement; (3) successful completion of preliminary exams; and (4) writing and defense of the dissertation project.

30 hours of Master's Degree credit
33-39 hours of course work
6 hours of preliminary exam preparation
16-21 hours of dissertation credit
90 minimum hours of graduate credit

Those candidates who achieve the required number of hours, successfully complete their preliminary exams and language requirement, and defend their dissertation receive their Ph.D. from Bowling Green State University with specialization in English.

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Doctoral Emphasis in the Department of English

The Department of English at BGSU attempts to fashion its doctoral program to meet the professional needs of its students, the trends in the profession at large, and its faculty's strengths. To that end, the department supports course work and doctoral emphases in the field of Rhetoric and Writing. Students who matriculate into our doctoral program are thus generally expected to complete course work, preliminary exams, and dissertation projects within this emphasis.

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Language Requirement

Doctoral students must demonstrate advanced competence in a foreign, artificial, or computer language before advancing to the preliminary exam and dissertation stages of their programs. This requirement may be satisfied by one of following four options:

one

(a)

(b)

five years

(c)

(d)

Earning a "B" or better in the English department graduate course, English 750, Old English Language and Literature;

Earning a "B" or better in one course in American Sign Language;

Passing at "B" level or above a Computer Programming Language course such CS 500, CS 100 and 101; CS 101 and 205; or GBA 500.

Special conditions apply to those whose native language is not English. Consult with the Graduate Coordinator for further information.

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Course work

Doctoral candidates will generally complete their course work within their first two years and are expected to matriculate having completed certain core requirements as an M.A. student. Those who have not completed the core requirements as illustrated below will be expected to do so in their first year of course work.

TYPICAL SEQUENCE

Core requirements for all students entering doctoral study in Rhetoric and Writing:

A course in research and bibliography (ENG 601)
A course in literary criticism and theory (ENG 607)
A course in linguistics (ENG 615)

Rhetoric and Writing

Teaching of Writing
Linguistics Elective
Topics course within emphasis

History of Rhetoric and Written Discourse
Topics course within emphasis
Elective

YEAR TWO

Rhetoric of Written Discourse
Topics course within emphasis
Res. and Pub. in English Studies

Research in Rhetoric and Writing
Elective
Elective

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Topics Courses and Independent Studies

To facilitate student interest and faculty research initiatives, the program offers students and faculty the opportunity to earn graded or ungraded credit in topics courses (e.g., ENG 680/780; 682/782) and independent studies (1-3 hours, ENG 684/784; 690/790). Topics courses focus on special themes or specialized areas of interest; independent studies are initiated by the student with prospective faculty mentors. Topics courses may be taken more than once if the subject matter varies. NOTE: No more than nine hours of independent study may be counted toward the required number of hours for graduation. Neither topics courses nor independent studies may be used to substitute for required courses but may satisfy certain elective or emphasis requirements. Consult with the Graduate Coordinator for more information.

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The TDP and Directions for Completion

The TDP (Tentative Degree Program) form is a schematic outline of your graduate career at BGSU. This form, a facsimile of which follows on the next page, must be completed and submitted by the end of your first year of course work. The following discussion refers to the typical way Ph.D. candidates complete the form. In order to fill out your TDP, you need to be familiar with your specific program requirements, generally so with likely future course offerings, and with various Graduate College deadlines. The TDP may be amended as necessary once filed but should be accurate by the point at which it is submitted. Therefore, the Department suggests that you have your program information, a copy of available upcoming course schedules, and the Graduate Catalog nearby as you work to complete the form. Remember, the TDP must be typed. Here are the steps you should follow:

First

The second step is a little more tedious. You need to prepare a chronological list of courses you have taken and list these on the form with dates (e.g., "Spring, 1997"). Do not include any courses (e.g., English 602) that do not count toward graduation.

Next, determine which courses you need to take (including those intended to fulfill the language requirement) and what semester they will be offered, if known. (Because of the vagaries of scheduling, you must often use some course work as "placeholders"; an amended TDP later can specify exactly which courses you took.) Once you know what courses you will be planning to take to complete your degree, include them on the TDP form.

