Graduate students are expected to make a contribution to the Fair in the form of judging and assisting professors. The Graduate Student Association represents all graduate-level students enrolled in the University. The purpose of the organization is to serve the unique needs of the students engaged in graduate studies. Activities sponsored by the GSA include a new student orientation, teaching workshops, special speakers and events, and an annual graduate student research forum. The GSA also awards grants to support graduate students who present original work at professional conferences.
Students are responsible for all material on the reading lists.
Before the comprehensive examination is taken, students must also consult with the professors responsible for testing in order to assure that they have covered all relevant material. In addition to the works listed for each period, the candidate is expected to have a general knowledge of the whole period, that is, some familiarity with other important writers and works, as well as with the more important literary and intellectual movements and dates, and the major historical and cultural events of the period. Students should also possess a good working knowledge of basic literary terms in French. Students should consult the appropriate professors for suggestions for background reading. As previously stated, candidates will not be permitted to take the comprehensive examination before they have established their reading knowledge of a second foreign language.