Latin American Studies

Comps

Main Menu

Program Home

Faculty

• Latin American Studies Concentration
• Latin American Studies Major
• Handbook for Students
• Alumni Connection
• Events

Schedule

What is a Proposal

Evaluation of Comps

Role of Advisors

Recent Comps

1. 
   1. If you are planning a project that involves summer research, or will be off-campus in Fall Term 2002, you should consult with at least two Latin American Studies faculty before you leave campus. You should submit a preliminary comps proposal before leaving campus in Spring 2002, and arrange for a faculty member to serve as your advisor for the project. If you are planning original field research, you must also submit a statement of your proposed field research plan to the Carleton Institutional Review Board (formerly Human Subjects Review Committee) for approval, allowing ample time for the committee to review your proposal before you leave campus. (See # 3.)
   During the first three weeks of Fall Term, you must discuss your proposed project with at least two Latin American Studies faculty. After discussing the project with these professors, you should arrange for one of them to serve as your advisor for comps. A proposal of at least five pages must be turned in to the Program Director by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, October 4th. (See "What Is A Proposal?" below.) Your proposal will then be reviewed by the Latin American Studies Committee. You will have to submit another proposal if the original one lacks sufficient promise or appears unfeasible.
2. If your project involves research with human subjects—that is, interviews, participant observation, a survey—it MUST be approved by the Carleton Institutional Review Board BEFORE you may begin your research. All research by Carleton faculty and students that involves human subjects, whether utilizing survey research, participant observation, or qualitative interview methods, and whether conducted here at Carleton or elsewhere, must be approved by this ethics oversight committee. Further information and guidelines for submitting your project for approval can be obtained from the Dean of the College's web page. Completed forms must be submitted to Professor Kirk Jeffrey, Chair, for the committee’s review; allow at least two weeks for the approval process.
   
3. In the 8th week of fall term, you should submit a revised proposal and outline of your comps paper to your advisor. Your revised proposal should include a thesis statement and summary of your argument; an outline indicating how you expect the paper to be structured; and a summary of the work you have done so far and the work that remains to be done. You should also include a bibliography listing the major materials you will use in your paper. This revised proposal and outline must be turned in to your advisor by Monday, November 4th.
   
4. Second week of Winter Term: By Friday, January 17th, you should turn in a first draft of your comps paper to your advisor. You should meet with your advisor prior to this deadline to discuss goals for this first draft. Your advisor may also set additional goals and interim drafts for you to turn in during winter term.
5. Eighth week of Winter Term: By Monday, February 24th, you must submit a complete draft of your comps paper to your advisor.
   
6. Second week of Spring Term: Three copies of your complete, final draft of the comps essay are due by 4:30 p.m., Friday, April 11th, in the Program Director’s office. Any submission after this time must be accompanied by a formal letter to the Latin American Studies Committee, explaining why your comps is late. If the explanation is unacceptable, the comps will be evaluated the following Fall. No late comps will be considered for Distinction.
   
7. Fifth week of Spring Term: Comps presentations will be scheduled during the week of Monday, April 28 to Friday, May 2nd.

Back to Comps

1. The topic you intend to study and why it interests you
   
2. The principal question(s) or issue(s) you want to pose about that topic
   
3. The method(s) you intend to use to answer your questions or conduct your analysis. This does not mean saying "I’ll read books," or "I’ll conduct interviews." Rather, specify as clearly as possible the kinds of information/data you will need in order to answer your research question(s) and the approaches you will use in analyzing that information. Your primary analytic methods may be drawn from history, the social sciences, literary criticism—but whichever the case, you must specify where and how you will obtain the pertinent data and what approach you will use in analyzing them.
   
4. The feasibility of the study. Consider the adequacy of available resources to carry it out and the length of time it will require. If you plan to draw upon library or other resources not available at Carleton (say, major academic libraries near your home, or resources available on off-campus study programs), indicate that, as well.
   
5. Your personal preparedness for the study. What courses, off-campus studies programs, other experiences have you had that are likely to be useful? In particular, indicate courses or other experiences that have prepared you to do the kind of data collection or analysis that you have identified as your method in (c). (E.g., if you propose to conduct interviews, indicate what preparation you have for designing and executing such interviews, and/or what assistance you expect to require from your faculty in order to successfully carry out the study.)
   
6. The two disciplines that your study will draw upon, and how you will articulate these disciplines in the analysis of your topic.
   
7. The names of at least two faculty with whom you have consulted and the name of one of those who has agreed to serve as your advisor for the project.
   
8. A preliminary bibliography of at least ten items that you believe will be most helpful in your research.