Ms. Mumm: A few points:- Most universities on this side of the Atlantic,
in giving comprehensive exams for the Ph.D. degree, distinguish between
a candidate's "major" field and his/her "minor" fields.Questions in the
major field usually look for an in-depth knowledge of the
historiography of the field in addition to a detailed and relatively
sophisticated grasp of the factual material. Questions can be as
detailed as "Describe and discuss the causes, course of, and immediate
consequences of the 1938 'Munich Crisis,'" or "When can one say the
'twentieth century' really began in Britain?" For a minor field one
expects a candidate to show a sufficient grasp of it to be able to
teach a respectable undergraduate-level survey course in it.
Michael Landon (M.A-Oxon., Ph.D-Wiscon-Madison)
Professor of History
Univ. of Mississippi