The last step. You will have preliminary examinations, a dissertation, etc. to schedule. Again consult your program information, the Graduate Catalog, and your prelim/dissertation chair to decide when you will complete each of these stages. Since this is all prospective, relatively accurate dates are acceptable; basically, you should plan to take the prelims sometimes at the end of the second year or at the beginning of your third year of course work, and the dissertation three or so years from your entry into the program. Make sure to sign and date the TDP; then, submit it to the English Graduate Office for approval. the Graduate Secretary will obtain the Graduate Coordinator's signature, copy the form, and forward it for other required signatures. (Remember, it's "tentative," so it can be amended!)

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Sample TDP FORM:

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The Preliminary Exam Process

The preliminary examination process is designed to verify that a student has expert knowledge in emphases supported by the department faculty and cumulative course offerings. For all Ph.D. students, the written examination consists of two exams, and each exam may be repeated once. These written exams are supplemented by a two-hour oral exam. This oral exam will not be given until both written exams have been successfully completed. Please note the language requirement must be satisfied before the preliminary exams may be scheduled.

The Administrative Process for the Exams

To begin the preliminary exam process you need to form a preliminary committee with the advice of the Graduate Coordinator, which should take place sometime before the end of the second year of course work. To facilitate your preparation for the exams, you may sign up for preliminary exams hours (ENG 798) under the supervision of your chair and other committee members who will assist your study leading up to the exams. This is usually done in the semester before prelims are scheduled, but may be simultaneous with them. (You may count up to six hours of ENG 798 toward your graduation requirements.) The following discussion indicates the general process of forming a committee and the role the Graduate Coordinator, the Graduate Committee of the Department, and Committee Chair and Members of the Exam Committee play in this process.

Graduate Coordinator

The Graduate Coordinator is responsible for all advising up to the point at which you begin to study for the preliminary examination; thus, general course, residence, and language requirements are not the responsibility of the Preliminary Committee Chair. You may not sign up for preliminary hours until you have put together a committee.

Establishing a Committee

When you are ready to begin study for the Preliminary Examination, you should choose a Committee Chair with whom you wish to complete study for the prelims. You may retain the chair of the Prelim Committee for the dissertation, or you may choose to select a different chair. You should choose carefully, for ease of personal communication as well as for scholarly interest. Committees, consisting of 3-4 English department members, and one "outside" member, are formed as follows:

(1) Two members are chosen by the student who are expert in the student's chosen emphasis. NOTE: One of these two should serve as chair.

(2) One or two members are assigned by the Graduate Coordinator on a rotational basis and usually have some expertise or interest in the candidate's emphasis.

(3) One member from a department outside of English is assigned by the Graduate College who acts as a supervisory member but has equal evaluative and voting rights as other faculty members.

The Committee Chair

The Chair should guide the student toward success by completing these steps:

2. Consult with the people on the candidate's committee, and obtain their suggestions for the reading lists.

3. Check with the candidate to be sure s/he circulates the final reading lists and obtains the signatures of everyone on the committee.

4. Plan a schedule with the candidate; schedule the committee meeting for the discussion of prelim questions, the dates for the written exams, and the date of the possible oral exam; submit proposal for approval of Graduate Committee.

5. Upon approval, conduct the committee meeting for the planning of the prelim questions.

6. Obtain the questions written by the committee members and compose the two exams.

7. Schedule the exam with the Graduate Secretary and be available when the candidate takes the exams so any questions can be clarified.

8. Make sure the committee members read and evaluate the exams promptly; listen to their evaluations and plan the oral exam.

9. Notify the candidate of the results and notify the Graduate Coordinator in writing.

10. Conduct the candidate's oral exam.

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Preparing Reading Lists

You must prepare reading lists for both exams in consultation with your committee; you may do this as part of your preliminary exam hours but it is preferable to compile the reading lists before you embark on your preparation for the exams. Committee members are responsible for helping you compile the lists for the two exams, which are based upon a Rhetoric faculty-endorsed "core list." According to usual practice, you should prepare a rough draft of each list with the help of the prelim chair. You then circulate the list among the committee members to obtain their suggestions for improvements. You and your chair then compose final lists for both exams which all of the committee members should sign and date to indicate their approval. (The optimum number of total items for the combined lists is 140 items.) Because some faculty serve on many committees, this records-keeping allows for clear communication among the committee members, the prelim chair, and you, the candidate. Typically, the two exams cover, respectively, the broad field of rhetoric and writing, and secondary emphases within the field, as in this example:

Exam One

A written examination prepared by the candidate's committee on such general areas of the discipline as theories of rhetoric, theories of composition, the composing process, linguistics and writing, dialects and writing, pedagogical theories and practices, and empirical research.

