Comps Deadlines and Schedule

Spring Term of Junior Year

Discuss the Pre-proposal Worksheet with two faculty members (chair and one more faculty member) and submit the worksheet by the end of spring term.

Fall Term of Senior Year

It is important to the long-term success of your comps that you respect deadlines throughout the entire process. Departmental acceptance of your proposal is a prerequisite for registration for Religion 399, the Senior Research Seminar, during winter term.

For each two days the comps proposal is late, the date of return will be put back by one week, up to a maximum of three weeks. A comps proposal submitted seven or more days late will not be returned until the beginning of winter term.

Week 4: Submit your proposal electronically (Word document).

Week 5: Proposals returned with comments.

Week 7: Rewrites (Word document) due for any proposals requiring rewriting.

Week 8: Rewrites returned with comments.

• NOTE: When you receive comments back, you will also be assigned reader(s).  You must confer with your reader(s) on the direction of the project before the beginning of winter break.

Winter Term of Senior Year

Week 6: Comps essays due Tuesday after midterm break at noon. Submit an electronic Word document. We anticipate returning these papers with comments by Week 8.

Comps must be complete and formally correct (spelling, citations, etc.) in order to receive comments from reader(s). Papers judged seriously deficient in form will be returned for improvement without substantive criticism shortly after being received. They must be resubmitted by Week 7 at the latest, and then will be read for content, and returned with comments by Week 9.

For each two days that the comps is late, the date of return will be put back by one week, up to a maximum of three weeks. A paper submitted seven or more days late will not be returned until the beginning of spring term.

Spring Term of Senior Year

Week 2: Revised comps essays due at noon. Submit electronically (Word document) on Moodle. We aim to return the second version, with comments and notification of status (pass or not) by Week 4. Decisions regarding distinction will be made and announced after the completion of oral presentations.

Orals:  All students will present the findings of their comps orally at sessions during the spring term, and participate in sessions at which other seniors present their work. The times and format will be announced well in advance. Upon satisfactory completion of the revision of the essay and of the oral presentation and participation requirements, students will receive credit for the Integrative Exercise (Religion 400).

Deadlines are important at all stages of the process in order for students and faculty alike to plan their work and do it justice. The penalties for lateness are designed to promote promptness and to communicate to all students the need to be realistic in planning work. Comps not completed according to this schedule will be considered for graduation.

Comps Archive: Carleton College encourages you to submit your comps to its digital archive. Learn more and complete your online submission form.