Anthropology Department

Anthropology Department

Comprehensive Exams

The Ph.D in Anthropology implies a wide ranging knowledge of the field, and the ability to find and recognize fundamental ideas and intellectual connections among all the fields of the discipline. Therefore, in order to advance to their dissertation, each Ph.D student must pass a set of comprehensive exams. As their name implies, these exams are meant to test the student's familiarity with, and fluency in, the full range of anthropological thought. Each student must pass an examination in each of the three sub-fields taught in the department, archaeology, ethnography and biological anthropology, regardless of each student's own major sub-field.

The comprehensive exams will be given once each school year, and will consist of a set of questions to be answered in each sub-field section. It is expected that the answer to each question will be a substantial, thoughtful and well written essay. Each sub-field section will be graded as high pass, pass or re-take, and each section receiving a grade of 're-take' must be re-taken at a make up test the following school year. Failure to pass a previously tested section upon the second attempt will result in a grade of 'fail', and that student will be unable to advance further in the program. For further information about the format and scheduling of the Comprehensive Exams, please speak with your advisor.  Sample questions from the 2007 exams may be found here.

In order to assist students in preparing for this exam, the department has prepared a reading list to indicate the breadth and depth of knowledge expected to be shown in this test. In addition to these texts, any material assigned to be read in almost any college level class in anthropology which you have previously taken. here at William and Mary or elsewhere, may also be considered as a valuable preparation.

To download a Microsoft Word version of the current reading list, click below:
Comprehensive Exam Reading List