Culminating
Events:
Culminating event for the degree program
Dissertation
Dissertation Advising Committee Information
The function of the Doctoral Advisory Committee is to guide the candidate's doctoral
research. This committee offers regular advice and expertise as the student collects data,
researches and writes the proposal and dissertation.
The Doctoral Advisory Committee must include at least 3 graduate faculty members
from Temple University; two of them, including the chair, must be from the Department of African American Studies. The committee may be expanded to include other Temple
University faculty (from within or outside DAAS) and/or doctorally prepared experts from outside the University, provided that a majority of the committee members are Graduate faculty members.
Dissertation Examining Committee Information
The function of the Dissertation Examining Committee is to evaluate the dissertation, the
candidate's oral defense of the dissertation, and to decide whether the candidate passes or fails. All members of the Dissertation Examining Committee must be physically present for the oral defense. Exceptions must be specifically approved in writing by the Dean of the Graduate School. The Dissertation Examining Committee is composed of the Doctoral Advisory Committee
plus at least one additional reader who may be a graduate faculty member from Temple or another university, but s/he cannot be a member of DAAS.
Advisor/Committee Information
A student must have an advisor at all times. However, it is possible that as the student's
interests develop, s/he may find it desirable to change major advisors and/or advisory committees. The advisee/advisor relationship can be terminated by mutual consent with a note to the Graduate Director signed by both parties or by either party through negotiation
with the Graduate Director, who must not at the time be serving as a member of the Committee; when the Graduate Director is also a member of the committee,
then another member of the Graduate faculty, appointed by the Chair of the Department, should serve as the negotiator between the student and the committee member. The student wishing to change his or her advisor must complete a "Change of Advisor" form, which may
be obtained from the Graduate Secretary. Once a defense date has been set, there can be no changes of committee members and/or major advisor.
Preliminary Exam Description
The Preliminary Examination is a culminating examination that is intended to probe the Ph.D. student's knowledge of content, literature, theory/methodology,
methods in African American Studies, and to test the student's ability to apply theoretical issues to praxis. It is a proctored, closed-book, 12-hour written examination administered by the student's Preliminary Examination Committee. The student's major advisor will compose 6 hours of the examination. In order to take the exam, the student must register
for AAS 799 [Preliminary Exam Preparation].
Subject Areas/Major Components of the Preliminary Examination
The subject areas will be chosen by the members of the Preliminary Examination Committee. Particular reading lists or specific materials may be suggested for review before the exam.
At what point in the program is the student expected to take the preliminary examination
Students are expected to take the preliminary examination upon completion of the coursework component of the program and upon the satisfactory completion of the language requirement.
Writing the Questions for the Preliminary Examination
The student is strongly advised to choose a preliminary examining committee at the beginning of the
semester that he or she takes his or her last course. The student should consult with her/his graduate advisor in selecting members of his or her examination committee and in setting
the date for the Qualifying Examination. The student should then write to prospective
members requesting that they serve on the Examination Committee. In the letter, the student should mention the course(s) taken with the professor, and should also include a copy of his/her statement of research interests and career goals. The faculty member should notify the student's advisor in writing of his/her agreement to serve on the committee.
Evaluating the Preliminary Examination
Each member of the Dissertation Advisory Committee will evaluate his or her exam question(s). The student may be required to retake all or part of the examination.
Criterion for Passing the Preliminary Examination.
The Graduate Director will notify the student of her/his Qualifying Examination results no
later than 5 weeks after the completion of the examination. On the basis of the quality of the examination results, the Examination Committee may make one of the following determinations:
(1) Pass:
The student passes the examination and may now write his/her dissertation proposal.
(2) Fail:
The student fails the written and/oral examination but may retake part or all of the examination. Students may only take the exam twice.
(3) Fail/Termination:
The student fails the written examination and may not retake the exam. The student is dismissed from the program.
Administering, Scheduling, and Proctoring the Preliminary Examination
The Preliminary, or Qualifying, Examination is offered in January and May. The hours of the exam are from 9:00 - noon and 1:00 - 4:00. The student schedules the exam with the Graduate Secretary after consultation with her/his advisor at least one (1) month in advance of the exam date. The Graduate Secretary will check to be sure the student's records are free of encumbrances that would prevent him/her from meeting University requirements for taking the exam. If all requisites are met, the student should select an exam date from the dates that the Department offers the exam, and inform the Graduate Secretary of the date she/he intends to take the exam. The Graduate Secretary informs the student's committee of the planned date of the exam. Examiners will submit exam items directly to the Graduate Director. Students will receive exam results within five (5) weeks after completion of the exam.
Dissertation/Monograph Philosophy
The Dissertation is an original and definitive empirical study that makes a significant contribution to the field of African American Studies. It should add to the knowledge of one or more areas either by uncovering new information, providing an innovative synthesis of existing information, propounding a new theory, fine-tuning an existing theory, or offering a new interpretation substantiated by data. The length of the dissertation varies but should be in excess of 150 pages.
Philosophy of the Proposal
The formal research proposal, usually at least 30 pages long, presents a plan for increasing the knowledge base in the discipline. The student will work in concert with the Dissertation Committee Chair to fine-tune the proposal. With the Dissertation Chair's approval, the proposal is submitted to the other committee members who make suggestions for changes. When the entire committee is satisfied with the proposal, the student will make an oral presentation and defend the proposal, where other suggestions to strengthen the proposal can be made. After a successful oral defense, the PhD student is raised to candidacy.
Criterion for Passing the Dissertation and the Defense.
Once the Doctoral Advisory Committee Chair is satisfied with the dissertation draft, he/she will advise the student to distribute it to the other members of the committee. When the entire Committee is satisfied with the draft, the student and chair will decide upon an examination date. At the conclusion of the dissertation defense, the committee may recommend either that the candidate has passed or failed. After the student passes the dissertation defense, certification forms are signed by the Committee members and forwarded to the Graduate School. Failure may call for substantial revisions.
Dissertation Defense Scheduling
Students who are preparing to defend their dissertation should confirm a time and date with their Dissertation Advisory Committee and register with the Graduate Secretary who will arrange for the room, prepare the appropriate forms, send copies of the announcement to the Graduate School and DAAS Graduate Faculty and post the announcement on public bulletin boards.
Announcing the Dissertation Defense
Every dissertation defense must be publicly announced in writing at least 10 days prior to the defense and must be open to the academic community. The Graduate Secretary will send copies of the announcement to the Graduate School, DAAS Graduate faculty and post the announcement on public bulletin boards.