Exam Two

A focused or specialized exam in Rhetoric and Writing that allows the student to study and demonstrate competence in a combination of sub-disciplines and sub-topics within Rhetoric and Writing. For example, the student might take an exam that scrutinizes the related areas of the writing process, developmental writing, and literacy. A different student might take an exam that focuses specifically on the discipline of scientific and technical communication or on gender studies. These areas for examination should be defined by the student and his or her committee and approved by the Graduate Coordinator and Graduate Committee.

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Preparing the Exams

The committee should prepare the two written exams for you and may solicit questions from the candidate as well. The committee will also conduct an oral exam. The committee as a whole should have a one-hour meeting with you about one month before the scheduled exams in order to discuss the types of questions you expect, to review the interests on which you would like to focus, to resolve any other issues that may affect the types of questions written, and to reserve a date for the oral exam that will complete your prelims

Administration

During the past decade, a majority of prelim exams have been designed as 48-hour take-home exams. The candidate usually picks up a copy of the exam form on a Friday morning, uses the weekend for writing and final editing, and returns two sets of the completed, word-processed answers to the Graduate Secretary by 9:00 A.M. the following Monday. All take-home exams should be double-spaced and paginated with name, social security number, and page number in the upper-right-hand corner of each page.

A candidate also has the option of taking each exam as a timed exam in the campus setting within a traditional 4 1/2 hour time block. In this case, each written exam should require about 4 1/2 hours of classroom time for completion. You should have a selection of questions for each exam from which to choose, but the questions should be succinct enough so that you can read them fairly quickly and easily. You may discuss these options with your committee chair at the time you formally apply for permission to take the exams.

Quality

The exam questions should be designed to elicit originality and synthesis of material rather than merely to prompt a recitation of information. The two exams should complement each other, but they should not overlap even if your reading lists do. During the oral exam, each committee member should question you; the exam should not be conducted by the chair alone. You may bring notes to the oral exam, but the committee should not have to wait while you "look up answers." The notes should be like those an instructor might use for a two-hour lecture.

Evaluating Exams

Exams should be read quickly and results should be returned to you in a timely manner. Committee members should read the exams, evaluate them as either passing or not passing, and inform the committee chair in writing of their pass or fail vote for each written exam. The committee chair should then contact you and the Graduate Coordinator with the committee's decision. There may be one dissenting vote, i.e., if all the votes but one are passing, the exam is passing. You should be notified of your scores before you take the oral exam. If an exam receives more than one negative vote, the Committee Chair should call a committee meeting to discuss the members' concerns about the exam. At the meeting, the members should then vote to pass or fail the candidate on one or both exams. You may repeat each written exam and the oral exam once. If you fail one or both written exams, the oral should be postponed until you have passed both written exams.

Oral Exam

After the committee has read the written exams, it will conduct a two-hour oral exam that may cover your written exam questions, related issues that arise from your answers, works on the reading lists that are not discussed on the written exam, or future research or dissertation plans. Following are some informal guidelines that committees have found useful in the past in organizing the oral exam:

1. Decorum. The chair should remember that everyone on the committee should have a chance to talk with the student and to question the student. For example, if the graduate college representative wishes to ask questions, he or she should be encouraged to do so.

2. First half-hour. The committee can ask you to expand on the answers in the written exam. More detail about the written answers may be needed, or the answers may have raised concerns that call for discussion.

3. Second half-hour. The committee may move to questions about the broad issues raised by your exam and areas of interest, and/or they may ask about further questions raised by your exam answers.

