Exam Field Lists

Below are sample reading lists for Ph.D. students to download and use in preparation for comprehensive examinations. Contact the Department of History to submit additional lists. Your contributions are appreciated!

NOTE: The content of each reading list is determined by the examining professor and the Ph.D. student at a particular moment in time. The following lists have been voluntarily provided by students to assist future students in shaping their exams. These reading lists should NOT be considered definitive field lists for future exams. Nor should you assume that this list represents all possibilities for formulations of exams. Students are encouraged to consult with their examiners to develop reading lists appropriate to their exams.

Sample Reading Lists for Ph.D. Comprehensive Field Exams

Early American History to 1877

Spring 2010
Examining Professor: Kyle G. Volk

Early American History: The Atlantic World, Colonial America, and the United States, 1607–1877

Spring 2015
Examining Professor: Kyle G. Volk

Early American History to 1877

Fall 2021
Examining Professor: Kyle G. Volk

Modern America

Spring 2009
Examiner: Jeff Wiltse

Modern America (1877-present)

Spring 2009
Examiner: Jeff Wiltse

Modern America

Fall 2010
Examiner: Mike Mayer

Modern America

Winter 2012
Examiner: Mike Mayer

Political Economy and American Society, 1877 – Present

Spring 2015
Examiner: Jeff Wiltse

Modern American History

Fall 2021
Examiner: Jeff Wiltse

Capitalism, Democracy, and the State in U.S. History

Winter 2013
Examiner: Kyle G. Volk

American Western Evironmental History 

Spring 2009
Examining Professor: Dan Flores

Environmental History and the American West

Fall 2010
Examining Professor: Dan Flores

Environmental & Western History

Fall 2010 
Examining Professor: Dan Flores

American Environmental, Western, and Indian History

Winter 2012
Examining Professor: Dan Flores

American Western and Environmental History

Winter 2013
Examining Professor: Dan Flores

Latin American History

Spring 2008
Examining Professor: Jody Pavilack

Modern Latin America & Latin American Environmental History

Spring 2009
Examiner: Jody Pavilack

Latin American Indian History

Winter 2012
Examiner: Jody Pavilack

Latin American History

Fall 2021
Examining Professor: Jody Pavilack

Early Modern Europe/ Atlantic World

Spring 2010
Examiner: Professor John Eglin

Modern European History, 1789-1945

Winter 2013
Examiner: Robert Greene

Modern Europe: The Making of Modern Europe, c. 1789 – 1991

Spring 2015
Examiner: Robert H. Greene

Native American Studies

Winter 2013
Examiner: David Beck

*Fields outside of the department