Question about comps
Hi all,
I'm working on my comps this semester, and things are going okay. But I feel like I should be approaching the process a little differently. I've started re-reading stuff and making bibliographies. This has led me to the foundational ideas for my comps (I think), but it feels like I'm reading too much before I begin writing, if you know what I mean. It feels like I'm studying for comps not writing my comps.
I feel like if I spend all of this time refamiliarizing myself with my reading list, I'll never get my syntheses written. I guess I've run into this chicken-or-egg-type quandary: should I create my lists of sources first through reading, reviewing, and researching or should I write my syntheses first and then base my book list on the syntheses that I create?
The answer here is probably both/and or something like that. But I'm interested to hear how you all approached this task.
I'm working on my comps this semester, and things are going okay. But I feel like I should be approaching the process a little differently. I've started re-reading stuff and making bibliographies. This has led me to the foundational ideas for my comps (I think), but it feels like I'm reading too much before I begin writing, if you know what I mean. It feels like I'm studying for comps not writing my comps.
I feel like if I spend all of this time refamiliarizing myself with my reading list, I'll never get my syntheses written. I guess I've run into this chicken-or-egg-type quandary: should I create my lists of sources first through reading, reviewing, and researching or should I write my syntheses first and then base my book list on the syntheses that I create?
The answer here is probably both/and or something like that. But I'm interested to hear how you all approached this task.
posted by Brad Smith @ 2:55 PM
11 Comments:
At 3:20 PM,
Nikki said…
What I did, and it's only me, was to rework some of my older papers into syntheses. I took one paper that focused primarily on pedagogy, one that was on english studies (from Dr. Fortune's class), and my study from Dr. Broad's class and reworked them to include my list.
Some advice Julie gave me: Go through all the papers you've written and compile a giant works cited list. That will give you the chance to refamiliarize yourself with the most important (to you) sources. In addition, it helps you to see the overlap in your work.
I think you have to refamiliarize yourself in your case - you've been out of it for a while. I'm doing that now after not thinking about the diss prop for two months...I feel like I'm totally back at square one.
At 3:37 PM,
Brad Smith said…
Thanks for the advice, Nikki.
One other question about the English Studies exam. I'm envisioning the exam that I create as a practical application of English Studies. However, the example I have from the department is more of a theorization of English Studies, i.e. here's what English Studies _is_, rather than here is me applying English Studies to my scholarship. Did you use that exam to theorize ES or did you apply ES principles to the work you were doing?
At 6:50 PM,
Nikki said…
Eh...it was kinda both. What I did was talk about multiple interpretations of literacy throughout the disciplines and then discuss how those interrelated definitions worked to create my concept of literacy.
At 5:26 AM,
Susan said…
Hey Brad,
As I read (and reread some stuff) for comps, I made an annotated bib. Then I wrote the synthesis using the annotated bib, not even citing all the sources on it (thanks for the suggestion, Ludwig!) But I was reading fast and writing fast, so it was easier to see how they all related to each other. As for the English Studies, I did "the place of English Ed in English Studies." Those were the kinds of samples I looked at. But maybe Lori has a better suggestion on that. The one thing I would keep in mind: IF these exams are to prepare you for the diss (which is one justification I've heard, since our department wants to make these comps "useful), then read stuff that is going to help your diss, and make it fit into the three slots for exams: pedagogy, English Studies, specialization. Who is on your committee?
At 8:24 AM,
Brad Smith said…
I haven't chosen a committee yet. I'm bouncing a few ideas around in my head about who to ask. Ron Fortune, Bob Broad, and Aaron Smith are writing my comp questions.
At 5:18 PM,
Nikki said…
Be careful with Dr. B - he's really busy....
At 2:34 PM,
Lori O said…
I carried around a "commonplace book." This is a trick I picked up from William who had a lovely book with, I think, Wonder Woman on the cover. Whatever it was, I coveted it...big time.
Basically, I'd read or re-read something, write the biblio info and a one-sentence summary of the book or article & then hand-write the most important quotes I found relating to my various projects. Then I'd just run through the book from time to time, turn to it when I needed a new idea or some support, etc.
The books were/are also good for keeping track of my own questions and ideas.
This is basically how I prepare for any new writing assignment.
At 10:48 AM,
Brad Smith said…
I've got a couple of notebooks that I used to write down ideas about books I've read and to write down annotations and memorable quotations.
I think, though, that this is more of a hindrance to my writing than a help. It really helps my reading, but I find that I have to return to the book anyway to find the quotations I'm really interested in. That is, I never write down what I find to be important once I've begun writing. And so it's simultaneously super helpful and completely useless. Oh well.
Dr. Fortune: Specialization
Dr. Broad: Pedagogy
Dr. Smith: English Studies
At 5:57 AM,
Marcea said…
Hey Brad- To create my comps syntheses, I just started making huge lists of sources I dound myself using over the years and then grouped them into categories that fit each comp. I absolutely had to have an annotated bib as I was writing (and especially as I was studying/preparing for them). My memory is terrible when it comes to readings, so having an ann. bib with summaries/quotes really paid off for the syntheses and the comps themselves for me.
At 7:37 AM,
William said…
Wow, I'm amazed that Lori coveted my Wonder Woman journal, but I can see why one would ... there's also a great Catwoman journal out there, FWIW.
Brad, when I studied for comps, I did a few of the things fols have said: for the specialization, I went to my best seminar in C/R (Ken's history seminar) and worked from that -- I had great annotations and resources from that class. For pedagogy, I'd written a pedagogy paper for Broad, and I carved it down to make the case I wanted to make for pedagogy, added a few sources and pulled a few off. For ES, I chose Jan because she'd give me the question I wanted, not some left-field thing, one that would come from my synthesis, not outside of it. That was the hardest synthesis to write, but the easiest exam to write -- go figure.
I spent a lot of time jockying texts around the three list so that there were a few overlaps, but not that many. So I put some "history" on ES and Pedagogy, because I knew these texts well and they spoke to what I was doing; I spread Judith Butler across all three, but different texts -- I was going to want them all in my head regardless, so I just figured if it was on one list, it was good for all the exams.
Here's the thing though: your exam directors don't know those texts as well as you do, most likely, and they don't know the connections you're seeing -- these exams are about YOUR connections -- so your synthesis should articulate those connections -- that becomes the exam you can write that no one else can. But you cannot possibly use all the sources on your list, nor are you checked against those documents. Those texts are "suggestions" of what texts explain what you're doing; you don't have to go back and re-read and get crazy with them.
I think you should always be focusing on what you want to say about these three things, write that down as a synthesis statement, and then plug in the writers/scholars who help you make this point.
At 12:11 PM,
Brad Smith said…
Thanks for the advice, everyone.
Wish me luck.
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