4. Remaining time. You and the committee may move to a broad discussion of the issues and topics pertinent to the reading lists. These discussions can include works on the list but not mentioned in the written exam.

5. Last fifteen minutes. You should leave the room so the committee members can discuss the exam. They should vote to pass or fail the candidate. They should all sign the required papers which the candidate or the chair will return to the graduate secretary. They should invite you back into the room to discuss the results of the decision.

NOTE: Both written exams and the oral exam must be completed within a four-week time frame.

Registration Requirements

Between the completion of course work and the completion of the preliminary examinations, the appropriate form of graduate registration is 798 (i.e., independent study in preparation for prelims.) You should register for 9 credit hours if teaching two classes, 12 credit hours if teaching one. The Graduate College discourages 798 registration for more than one semester, though a second semester may be approved in exceptional circumstances.

Because 798 credit is only allotted in 3 credit hour blocks, it may be necessary for you to register for 798s with three or four different members of your committee. 798s are evaluated on an S/U basis; it is important for faculty to recognize that the work which you do under these 798 registrations is not necessarily intended to culminate in anything other than satisfactory performance on the prelims. If a faculty member wants periodic meetings with you and/or written work, this will be spelled out clearly ahead of time on the 798 request form available in the Graduate Advising Office.

In summary, to complete prelims successfully, you must:

(1) Consult the Graduate Coordinator to establish a committee to take prelims. Ask the Graduate Coordinator to appoint your committee members with the appropriate paperwork and help you establish a schedule for the exams.

(2) Obtain the signatures of your committee members and chair on your final draft reading lists for the genre and period exams.

(3) Satisfy your foreign language requirement in order to schedule your set of exams.

(4) Schedule a committee meeting at least one month before your scheduled prelim dates to discuss your exam and reading list.

(5) Take and pass both written prelims.

(6) Take and pass the oral exam.

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The Graduate Lecture

After the successful completion of the prelims, your task is to propose, research, draft, and defend a dissertation project. The first step in this process is the Graduate Lecture. The Graduate Lecture is a one hour presentation and discussion of your dissertation topic. The lecture is a formal academic presentation given to the members of your Dissertation Committee, other members of the Department, and university community, and any other guests. The Graduate Lecture serves as formal declaration and its completion represents the approval of the dissertation plan. It gives the members of your Dissertation Committee a chance to hear, in detail, the work you hope to accomplish in your dissertation. Your committee members can then sign the dissertation approval form required by the Graduate College.

Deadlines for Lecture

Candidates should give the Graduate Lecture no later than the academic semester (summer excluded) following the one in which you passed the preliminary exams. You should also be aware that you must apply for approval of your dissertation topic before you present the lecture. All candidates must pick up a Graduate Lecture application form from the Graduate Secretary, fill it out, and return it to him/her at least two weeks before the proposed date of the lecture. If you do not do this, your lecture is subject to cancellation.

Preparing for the Lecture

Upon completion of your prelims you should begin working closely with your Committee Chair in planning the research and writing of your dissertation. Since the lecture requires you to have thought carefully about, read in depth on, and written about your dissertation topic, you may wish to set up a timeline with your chair. Once the dissertation is outlined and the first chapter is mostly written, you should contact the other members of your committee to determine a convenient time for the lecture. Remember, this proposed date must be confirmed in the Department of English a short application form must be filed with the Graduate Secretary two weeks before the lecture. You are not responsible for advertising the lecture. The Graduate Secretary will make all announcements and send all notices. You are responsible for preparing a packet of materials which should be distributed to your committee at least one week before the lecture. You should feel free to get feedback from your Dissertation Chair so that the contents of the packet are as accurate and helpful as possible. Minimally, the packet should contain the following things:

A prospectus describing and summarizing the dissertation. It may also include a discussion of the evolution of your interest in the topic and/or chart academic experiences that have fed your interest.

The survey chapter, typically the first chapter, of the dissertation. This should be a substantial chapter around 25 pages but no more than 40 pages.

An outline of the rest of the dissertation.

Any other useful visuals. You may include timelines, bibliographies, lists of dates, maps, charts, or any other materials that would help clarify your presentation.

In preparing for the lecture itself, you should follow the usual strategies for preparing academic and professional presentations. You may either prepare a paper to read from or an outline to work from, whichever suits your needs and abilities. You may also want to prepare transparencies or visuals that could be distributed to the whole audience. You need to be prepared for any size audience; you may have a large crowd or a small group, and different size audiences make different kinds of demands on you as a speaker. Since many of the people in your audience may not have had access to the packet you prepared for your committee members, you should not make assumptions about the audience's foreknowledge of your topic.

Content of the Lecture

The Graduate Lecture and Discussion should last approximately one hour. The presentation should be clear and concise, followed by appropriate questions and discussion. At the beginning of the lecture, your chair may introduce you and your work briefly. Whether you are reading from a prepared paper or working from an outline, you should set a context for your study, present the thesis of your dissertation, explain why you want to explore the topic, justify its importance, and summarize preceding research. You should also include any other information you and/or your chair deem important. As you conclude your presentation, you should solicit questions on particular aspects of the project, perhaps addressing specific members of the committee whose expertise can illuminate your research questions. During the discussion period, your chair should make sure that each committee member is given time to ask questions. The committee members may come prepared with questions stimulated by the materials in the packet and/or they may ask questions created by your presentation. If time permits, you may also answer questions from other people in the audience. You may also be asked to field more specific questions about a particular part of your dissertation. This discussion period should enlighten your committee members and clarify for everyone, including you, the strengths and weaknesses of your proposed topic.

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The Dissertation Writing Process

It is assumed that you will work on your dissertation in closest concert with your chair, who will read carefully all drafts and report of your progress frequently to other members of your committee. As you plan and complete a draft, you and your committee should decide whether you wish to share all of your evolving chapters one by one with the whole committee, or wait until you and your chair are satisfied with the entire draft. As best as possible you should adhere to the timetable you submitted during your graduate lecture to your committee; should you and your chair decide that you need to adjust deadlines, keep your committee informed and do not expect them to read and evaluate drafts under pressure. Be aware of graduation and submission deadlines, all of which are firm and permit no exceptions.

Non-service Dissertation Assistantships

Every year the department awards up to three twelve-month non-service dissertation assistantships that allow well-prepared and motivated third or four-year doctoral students to be freed from the responsibilities of teaching to concentrate fully on the completion of their dissertations. Competition for the these awards occurs annually in the Spring, with a usual March 15th deadline. Awards are merit-based and applicants are judged by criteria developed by the Graduate Committee. Contact the Graduate Coordinator for specific guidelines for eligibility and submission requirements.

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The Dissertation Defense

Once you have successfully drafted and revised your dissertation, the final component of your program is the dissertation defense. The defense should not be an antagonistic proceeding, but rather a positive and productive experience for the candidate, the committee, and any observers. The defense is a final oral examination which takes place after the completion of the second-to-last draft of the dissertation. The defense focuses on the dissertation but may also cover closely related fields of study. During this meeting, the Dissertation Committee may ask relevant research or drafting questions and should suggest final revisions for the work.

Guidelines for the Defense

The Graduate College suggests that the defense should take place 6-8 weeks before the final dissertation is due to the Graduate College. Since the Dissertation Defense has traditionally been a public defense of research, the student is required to publicize the date by notifying The Monitor, which is the faculty and staff newsletter. This should be done at least three weeks before the exam is to take place. In the case of a student failing the Dissertation Defense, the Graduate Catalog states that s/he may take a second exam upon the recommendation of the Dissertation Committee four months or more after the date of the first examination. No student is permitted to take the final examination more than twice.

Committee Chair Responsibilities

The Dissertation Committee Chair is charged with helping the student with the specific details of the defense, and is to keep the student notified of current departmental policy as it affects the scheduling and nature of the defense.

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Final Ph.D. Checklist for Successful Completion of Degree

The steps you must complete to obtain the Ph.D. can seem confusing. To help sort out the process, complete the checklist by adding appropriate dates. You should also consult the Graduate Coordinator and the Graduate Catalog for the deadlines for dissertation and applications for graduation.

Stage One

Proposed Date: ______________ Date Completed: ______________